Stellan Egeland Harrier: perfect for carpooling

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Stellan_Egeland_BMW_harrier.jpgWant to pick up your kid after school with style? Why then, Swedish  builder Stellan Egeland recommends his Harrier, a custom BMW R1200S. While we have some reservations about the level of protective gear his daughter wears, we have no reason to doubt the Harrier’s small passenger-carrying ability.
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se_service_harrier.jpgvia MC24

  • http://www.designronin.com Design Ronin

    No!

    This is a neat design though. Shows that the thinking about front ends is still not done. Whatever, the proportions and stance make this seem like a total fun machine.

  • Matt

    Why?
    And I don’t mean that in a snotty way, I just don’t know enough about bike geometry and steering to understand the benefits of what I’m looking at. What are the advantages?
    It looks like it would be an anti-brake-dive type of setup, but would having the front wheel way out front compromise handling?
    Does that front wheel rotate about a vertical axis? And if so, I get how that would reduce wheel flop on a bike with the front wheel far out in front, but is it an improvement over the fork/headtube setup?
    I think it looks cool but beyond that I don’t know enough about the mechanics of motorcycle handling to understand its advantages.

    • http://www.designronin.com Design Ronin

      Forks are so inherently flawed it’s not funny. It’s one of those things that so much is invested in the status quo that no one wants to move away from them. Front ends like this, and others, solve so many of the issues common to and caused by forks that it’s a sham no major manufacturer (other than Yamaha’s failed implementation of the RADD system) puts more effort into them.

      • http://ridethetorquecurve.blogspot.com hoyt

        agreed, I would also include BMW.

        Matt – good questions. I would also like more coverage of these designs not only from a consumer information perspective, but to get them more into the mainstream so other manufacturers would do more research.

        (imagine what could happen if the equivalent amount of time, $ and test rider development is put into alternatives that the tele has had)

        From what I have read, the tesi design (as well as just about any alternative front-end to the teles) attempts to not only separate stearing duties from suspension, but these designs also try to maintain the same rake and trail geometry throughout the suspension travel.

        b-t-w… The Bimota tesi has a very short wheelbase (54.x inches) and it is still reportedly rock solid in corners & in a straight line.

        production costs and maintenance cost are a lot more with the tesi than the tele.

  • Swagger

    I’d say that the rider position goes a long way to making the front end look like it’s way out there. The wheelbase ‘may be’ longer, but since we’re not talking about forks, the drastic changes in wheelbase and overall geometry just aren’t going to be there. As such, though the front axle may not line up with the bars in a VISUALLY steep like associated with sportbikes, who know’s what the actual working ‘rake’ is.

    I love this type of front end, I wish there were more bikes out there that utilized the design.

  • http://muthalovin.com The_Doctor

    Isnt that a moto terminator minus guns?
    My dad once picked me up from school on Bimota SB6. Fortunately we only had 5 blocks to go, because that thing had less of a rear seat than this thing.

  • Larry Kahn

    I’m impressed. Maybe nothing brand-new there, but nicely put together. Decent video even. I like the cows.

  • Mork

    Any info on how much feel this front end would have? First thought would be that it possibly could feel quite numb, it takes some fine tuning to get upside down forks to desired tastes too though.

    I have a thing for minimalist tail seen here and many others, quite nice.

  • phil h

    Always loved alternative front ends, especially from the smaller guys (it seems ALL alternative front ends ARE from smaller companies anyway!).

    Love how compact and minimalistic the whole package looks. Bang up job!!

  • ehpawk

    this guy has some real talent. i love most of the bikes he has made. the one a couple of years ago that got second or third(with the Hoosier tires) in the amd championship was amazing also. I’ve emailed them before and they seem really cool. any chance for an interview with him about this bike? it would make a great piece.

  • v

    looks like a tesi although the front end is longer than the bimota http://www.webbikeworld.com/bimota/tesi-3d/bimota-tesi-3d-left.jpg

    ps:i like the fact that he is wearing a full on racing outfit while the kid has a helmet and lycra shorts

  • http://www.gregorerdmann.com Gregor Erdmann

    Loved the reaction from the cows!.. like chomp chomp chomp….
    eeeeeow… WHAT THE?

  • Foreigner1

    This bike would near Science Fiction perfection if the grips would have been positioned in a stand-up position instead of the common horizontal bar that is used now.

  • bob

    that bike is sick.

    looks like a ‘machine’, not just a motorcycle.

  • g.romay

    beautiful, i would love to be cruising on that thing, really like it. im glad they didnt show the part when they hit a bump on the road and the little girl fell over the rear tire and she was… oh forget it, i would love to ride this bike… alone.

  • Stellan Egeland

    Nice to read all the positive response here.
    The benefit with the hubsteering is: Unchanged trail thru the entire suspention travel (witch means you can have a shorter trail and get the bike really quick into turns), You can have soft spring tention in the front as the setup doesnt dive at all, extremely stable, the suspention is not affected by the brakes and a ton of adjustability. You can adjust if you want it to dive and how much without touching the suspention, the trail is changed in seconds and so on…

    We made the first tracktest yesterday with Öhlins suspention and their best testrider had nothing bad at all to say(except for the hard seat), even the feel in the steering was great! I had two small twowheel slides without even gettig scared! Im really satisfied with it.

    Glad you guys like it too.

  • Stellan Egeland

    Btw, my daugher only rode like that for a few meters.
    The wheelbase is shorter than i looks,(1465mm). i

  • Alfonzo

    The bike looks amazing. I would love to ride a hub steering equipped motorbike someday.

    Mr. Egeland, I tip my hat to you sir!

  • Loki

    That’s a great looking bike. I usually don’t like custom designs (Roland Sands etc.) because they have this Las Vegas look that is terrible. I would buy this in a second though. Maybe after the recession…

  • bob

    and its only a video. im sure the little girl is fine.

    that bike looks tiny.

  • Mayur

    Mr Stellan,
    I am Mayur from India and i have been crazy about alterrnate front suspensions, be it Hossack or RADD or OEC twin temple forks.

    The beemer looks far more smarter than in its original guise…hats off

    Isn’t the steering controlled thru cables???