Overview
This project's focus was on designing a bike for occasional riders seeking enjoyable, nighttime rides with friends. Centred around Max, a motorsports enthusiast, the goal was an eco-friendly, futuristic electric bike aligning with his technological forward aesthetic and functional desires.
Immersing myself in biking culture and social media helped bridge knowledge gaps while combining field research and digital tools enriched understanding. As a designer, I improved my CAD skills and addressed design errors through feedback. Future plans involve prioritising early research and sketching for a more cohesive workflow.
Market Segmentation
I invested considerable time in curating a bike collection to benchmark against my design goals. After examining hundreds of bikes, I pinpointed features I admired: drawing from concept bikes, cruisers, sports bikes, and e-bikes.
My initial designs emphasised the elongated, low profile of concept bikes, extended wheelbases, directionality, linear geometry, and an aggressive stance with high seating and angular design influenced by sports bikes.
Precedents + Sketching
While sketching played a vital role in my design process, I equally focused on analysing the forms, lines, shapes, and gestures of motorcycles that inspired my drawings.
Rather than fixating on intricate details, I aimed to convey the bikes' essence and gestures. Utilising basic forms, my simple, swift sketches captured the bikes' overall feeling and form effectively.
CAD Development
Transitioning to the CAD environment was the project's most demanding phase, requiring a level of precision I previously wasn’t proficient at. Designing a complex item like a motorbike emphasised the necessity for meticulous technical drawings from the outset to ensure accurate CAD models.
Using Illustrator, I crafted a 1:1 scale drawing of the bike, a task that shifted my focus from aesthetics to technical intricacies. In the 3D CAD space, I began with rigid elements like axles and wheels before detailing and finalising the bike's bodywork.
Final Outcome
Throughout this project I delved into the world of motorbikes, focusing on occasional riders and their tech-driven passions. Understanding bike history was a hurdle, ultimately impacting my initial CAD work. To overcome gaps in my knowledge, I immersed myself in biking culture, researched, and observed.
My skillset within CAD increased greatly, and I improved in rendering and the graphics I used to present my work. In the future, I would prioritize early research and technical sketching.