Interstellar Stunner

Concept: Bandit9 L-Concept

Designer: Daryl Villanueva

Odds of Production: As sure as the sunrise

Influenced by galaxies far, far away, futurist and motorcycle builder Daryl Villanueva tapped into his favorite tales of tomorrow when he and the Vietnam-based team at Bandit9 developed their latest terrestrial transport—the L-Concept. And its design direction goes where no bike has gone before. “The suspended engine is borrowed from Star Trek’s USS Enterprise, the maneuver controls were derived from those on a Star Wars speeder, and the rear lighting is reminiscent of HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey,” says the former advertising art director and creative director. “I wanted a sci-fi cycle through and through.”His vision for the vehicle—which resembles a fusion of phaser and retro-rocket—was slow to materialize, however. “It’s such acomplex machine that we had to shelve the idea for a couple ofyears until we gained more experience with our craftsmanship. All the shapes, including the unibody tank—made from a single sheet of steel—and intricately curved engine cover, needed to fit with purpose, like a jigsaw puzzle.” Each of the nine examples planned (seven have already been produced) will be as operational as they are visually sensational.

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Side view 

Photo: Jeremy Wong/Nemesis Pictures Singapore

Bike details 

Photo: Jeremy Wong/Nemesis Pictures Singapore

Bike details 

Photo: Jeremy Wong/Nemesis Pictures Singapore

Bike details 

Photo: Jeremy Wong/Nemesis Pictures Singapore