#HTE

The EASY, an Ultra-Minimalist Motorcycle

Tomorrow is the start of Glemseck 101, a motorcycle festival in Germany with an emphasis on custom rides. If you live in Europe and want to see unique designs on two wheels, you could do a lot worse than Glemseck. And here is what will surely be one of the most unusual bikes in attendance:

The bike’s called the EASY, and it was put together by Berlin-based repair shop Urban Motors. The engine is from a 1964 Jawa 350, a Czech-made motorcycle that, in its heyday, was something like the two-wheeled VW Bug for Eastern Europe in terms of popularity.

This is no high-performance machine–it’s got a single drum brake on the rear wheel only–but more of a design exercise. It’s got no lights or blinkers, and I can’t even tell if the thing has any form of suspension whatsoever. And the rider’s position doesn’t exactly look comfortable.

But darn if it ain’t purty.

The minimalist bike will be competing in a 16-team sprint at Glemseck. With a 350cc-engine racing against competitors of up to 1200cc’s, a win isn’t exactly guaranteed. But it’s sure to be in good standing for the other award, where a panel of judges as well as the public will vote on the best-designed bike.

And that may be the point. “Those who sprint slowly,” Urban Motors’ Peter Dannenberg told Bike Exif, “are seen longer!”