Will the 3D-printed wonders ever cease? They certainly aren’t showing signs of slowing down; every day there seems to be a new foray into the ever expanding world of 3D printing. One of the latest examples of the continuing advancements in 3D printing is the new ‘Light Rider’ motorcycle by APWorks, a subsidiary of Airbus. True to its name, the motorcycle is indeed a light ride; all the components weigh in at just 77 pounds, and the six kilowatt electric engine can get the bike from zero to 50 in just a few seconds.
The frame itself is the portion of the motorcycle made with 3D printing technology, and it has an odd, weblike look that has some people referring to the Light Rider as an ‘alien’ bike. But the frame doesn’t look like that just for the aesthetic, according to the Airbus Group website: “APWorks used an algorithm to develop the Light Rider’s optimized structure to keep weight at a minimum while ensuring the motorcycle’s frame was strong enough to handle the weight loads and stresses of everyday driving scenarios. The result: a motorcycle that looks more like an organic exoskeleton than a machine. That was a very deliberate design goal for APWorks, which programmed the algorithm to use bionic structures and natural growth processes and patterns as the basis for developing a strong but lightweight structure.”
The company is only planning to produce a limited run of 50 Light Riders. Each one will be available for $56,000.
