FF-ish Electric Zecoo (2015)
I've only recently become aware of these electric Japanese creations, but they actually date from 2015. Not just a one-off, obviously, it was planned to put them into production, but the project seems to have stalled after a couple of prototypes were built. PNB
Full spec and lots more photos here: http://www.zecoomotor.com/index.html
Photo: screenshot from Zecoo website
?!
Presumably the project stalled just before they fitted the seatbacks and tail sections - or am I being too charitable?
Steps forward and back...
Earlier concept from the same designer:
https://thekneeslider.com/recumbent-motorcycle-at-znug-design/
From the Znug Design site:
https://www.znug.com/images/znug_kuroshachi_02.jpg
https://www.znug.com/images/znug_kuroshachi_01.jpg
Totally far out & trippy animation, man:
https://youtu.be/xCgjS6meXBw
Funny how the earlier/older design has that seat back...
??!!
Indeed. One wonders about the mental process involved here. One one hand there are clearly structural difficulties getting a seat that low. On the other hand is this not just some visual design fantasy? Why is it proving so difficult for people to design a simple, egonomically correct, feet first two wheeler? Plenty of damm fools, you and I included, have done just that. I suspect it's the syndrome identified by John Partridge many years ago - "Not wishing to pollute the purity of my innovation by looking at what other people have done"
Historically, that's just not how innovation works. We all stand on someone's shoulders*, back to some poor sod hitting one piece of flint with another!
*
"I would have achieved more, but for the giants standing on my shoulders"...
Back to the Znug future
Aha. I recognise that Znug design, as picked up by Rob Horn way back in 2007. It's been sitting in the One Offs folder for 14 years, here: http://bikeweb.com/node/3348
PNB