Awesome Motorcycles

The idea of a motorcycle that you can strap on like a suit seems like something a superhero might have in their bag of tricks. But as maker Jake Carlini shows, the ultra-low-rider isn’t the most practical vehicle. Still, we’re impressed with how successful he was at building a wearable motorcycle – and that he didn’t break any bones while riding it.

Driving its racing legacy forward, Indian Motorcycle returned to the Bonneville Salt Flats proving grounds to see how fast its King of the Baggers race bike could go. Piloted by Indian Wrecking Crew Rider and 2x KOTB Champion Tyler O’Hara, the S&S Cycle-built Indian Challenger set an AMA 2000cc APS-AG record at 194.384 mph.

Red Bull FMX rider Luc Ackermann just pulled off a world-first stunt, backflipping his motorbike between two moving trucks. Launching at 74 km/h, he soared 40 meters over a 9-meter highway sign and landed on the truck ahead with just a half-second window to spare. With the wind working against him, the landing came perilously close to disaster.

Paton Machines likes to build crazy vehicles. Over the last couple of years, he’s been working on a hybrid motorcycle-tractor that resembles a Penny-Farthing bicycle. After a wobbly initial field test, he got to work attaching a trailer in an attempt to keep it from falling over. We love how it starts up like a lawnmower.

Unlike the steam-powered display motorcycle we saw a decade ago, this one actually rides. Supercar Blondie shared this video from Лёха Романтик, who created this wild machine that runs entirely on steam power. It has two horsepower, a top speed of 60 km/h (~37.3 mph), and a range of 15 km (~9.3 mi). Check out this other video for an in-depth look.

Peter Sripol knows a thing or two about radio-controlled aircraft. In this video, Peter and his buddies outfitted some super cool Losi R/C motorcycles with various configurations of wings and propellers to help them take flight. Those little bikes are really impressive but also about $600 each.

For those of you who didn’t grow up in Victorian-era England, a Penny-Farthing is one of those bicycles with a giant front wheel, a tiny rear wheel, and a seat that needs a ladder to climb onto. Gregulations says he had a strange dream that compelled him to make a Penny-Farthing motorcycle. The result is the insanely-stupid Yamaha R6-powered SuperFarthing.

Royal Enfield is reusing its iconic World War II model to name its incoming electric sub-brand. Flying Flea will launch in 2026 with the C6 runabout. It has a lightweight forged aluminum frame, front suspension with an aluminum girder fork and articulating mudguard, and a magnesium battery case. Acko Drive was able to check out the C6 at the launch event.

Michiharu Kusunoki’s 1980’s manga series Aitsu to Lullaby is about a high school kid who gets into street racing on his Kawasaki Z2. YouTuber 12% on the desk recreated some of the riding scenes by building a scale model of the hero and his bike, and then painting and shooting the models to make them look like their comic book counterparts.

Maker Matt Denton designed and fabricated a rideable version of the motorcycle in the classic LEGO Technic kit 8810. He made his life-size LEGO bike using 3D-printed parts and outfitted it with a rear-wheel motor and suspension. After completing the build, he let Tested’s Adam Savage take it for a spin. Part one here.

Music fans know Josh Dun as the dynamic drummer of the Grammy-winning duo Twenty One Pilots. He’s also a motorcycle lover, and participated in Indian Motorcycle’s FORGED custom build program. Dun was the lucky recipient of a badass 2025 Indian Scout – built and custom designed by renowned bike builder Roland Sands and RSD.

This artful coffee table book by Charlotte and Peter Fiell and Taschen catalogs 50 incredible motorcycles from 1894 to 2020. The 512-page hardcover book is loaded with photos, technical specifications, and stories about historic rides from luxurious tourers to high-speed superbikes.

The Isle of Man TT motorcycle race takes balls of steel as riders go zooming around the course at speeds up to 200 mph while strapped to their crotch rockets. In June 2023, racer Peter Hickman crushed the record for the TT Mountain Course, doing all 37.73 miles in 16:36.115 and averaging over 136 mph throughout. Hickman’s 2024 lap wasn’t too shabby either.

The 2025 Honda Grom mini sport motorcycle features new bodywork that evokes the look of the original Grom while retaining the modern plug-and-play mounting system. It does have a bigger tank than its predecessor but otherwise has the same 124 cc four-stroke engine and 5-speed manual transmission. FRJohnny has more in his first impressions video.

What you’re looking at is a model of a KTM Duke 390 motorcycle. If it was made from plastic or 3D printed, it would be impressive. But this tiny replica was made entirely from paper harvested from cookie boxes. YouTuber Paper Modelling shows how they created the mini bike with such precision. Even the wheel spokes and chain links are crafted from paper.

DAB Motors’ first production electric motorcycle is being made in the historic Peugeot factory in France. But it also has a juvenile side to it. Inspired by racing video games, the DAB 1α has a Nitrous button for quick boosts. It has a 25.5kW motor, a repairable 7.1kWH battery, Brembo brakes, Peugeot ABS, and Pirelli Diablo Rosso tires. Limited to 400 units.