Is It A Bird? Is It A Plane? It’s A Custom Zanella ZB 125!

Some custom motorcycle designs are easier to make sense of than others. The starting model looks like a motorcycle; the end result looks like a motorcycle—a pretty straightforward and classic approach. For some designers, however, classic can be boring. Conventions are thrown out of the window and the crazy lines their creative minds come up with find applications in the metal. There are designs that are completely out of this world and this Argentinian mid-century futuristic interpretation of a motorcycle definitely is one of them. 

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If it weren’t for the two wheels, it would be hard to tell that this Patricio Castelli design is a vehicle and not a sculpture. The fuselage-like silhouette is a futuristic blast from the past, back when all things aerospace were silver, shiny, and metal-plated.  It’s hard to believe that this rocket started its life as a Zanella ZB 125 scooter. 

Zanella is an Argentinian manufacturer that’s been around for over 60 years now and that specializes in motorcycles and scooters. The scooter used in this retro-futuristic design uses a 125cc single-cylinder, overhead cam engine rated at 8 horsepower and 6 lb-ft of torque, teamed with a four-speed semi-automatic transmission. The engine and the transmission are the only components left of the Zanella—everything else was machined and built by Castelli's shop that specializes in aluminum molding. 

The “fuselage” of the bike is underlined by a custom-built frame that attaches to the front wheel using a single-sided steering arm. The back wheel is attached directly to the "tail" of the rocket-shaped aluminum fairing. The top portion of the design, made to look like a plane, is where the rider sits and steers the bike—the wing-looking contraptions are in fact the handgrips. The machined metal plates are held in place with rivets, an clear homage to the early days of aviation and planes. 

While Castelli’s clients usually opt for more classical—and practical—silhouettes, he sometimes indulges in self-commissioned work that allows him to let his creative juices flow. The “Abandonen Toda Esepranza” bike (which translates to "Abandon all hope", a quote from Dante’s Inferno), is a fully functional bike—but likely not one you’ll want to commute on. That being said, Castelli’s innovation earned him a number of customization awards. Doesn’t this bike make you want to go to infinity and beyond?

Source: Bike Exif

Photography from Castelli AFF/Facebook