Motorcycles

Feline One Swiss streetfighter: Yours for US$280,000

Feline One Swiss streetfighter: Yours for US$280,000
The eye-catching FELINE ONE designed by Yacouba Galle
The eye-catching FELINE ONE designed by Yacouba Galle
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Swiss designer Yacouba Galle
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Swiss designer Yacouba Galle
FELINE ONE, in white
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FELINE ONE, in white
FELINE ONE, in red
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FELINE ONE, in red
FELINE ONE, in bronze
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FELINE ONE, in bronze
FELINE ONE, in black/red
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FELINE ONE, in black/red
FELINE ONE's bizarre twin-shock, carbon fiber anti-dive front end - bound to raise some eyebrows
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FELINE ONE's bizarre twin-shock, carbon fiber anti-dive front end - bound to raise some eyebrows
The eye-catching FELINE ONE designed by Yacouba Galle
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The eye-catching FELINE ONE designed by Yacouba Galle
FELINE ONE: hooked tail-light is a nice detail
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FELINE ONE: hooked tail-light is a nice detail
FELINE ONE, by Yacouba Galle
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FELINE ONE, by Yacouba Galle
FELINE ONE, by Yacouba Galle
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FELINE ONE, by Yacouba Galle
FELINE ONE, by Yacouba Galle
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FELINE ONE, by Yacouba Galle
FELINE ONE, by Yacouba Galle
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FELINE ONE, by Yacouba Galle
FELINE ONE, by Yacouba Galle
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FELINE ONE, by Yacouba Galle
FELINE ONE, with Yacouba Galle
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FELINE ONE, with Yacouba Galle
FELINE ONE, on black/gold
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FELINE ONE, on black/gold
FELINE ONE: features breakdown
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FELINE ONE: features breakdown
FELINE ONE: dash concept
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FELINE ONE: dash concept
FELINE ONE: watch-like mechanical dash an option
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FELINE ONE: watch-like mechanical dash an option
FELINE ONE: technical details are scant
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FELINE ONE: technical details are scant
View gallery - 19 images

Swiss designer Yacouba Galle is trying to launch an ambitious motorcycle project for 2016. The Feline One is an 801cc, 3-cylinder, 170 horsepower bespoke streetfighter that uses exotic materials and a very strange looking twin-shock anti-dive front end suspension setup. At US$280,000, though, it had better be a lot more than the sum of its parts!

Eagle-eyed streetfighter lovers might remember the name Yacouba Galle from the KTM-inspired MV Bestiale he built some years ago. If not, here's your man:

Swiss designer Yacouba Galle
Swiss designer Yacouba Galle

Hello… Is it Yacouba you're looking for? Feel the intensity of this man's gaze. Just bask in its demanding assertiveness for a moment. The Swiss designer is back for 2016 with a new machine that follows similar styling lines, but rather than building on another MV platform, he's starting from scratch this time.

The FELINE is conceived as a bespoke, high-tech streetfighter. Only 50 will be built, with the first slated to roll off the production line in early 2016 – mind you, this would require Galle to find 50 people with $280,000 to spend on a motorbike. And that's the starting price.

So what do you get for your 280 grand? Well, let's start with the engine. Scant detail is available, but it's an 801cc inline triple that is said to produce 170 hp (127 kW). That's a decent 22 horses more than MV Agusta gets from its F3 800 engine, but well within the realms of possibility given the budget. Actually, 400 horsepower would be possible given the budget.

FELINE ONE: hooked tail-light is a nice detail
FELINE ONE: hooked tail-light is a nice detail

The frame is primarily titanium, while the swingarm and front fork unit are carbon fiber, as are the wheel rims. The front suspension is a very strange levered anti-dive arrangement with twin shocks. It looks like it might be more form than function, but the shocks will be "electronically controlled". Exotic materials keep the dry weight down to a very impressive 155 kg (342 lb) – the FELINE would surely be a rocketship to ride.

Aesthetics are Galle's strong point, and in this regard I think the bike looks great, from the hooked-under taillight to the intricate watch-like headlight details and the futuristic dash, complete with tire temperature gauges and lean angle readouts.

FELINE ONE: dash concept
FELINE ONE: dash concept

But it goes without saying $280,000 is a ton of money, and without seeing the bike in the flesh, these CAD renders don't give us a sense of where all that money's going. So while it's certainly a nice looking design, and the bespoke element might appeal to some, Feline is gonna be a tough sell.

Source: Feline Motorcycles

View gallery - 19 images
3 comments
3 comments
Griffin
Looks suspiciously like the Confederate Renovatio.
May be coincidence, but it's a big one.
StWils
170hp & 342 lbs, all for $280 Large? Streetfighter? More like Street Spatter than streetfighter. On the evening news I routinely see these little pocket rockets duke it out with traffic all the time because someone thinks they are more skillful than they really are. The traffic always wins.
Robert Meurant
Do they REALLY hope to sell them?