Japanese Samurai warriors inspire motorcycle art

The final four bikes in a limited edition series of 47 from Ronin Motor Works have been unveiled. The state-of-the-art machine’ was inspired by the number of Japanese samurai warriors without a leader, while the design is based on the out-of-production Harley-Davidson Buell 1125 and includes a custom front-mounted radiator and a Rotax engine. The last four bikes have been embellished with bespoke designs by Denver artists, and three of them will be put up for auction later in the year.

Already masterpieces in mechanical design, the Ronin Art Motorcycles present gallery-worthy, avant-garde depictions as powerful as their drivetrains. The bespoke bikes mark the final release in a series of 47 imaginative machines inspired by Japanese lore. The amount selected for the limited production matches the number of Ronin (samurai warriors without a leader) who, based on an 18th-century account, reportedly roamed the countryside seeking revenge for their dead master. The Colorado manufacturer’s own moniker, Ronin Motor Works, was selected for the fact that its bikes are based on the distinctive Harley-Davidson Buell 1125—a model that no longer exists in production.

The 130 hp road warriors feature a high-performance Rotax engine, more than 50 CNC-machined components, TIG-welded tubular subframes, 11 aluminum castings, and a custom monoshock linkage suspension system. Additional enhancements include a front-mounted radiator, new ram air-intakes, a high-flow exhaust system, and cutting-edge electronics.

But the engineering is not all that is exquisite. For the final four examples (three are set to be auctioned in the summer), the company commissioned local artists from Denver to design the bikes as one-off representations of their respective oeuvres. The results are as remarkable as each namesake samurai’s acts of valor. (the47.com)