Unofficial BMW Motorrad Concept Envisions Intelligent Bike of the Future

What you’re looking at in the cover photo is known as Spirit. Its creator, Anja Didrichsons of Munich, Germany, based the design around functions and aspects of the BMW Motorrad family. If you take a close look at the gallery and the video below, you’ll see quite a bit of those aspects coming through.

Now, the idea behind the project is quite simple. Obviously, it’s a motorcycle that aims to create a symbiosis between human and machine. But to do so in reality has proven to be rather difficult. So, for now, all we have is this digital representation of where future technology could be headed. How about we dream a little?

We can clearly see a motorcycle shape as far as visual geometry goes, but that’s about where all resemblance ends. Except maybe the way it handles, possibly. The first thing we notice when we lay our eyes upon this skeletal frame is just that, the skeleton.

Unlike most other motorcycle designs we’ve seen, the skeletal structure here isn’t just for show either. It has actual function that is key to the vehicle's handling. This frame is structured as such because, believe it or not, as you ride the Spirit, it will flex or contract in order to help you achieve a turn. If you’ve been keeping up with the times, you know something of the sort really does exist. And, best of all, it’s from the real Motorrad. Click here to find out more.

The idea is quite simple, really. As you signal your intent to make certain maneuvers, the frame will adjust in order to help streamline efficiency. Let's say you want to go faster. As you do so, the ribs of the skeleton will tighten and widen as to create a more aerodynamic shape. If you want to slow down, the body will relax again and become bulkier, creating more drag.

For turning, a similar mechanism is used. If you want to make a right turn, aside from leaning into it as you would on a normal bike, the frame also contracts on the side with the turn and expands on the exterior, just like your own rib cage would act if you were to lean left to right or vice versa.

As for the rest of the frame, wow! It seems Anja has put so much work and effort into not just the way this concept looks and functions but also what each component does and how they complete each other to create the creature you see before you.

For the sake of time and energy, I urge you once again to check the gallery as you find the essentials for everything there. But there is one more aspect I would like to discuss before going, that front wheel. Well, what front wheel?

If you look closely at the front of the Spirit, you can clearly see that a classic wheel system is no longer existent. Instead, three orbs have taken its place. To understand a bit about how that works, you should recall those old computer mice with a ball used to direct your cursor - that's basically the principle we find here, albeit way more advanced.

Finally, the Spirit is a motorcycle that is meant to grow and adapt with the rider and modifies the riding experience over time, creating a true unison of human and machine. For the time being, we haven’t figured out how to create something like this. But then again, do we need to?