Designer reimagines iconic Akira motorcycle

Realistic render shows what it could look like

We’ve recently talked about the 5 Classic Motorcycle Movies You Have to Watch and in that list was landmark sci-fi cyberpunk anime, Akira. Some of you may have already watched that movie and are intimately familiar with Kaneda’s bike, the bright red, tourer/hot rod/superbike featured prominently in the movie.

The movie is being talked about again lately because, despite being released in 1988, it predicted the cancellation of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Also, cyberpunk games have become popular in the past couple of years, prompting a revisit to the design aesthetics and idea explored in the classic movie.

Many have created their own interpretations of the Akira bike in the past, some even attempting to build the bike for real. The latest is a reimagination of the bike, using current or upcoming motorcycle technology to make it a little bit more realistic.

Concept artist, Ryan Hong, has made one such reimagining. He submitted his renderings to Design Boom as part of their call for DIY Submissions.

In creating his design, Hong took inspiration from the original creation but made changes to aspects he thought were impractical in reality.

Hong’s creation is fully electric, using a combination of fixed and swappable batteries. The bike contains one lower fixed battery unit and two swappable battery sets on the sides for extra power and range. This gives the rider more control over the battery usage with a lower risk of overheating both battery sets.

To keep the batteries cool, he has fitted nitrogen cooling to keep the dual motors at lower temperatures even when running at high RPMs. We’re guessing those are the two canisters at the back that look like exhaust pipes. They work overtime when the bike’s boost system is engaged, similar to how it gets a surge of speed in the movie.

The bike keeps its overall aerodynamic structure. The fighter plane-like long and curved windshield has been removed. Instead, it makes up for it with aerodynamic features around the headlight and canard wings on the body. Air entering the intakes in front are directed to the sides of the body to cool the batteries.

As for the rider, he gets an embedded GPS display to know where he’s going. There doesn’t appear to be a speedo or other monitors for battery level. But then again, the Akira bike has always been kind of a custom hot rod, which typically doesn’t have these features.

It may look like a real bike, but this is actually a high-resolution render. We have to give props to artist, Ryan Hong, for making it look as real as it does, down to the imperfections on the tires, the carbon fiber surfaces, and even the warning stickers on the batteries. He’s even thought of technical aspects like power sources and cooling. It even has a center stand.

You can see more of Ryan Hong’s creations, like his epic Kei Truck, here.