KTM Ion: Part Electric Motorcycle Part Bicycle

Tom Roderick
by Tom Roderick

The KTM Ion is part of Daniel Brunsteiner‘s bachelor’s thesis in industrial design. Originally named Taurus, the project blurs the lines between motorcycles and fixie bicycles. With support from KTM and Kiska (KTM’s go-to industrial design firm), Brunsteiner created a product meant to appeal to urban commuters.

Built around KTM’s electric engine powering the Freeride E, the Ion uses technological innovations, such as flexible wheels, to overcome form vs function obstacles. Whether we see a project like this in production is anyone’s guess, but if it did get that far chances are, much like the Freeride E, it wouldn’t reach US shores. Too bad, it certainly caught our attention.

The Ion doesn't look very comfortable and we doubt it would require the amount of braking power shown here.
We imagine that the deformation from a bump would make a motorcycle unstable, and we're highly dubious we'll ever see such a thing on a production motorbike that has to get approval from a board of lawyers.
Tom Roderick
Tom Roderick

A former Motorcycle.com staffer who has gone on to greener pastures, Tom Roderick still can't get the motorcycle bug out of his system. And honestly, we still miss having him around. Tom is now a regular freelance writer and tester for Motorcycle.com when his schedule allows, and his experience, riding ability, writing talent, and quick wit are still a joy to have – even if we don't get to experience it as much as we used to.

More by Tom Roderick

Comments
Join the conversation
Next