A KTM Superbike Engine Powers This Insane Custom Motorcycle That Debuted At Goodwood
We’ve entered the Hyperbike phase. But what the hell is a Hyperbike?
Diamond Atelier was founded in Munich, Germany, in 2013, and has spent the past 13 years building hand-crafted motorcycles defined by a minimalist design language. Each of its machines is a one-of-one design and is numbered under the brand’s DA# naming convention.
During the Goodwood Festival of Speed this past week, Diamond Atelier unveiled their latest creation, DA#22, a bike the company says is “the first physical expression of a new category… the Hyperbike.”
This isn’t a design concept or showpiece, but instead is a running, riding, road-legal prototype, hand-built in Munich, which Diamond Atelier says “is the foundation for a future ultra-limited Hyperbike series.”
Custom Culture
Created for collectors who are “not looking for another superbike… or another limited-edition factory model,” the DA#22 is powered by a KTM LC8 V-twin which produces over 205hp. The chassis was developed in partnership with Wilbers and includes a TYPE 46 RR front fork derived from World Superbike technology, along with a custom-developed rear shock that was created specifically for the DA#22.
DKB Special Parts crafted the CNC-machined Formula 1-style handlebar switchgear and buttons, which gives the cockpit a “motorsport-derived interface,” according to the press release. DKB also supplied an open, illuminated clutch cover with a glass viewing window.
There’s also a titanium exhaust system and 3D-printed titanium upper triple clamp that were manufactured by Aconity3D. Those parts are paired with a handlebar and rear set system produced by Gilles Tooling.
Marvin Diehl, founder of KRT Framework, hand-shaped the prototype’s aluminum bodywork, producing double-curved surfaces and fading edges, which pairs with a voltage-activated electroluminescent paint system that was applied by Alex Bloch of Stilbruch Lack.
Wait… What the hell is an electroluminescent paint system?!
According to Diamond Atelier, “selected areas of the bodywork become active illuminated surfaces when powered electrically, turning the motorcycle’s skin into a controlled light source.” Right. Apparently only one liter of this red electroluminescent paint formula was produced, never to be used again.
Oh, and there’s an actual diamond set into the motorcycle’s triple clamp, affixed in a hand-crafted sterling silver setting.
So, this thing is beyond bespoke. Beyond the limited-edition model or even the wild prototypes that manufacturers like to tease at international motorcycle shows. But as much as it’s ‘bespoke,’ I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s ‘hyper.’
The hand-forged bodywork and electroluminescent paint, the diamond-encrusted triple clamp and one-of-one badging do make the DA#22, uh, special, but the LC8 V-twin powerplant and prototypical superbike suspension makes it feel more like a ‘Hypercustom’ as opposed to a Hyperbike.
Diamond Atelier says that the future of the company’s Hyperbike series will be even more exclusive than the prototype suggests, suggesting future motorcycles will be extremely limited, individually built and “positioned for discerning motorcycle enthusiasts.”
As cool as this thing is to look at, and as well-equipped and custom-built as it appears to be, it still just feels like an over-the-top design exercise, and not a new category of motorcycle. Because after all, isn’t the Ninja H2 the real Hyperbike?
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