Inside DAB Motors’ Thursday Experiment concept motorcycles
DAB Motors draws design references from Tron: Ares and Drake’s private airplane to give shape to its bi-monthly series of concept electric motorcycles named Thursday Experiment. Each concept reimagines the motorcycle as a sculptural object with design cues from fashion, motorsport, art, and architecture and always using the same base model, which is the DAB 1. There are seven Thursday Experiment motorcycles now in the DAB Motors series, and the most recent one falls in showing the release of the movie Tron: Ares.
Dubbed Experiment 007: 80s Futurism, the vehicle looks at digital aesthetics from early computer films of the 1980s. The design transforms the DAB 1 into a visual study of light, geometry, and movement, with red glowing lines tracing the shape of the motorcycle while the surfaces reflect artificial illumination. The front and rear forms are rebuilt to support better airflow, with new aerodynamic panels replacing the original ones. The wheels also change, following the idea of motion, and it is visible that the tires have no mechanical parts on view, just a hollow form.
view of Experiment 007: 80s Futurism | all images courtesy of DAB Motors
Racing cars and drake’s private airplane as design influences
Other vehicles inspire the DAB Motors team for the designs of its Thursday Experiment motorcycles. Take the Experiment 005: Drake Airplane, which takes its concept from the custom design of Drake’s Boeing 767 airplane. This project connects music culture and personal branding to the visual form of the concept two-wheeler, as the body uses light blue paint with gold elements, chains, and metallic trims across the chassis. These parts link the design to jewelry and private aviation interiors, while the seat structure copies the pattern of private jet upholstery. Aerodynamic parts are added to the frame, creating a shape that appears ready for flight.
Two more from the series refer to the same industry; this time, they exude the visual elements of cars. The first is the Experiment 003: 90s Racing, which studies the identity of racing colors and their meaning. It takes inspiration from a rainbow-striped race car from the 1990s, known for its bright livery, and instead of using these colors to suggest speed, the Thursday Experiment motorcycle focuses on how colors and stripes tell stories about technology and progress, with the line extending on the frame and ending up as the rear lights. Even Experiment 006: Racing Legend touches on racing cars, an attempt to rework the historic visual identity.
the vehicle looks at digital aesthetics from early computer films of the 1980s
Visual elements from fashion and toys show up as two-wheelers
For the sixth project in the Thursday Experiment motorcycles, the DAB Motors team nods at the design of the Ford GT40. In fact, the concept uses the same light blue and orange color combination that marked endurance racing history. Instead of focusing on nostalgia, the project studies how symbols from the fuel-based era can enter the electric age by mixing the sentimental value of classic racing with the electric mechanics, a way to link heritage to new mobility technologies. The other models in the series find their design inspiration from fashion and toys.
The pilot edition, Experiment 001: The DAB 1 Bricks Edition, treats its body as a canvas for a pixel-like design that mimics the form of plastic toy bricks. The surface is structured from block-shaped panels, and the rear light is made with transparent red brick-like parts. The seat uses Alcantara, a soft textile material, contrasting with the rigid body. The rest of the engineering, including the brakes, suspension, and motor, follows DAB’s standard electric platform. In this design study, the team shows how materials from childhood times can influence modern vehicle design.
the design transforms the DAB 1 into a visual study of light, geometry, and movement
High-end accessories become the design point of the fourth version, Experiment 004: Jewelry. In this Thursday Experiment motorcycle, DAB Motors transforms the ride as an object meant to last and to be passed on. The glovebox is redesigned as a jewelry box, connecting the sense of storage and intimacy from personal objects to vehicle design. The surface uses a gemstone-blue finish, a color linked to fine jewelry, and every visible part is designed with permanence in mind, with an emphasis on how mobility can also express precision and ownership.
Then, there’s the Experiment 002: High Heels, which examines the design code of black and red as a reference to a well-known French style symbol. The motorcycle’s surface is covered in black, while red details appear only when the machine moves, and this hidden visual layer connects the concept of motion to fashion design, using contrast to communicate power and confidence through color and surface. DAB Motors has created a collection of concept electric motorcycle studies called Experiments, released every Thursday. For the team, each piece is a study of modern industrial design, one that shows that an electric motorcycle, even as a concept for now, can serve both as a vehicle and a platform to demonstrate how (pop) culture, objects, and fashion show up in the automotive industry.
view of Experiment 005: Drake Airplane
the style takes its concept from the custom design of Drake’s Boeing 767 airplane
the body uses light blue paint with gold elements, chains, and metallic trims
view of Experiment 003: 90s Racing
the model is a study of the identity of racing colors and their meaning
the design takes inspiration from a rainbow-striped race car from the 1990s
view of Experiment 006: Racing Legend
for this sixth model, the team nods at the design of the Ford GT40
the concept uses the same light blue and orange colors from endurance racing
project info:
names: Experiment 001: The DAB 1 Bricks Edition, Experiment 002: High Heels, Experiment 003: 90s Racing, Experiment 004: Jewelry, Experiment 005: Drake Airplane, Experiment 006: Racing Legend, and Experiment 007: 80s Futurism
design: DAB Motors | @dabmotors
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