Dream Bikes Euro-Style

DREAM BIKES EURO-STYLE

DESIGN EXERCISES OR A LOOK AT THE FUTURE?

THE ATLANTIC OCEAN ISN’T THE ONLY THING THAT SEParates Americans from Europeans. A vast gulf of attitudes, values and philosophies also separate us-not only as peoples, but also as motorcycle enthusiasts. American riders tend to be a practical lot. We say, “Just give us something that works, please.” European riders mix that practicality with a love of form-sometimes even when it gets in the way of function.

Additionally, the general level of enthusiasm for all kinds of motorcycles is extraordinarily high in Europe, and very high fuel costs-$5 per gallon in some places-give a practical urgency to that enthusiasm.

These factors have helped create a motorcycle subculture that exists to design and build European dreambikes like the ones on these pages. There are notable purveyors of

these dreambikes from every European country, some of them, such as Holland’s Nico Bakker, very well known. Others, such as France’s Thierry Henriette, are less well known. But whether their work tends towards the science of engineering, like Bakker’s does, or towards the art of style and design, like Henriette’s does, the effect is similar: It points the way forward.

It would be difficult to overstate the importance of the work of these specialty houses. They not only help chart the courses manufacturers eventually will follow, they prepare the mass market’s eye for advance styling and educate its mind about advanced engineering concepts. For examples of two machines that perform exactly those functions, and in doing so help narrow the gulf between enthusiasts of all nations, just read on. -Jon F. Thompson