Akira-Inspired 3 Wheeled Motorcycle Concept

Sometimes a movie comes along that really affects the way we think.  This movie may not come in the form of a flashy and expensive action flick but in this case came in the form of a cult classic from the 80's.  Ironically, Akira was a movie with a relatively humongous budget in comparison to similar movies of its time.  So while the movie was in fact 'expensive' it came across a vast ocean, and across an entire continent before it was played on my humble abode's VCR. 

Curvature Stress Shading

Archive date on this 3D model is September 1st, 2001 so that makes over 10 years since I first modeled this puppy up. At the time, having just learned 'Alias', I was experimenting with different objects.  I tried a few bottles, some landscapes and a few wheels (for cars).  But building a cycle seemed like an awesome challenge for me to tackle, since I had seen a few of my colleagues try with less than desirable results.




The construction began with an extruded aluminum frame.  After the general shape of the frame was laid out, I laid out a few more surfaces for the forks, seat and tank.  After this was completed I added a few rear end linkages as well as a drive belt.  At the time, a few motorcycle manufacturers were using belt drives on high-er end bikes so it seemed like a good choice.


The wheels i chose for this product were for the rear 20" tall x 10" and for the front of the bike I chose a smaller 18" tall x 7" wide.  I also went the unconventional route and chose motorcycle tires on all 3 corners.  Current tri-motorcycle builders use car tires with a flat profile on the rear.

On this day an age, one can only imagine the possibilities accessory-wise.

Conceptual 3D Model created in Alias Wavefront StudioTools.

Conceptual 3D model in shaded mode.

Top Wireframe View.

Side Wireframe View.

At the time, I had been watching Akira over and over.  The clown battle scenes had me captivated.  For those that want to know more, Akira is a 1988 Japanese animated cyberpunk science fiction film directed by Katsuhiro Otomo. 

Like most other Akira fans out there I would probably settle for a  Kaneda motorcycle replica myself but those are custom built only for himself and I couldn't handle it.

Kaneda during the first showdown with the clown gang.

Regarding the tri-motorcycle concept, I have thought about giving it a whack again.  Who knows...


Antonio Suarez
Industrial Designer