This Electric Motorcycle Isn’t Real, But You Know You Want It To Be

It’s a vision of what retro could be like several years into the future.

Photo by: Ichiban Electric Motorcycle

By: Enrico Punsalang

Feb 07, at 7:57am ET

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Have you ever wondered what motorcycling will look like 10, 20, maybe 30 years from now? Maybe, maybe not. But for some people, chasing the future completely defines their present. Visionaries, forward-thinkers, or simply people with too much time on their hands—it’s because of people like these that the modern world moves forward. And this is especially true in the world of two wheels.

Take, for example, the Ichiban electric motorcycle. It’s a futuristic take on what retro motorcycles will be like. And despite its name sounding Japanese, it’s actually the brainchild of industrial designer Ivan Zhurba, based in Kyiv Ukraine. Its name translates to “first,” or “best,” and while it’s by no means the first electric motorcycle of its kind, it’s certainly an interesting design exercise at the very least.

There’s something beautifully ironic about the Ichiban motorcycle; as if it were a vision from the past that was never realized. It flaunts unmistakably 1970s styling, where brutalist futurism was all the rage. But at the same time, it’s well and truly a product of the modern era. Even more ironic is that its creator describes it as a machine that transcends mere mobility—one that’s “an escape, a liberating streak of freedom in an excessively interconnected world.” And yet, the bike itself is a product of that same “excessively interconnected world."

Photo by: Ichiban Electric Motorcycle

Ichiban Motorcycle designer Ivan Zhurba

The Ichiban concept is probably best described as a paradox in motion. An idea that’s ahead of its time, but at the same time stuck in the past. It’s both minimalistic and overwhelming, an intersection between the past and the future. And while the official Ichiban website lists some pretty believable, real-world specs like a 45-kilowatt electric motor and a 250-kilometer single-charge range, the sad truth is that the Ichiban isn’t real—at least not yet.

But it’s a concept that could very easily become a reality… at least in one way or another.

It even has a so-called “Godzilla Mode”—a feature that provides the rider with a sudden, brutal burst of power that lasts for ten seconds. It’s not unlike the several Boost Modes we’ve seen in existing electric motorcycles from the likes of Energica (RIP), Zero, and even BMW’s CE-04 electric scooter. So yes, in theory and in practice, the tech is believable and already exists.

At the end of it all, the likelihood that the Ichiban electric motorcycle will ever become a reality in the way you see it on the screen right here and now is slim at best. But nevertheless, even if it remains nothing more than a concept, it has already achieved its goal: to provoke thought and have people imagine what the future of motorcycling will be like.

And perhaps this is the greatest irony of all: in our search for freedom in a world where freedom is becoming more and more fleeting each day, we keep dreaming up machines that push us forward, refusing to let us stay in the past, all while being filled to the brim with nostalgia.