Hubless Monster Motorcycle Rolls Without Spokes

The biker boys at Amen Design have built a chopper based around Franco Sbarro’s hubless wheels. And it really rides!

Hubless wheels work by fixing the rotating parts (brake ring, bearings, hubless rim) onto the outer side of a non-rotating inner ring that attaches to the motorcycle’s swingarm or forks.

Advantages include decreased unsprung weight, reduced structural stress (no spokes to transmit forces through), increased braking leverage, more accurate steering, reduced vibration and a lower center of gravity. Hubless wheels also look bitchin’, which, we’re guessing is the main motivating factor in Amen’s decision to use them.

Since this bike is a clichéd raked out chopper, any pretense of performance or functionality is thrown out the window in the name of extremely questionable style. We’re guessing the immense complication, need for extreme precision and high maintenance needs of the hubless design are the least of Amen’s concerns, as this motorcycle wasn’t designed to be ridden. [Amen]

Send an email to Wes Siler, the author of this post, at wes@jalopnik.com.