Bandit9’s Eve MK II Motorcycle
At Saigon-based motorcycle workshop Bandit9, artistry and machinery fuse into futuristic-looking forms that break the mould of traditional bike aesthetics. The company’s latest creation, the EVE MK II, epitomizes their distinct design ethos. The bike’s streamlined form exudes an exquisiteness that can only be described as alien—a beauty that draws you in with its sleek, clean lines and shiny chrome finish. This machine has been lifted from the imagination of Bandit9’s founder, Daryl Villanueva (“the Bandit Chief”), and produced in nine limited-edition pieces. The bikes have been made exclusively for watchmaker Maximilian Büsser’s MB&F M.A.D. (Mechanical Art Devices) Gallery in Geneva, Switzerland; a gallery holding carefully curated pieces of supreme technical beauty from around the world.
The EVE MK II’s unorthodox design is a direct result of Villaneuva’s inspiration. “I look at comic books, sci-fi films, astronomy, and aviation more than I do motorcycles,” he explains of his design process. Inspiration can come from the unlikeliest places, he adds, “It’s like…if I’m designing a pen, looking at other pens would probably be the last thing I do.”
To create the EVE MK II, the mechanics at Bandit9 began with stripping down a 1967 Honda Super Sport, then added a striking, elongated unibody tank evoking a silver bullet. Formed from a single piece of hand-polished steel, it combines the seat (covered in cowhide leather), the tank, and the rear cowl into one uniform structure. Repeating this process for each of the nine bikes was complicated, as any minute mistake meant scrapping the steel and starting back at square one.
Following the bike’s elegant piping and exposed suspension from back to front (best admired from a side-view), the EVE MK II is capped with another testament to the skill of Bandit9’s mechanics. Dubbed the “X Cowl”, the front cowl is made from a piece of steel heated until malleable. With patience and proficient hands, it is then folded into the inverted C-shape, giving the bike a fabricated front and breaking with traditional motorcycle design.
Aside from being visually pleasing, the EVE MK II sports a 125 cc, air-cooled engine with a 4 L fuel capacity, 6.5 HP at 7000 rpm, and can reach a top speed of 110 km/hr. All of this wrapped into one imaginative motorcycle shows that the EVE MK II is mechanical origami in its finest form.
