The Zero SR/F electric motorcycle is a pretty rad ride from the start. The sub-500 pound motorcycle has 140 lb-ft of torque, and as much as 200 miles of city range. I still wish it charged faster, but it’s still a pretty great bike. The streetfighter upright naked style with an exposed trellis frame and unique bodywork is rife for the customization. When Thor Drake — owner of See See Motor Coffee company and proprietor of The One Show — met up with Tinker Hatfield — legendary designer of Nike Air Jordans three through fifteen, among others — they knew they needed to combine their passions to build a totally bitchin’ custom bike.
As an interesting aside, Tinker Hatfield is said to have been bullied into riding motorcycles by Michael Jordan himself. Hatfield used to ride scooters to his design studio until famously motorcycle-mad Jordan told him he needed to ride more interesting two wheelers. Once he got on faster equipment, the moto bug bit him hard, and he’s been a rider ever since.
As you can see, the custom Zero is a bit more than just a color change. With design input from Tinker, Drake set about implementing some of the changes and taking a bit of his own tack along the way. The duo wanted something retro-futuristic, a look at what the future might have looked like in the 1980s, for example. Ditching the bike’s plastic “tank” Thor built a riveted and polished aluminum shell for the top of the bike, largely in the same shape as the original plastic, but maybe a lower poly effort. A re-shaping of the front fairing gives the bike a more aggro stance.
From there, it was all about style. Fasteners have been replaced with gold-plated heads, the wheels were painted teal and the frame re-done in white. The rear belt-drive gear has been swapped for a custom-cut one with the See See logo moon smile, which is a nice touch. Ohlins dampers front and rear have been tacked on, and the bars have been ditched for cleaner looking low clip-ons. Obviously there are no mirrors or turn signals, for style purposes, and the tail has been seriously cleaned up. I would have liked to have seen a front wheel cover built from the same riveted aluminum, but you can’t win ‘em all.
Both Thor and Tinker are from the Portland, Oregon area, and they wanted to bring a uniquely Portland style to this bike. I think they managed to make that happen. The seat pan, in particular, was re-styled and custom painted by a local Oregonian tattoo artist. A nice touch for this bike. Everything still functions, but now it looks a good bit cooler. I dig it.
You can go through and watch all four of the videos based on this bike, but really the unveil video is the only one you really need to see. The detail work here is pretty great.
If you dig this bike as much as I do, you can actually bid on it for charity. The bike is being sold off through Bonhams Auctions to benefit the Friends of Columbia County. As part of the Modern Design and Art auction, the bike will be sold in Los Angeles on October 21st. A stock Zero SR/F will cost you $19,495 in base guise, so expect this thing to go for a good bit more than that.
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