Zero Motorcycles introduced its latest collaboration with HUGE Design, the SR-X concept bike, on February 21, 2023. If the name of that design firm is tugging at your memory slightly, it’s likely that you’re familiar with the SM concept, upon which the production FXE was based.
Could the SR-X concept go on to inspire a similar production model? That remains to be seen, so while you can certainly hope, we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves. Instead, let’s take a look at what we have here.
“The SR-X concept bike strives to hit a design sweet spot for the near future of electric motorcycles by combining clean lines and disciplined design-detailing with the aggressive stance and raw performance found in modern liter bikes,” HUGE Design leader Bill Webb said in a statement.
Gallery: Zero x HUGE Design SR-X Concept
“This bike is an attempt to define a new sub-category for high performance electric, something between a streetfighter and a track bike. We wanted true sport riders to appreciate the subtle and balanced design approach—modern, futuristic and clean without sacrificing the raw-performance look and overtly mechanical appeal of high-performance motorcycles,” he added.
There’s ample reason to hope that this design concept could, in fact, go on to influence future designs within Zero. The firm’s VP of product development, Brian Wismann, said of the end result that it “exceeds expectations and points the way forward for our internal design teams.” While that doesn’t necessarily mean that any production machine will look exactly like the concept (I mean, few ever do), it’s at least an important point to consider.
As with any design, how you view the SR-X will ultimately be a matter of your personal taste. Its lines evoke a cyberthriller anime, which works uncommonly well given the high-pitched, almost interstellar whine of the SR/S that forms its base as you witness its launch from a standing start in the promo video. Will it do the Akira slide? Someone might want to check on that and incorporate it into promotional materials for a production version, if it does end up looking anything close to this concept.
In any case, the thing about electric bike aesthetics is that they don’t have to follow the same constraints imposed by combustion models—so why should they? Obviously, from a riding perspective, you need certain things. Rider ergonomics are important, and practical things like footpegs, handlebars, a saddle, and where you’re supposed to put your knees should never be overlooked in the name of design. Practicality can’t be thrown overboard, or you won’t get very many people on board in the first place. This, though—this looks as though it was designed with both aesthetics and actual rider considerations in mind, and that’s always nice to see.
