Adventure bikes are a hot commodity. In many markets, they constitute the hottest motorcycle segment. This makes it clear that many riders want “adventure” mixed in with their riding.

What if racing in Baja or the Dakar has just become ho, hum. You want a “real” adventure. Something that no-one else has done. Enter this motorcycle designed for riding on the moon.

Yes, riding on the moon. A Russian designer named Andrew Fabishevskiy has created his version of a motorcycle that can be ridden on the moon.

Design only

No, NASA has not picked up the design, nor is it currently intending to send motorcycles into space (at least as far as I know). But the lunar moto design concept looks like it could be fun in close to zero gravity. And, its design could meet some of the parameters that NASA would be thinking about if they wanted to build one.

It looks like the bike’s steering and drive system may be hydraulically powered. Note the two lines running down the front swingarm.

First off, the bike looks pretty minimalist. There’s not much extra on the machine that would add unnecessary weight. And weight is one of the most important considerations of an item that will fly into space.

Next, the bike’s packaging looks like it could easily be folded up into a smaller container. Fold the rear wheel under the bike and pull the front fork forward, and you could likely come close to reducing the size of the bike by about half.

Interestingly, the bike looks like it has two-wheel drive. Whatever powers the machine is connected to the wheels with what looks like either a hydraulic or belt type drive system that powers both front and rear wheels.

The design features two-wheel drive.

Also of note is that there are no visible solar panels to power the bike like many of their other lunar vehicles. So exactly what is powering the bike is not readily ascertainable. Is it something in that goldish vessel below the seat?

Motorcycle imagination

While this motorcycle will likely never see the light of day (or the darkness of space), it’s something that makes you think about what could possibly be done. And it’s fun to look at to boot.

All image credit:  Andrew Fabishevskiy

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