GK Design Europe is involved in creating special 'show models' for the European market. Those show models are one-off concept models, where the designers want to express a new and special feeling in motorcycling. The latest one was the 'Air Tricker', a spectacular bmx-style machine with the heart of a 250cc motocrosser…

"On the Air Tricker we referred to trial bikes for the basic dimensions", explains Sasanami. "But the movement of the rider on the machine was to be totally different, so we constructed a very different shape for that."

"A planning nightmare"
When out of all sketches a clear direction of the Air Tricker was decided, an incredible amount of project coordination had to start.

It was April, and the model was to be shown 'live' on the next Motorshow in September, so there was very little time available to create all parts and certainly the designers could not produce every part themselves!

Luckily they could rely on outside specialists to help them, but that took an incredible amount of coordination. "It was a planning nightmare", they confessed to us.

Supporting Specialists 
a group of outside companies was called upon to help out with the production of the proto parts for the Air Tricker. Here are some examples:

MAS Engineering
supported the technical development.
For example, MAS created the construction that made it possible for the handle to turn 360 degrees with all cables operating!

Apart from constructions, MAS can make the most elaborate designs out of raw metal, using a very skilled hand and trained eye.
"He is a specialist with a great skill in hand work and he can make any shapes out of aluminium. But also he knows all areas of engineering to create innovative construction solutions."

Custom Body & Paint
did the painted parts on the bike. "A paint shop with an amazing skill to paint. I've never seen such a good painter like him", says Masaki Kuraoka who is the Color & Graphic designer of GKEU.

San Barnaba
company is located in Parma, Italy. "We asked their help for big aluminum parts that they could make out of the clay measurement data, with their 5-axis milling machine. They are used to work with Yamaha's engineering methods, because they also did work in the development of some production motorcycles."

Di Marco
is a model making company. "They helped out with proto plastic parts such as the skid plate, and smaller aluminium parts."

Futura Composites
handled the carbon parts. "They are specialists for dry carbon. This time they have constructed the frame panels by taxalium, which is a new material, a glass fiber that is combined with aluminium powder."

Dunlop Japan & Dunlop Europe
helped out to create the unique prototype tyres. No tyre like this existed on the market, and they were cut by hand! And today, only 2 sets exist in the world….

Öhlins
from Sweden had a completely new front fork milled for the bike. "We could not use existing parts because with the rotating handle, the fork brackets are very low and the fork itself is short. Also the rear shock absorber is much more compact than normal, and had to be made totally new."

Worth the effort
To create the Air Tricker in the available six-month-period meant huge workload for our designers. "In the most busy times we came to the office on Saturdays and Sundays, and anyway on many weekdays we worked till midnight."

Looking back, was that worth the effort? The answer from our team is totally positive:

"Show models are always a great source of inspiration. They push the boundaries of what is possible with design, and they give the motivation to push our technologies ahead too. You could say, they represent the passion that drives us!"