The Art and Science of the Supermarine

Dec 21

Today, we pull back the curtain to give you a peek at our development process. Designing a motorcycle (designing anything!) is tough so here are a few pointers that may help you through this herculean task. Feel free to use this as a roadmap on one condition: share your piece with us! We want to see what you create!

Final concept design of the Supermarine (ver. 43)

Dream it.

Most designers will say, “we started with a vision.” But this is incredibly misleading. The word “vision” itself implies that you can see it - finished, fully formed. Nothing can be further from the truth.

A “vision” is more of a feeling. That is why it’s so hard to describe. You may find yourself making wild gestures in the air to communicate your idea.

And as with all epiphanies, it came to us; this time, not in the form of something extraterrestrial but something closer to home: a sea-dweller. A mobula ray.

We went straight to work because visions are frail and can be easily lost. So don’t take them for granted. Jot it down. Doodle it. Refine it until you are fully satisfied. What you see above is the 43rd iteration of that vision.

Share It.

There are many reasons to share your work in progress. Here are a couple of ours:

1. Plant a flag: coincidences happen all the time. It is extremely frustrating. Similar ideas, designs, and products just happen to come out at the same time. Nobody is copying anyone; it just friggin’ happens. But people are going to wag their tongues anyway so you might as well claim it quickly.

2. Test your ideas: If you don’t have an appetite for risk, this is a good one. This is especially important if you’re on a budget or it is an expensive endeavor like a motorcycle. We don’t normally “test” designs but with the Supermarine, we knew it was going to be a significant investment as we were restructuring the entire business and hiring engineers. We can’t afford to fail.

Design it.

The good news is it’s time for the fun part. You see your vision come to life. It’s starting to pay off! The Supermarine had to be drafted in 3D so we can explore its proportions and surfaces. And that’s where the bad news kicks in: it only gets harder from here.

As your vision materializes, you see the flaws. Sacrifices need to be made as reality and physics kicks in. We had to find and create space to relocate numerous components, which means altering the original proportions, changing the riding position, and many more headaches.

Designing a product to reality is a massive balancing act. In our case, we have to juggle aesthetics, ergonomics, performance, cost, our own technical limitations and ability, time, and access to new manufacturing processes.

For us, there is no point in designing something we can’t make. We actually have a secret vault of designs that we are ready to tap into when we feel that the technology has caught up or our ability and manufacturing methods ripen.

An x-ray of the Supermarine. Yes, an x-ray.

Science it.

“Magic is just science we don’t understand yet.”
- Arthur C. Clarke

The Supermarine simply would not be possible without the help of our engineers. The curvaceousness, weightlessness and extreme toughness (this is actually an engineering term), and performance is pure science.

It requires in-depth knowledge of aerodynamic principles thanks to our aerospace engineer, metallurgy and material properties thanks to our chemical engineer. Our mechanical engineer is responsible for creating designs that can withstand enormous forces but also manufacturing feasibility, while our robotics and mechatronics engineer elevates the experiential aspects (reactive lighting, keyless ignition, intelligence, etc.).

The Supermarine is more than a machine. It’s magic.

Break it.

Here’s the scary part. After spending months, in our case years, in developing your product to physical fruition, it’s time to try and break it. If you’ve done your homework, it’s hopeful you won’t have to rebuild it. But here’s your chance to really get a feel for your product and see if any major changes or last minute upgrades can be made.

Celebrate it.

For us, releasing the bike out into public view is a massive celebration. It represents the relief after countless man hours but most importantly, a team victory. What started as a blurry apparition is now a fully-formed work of art. And science! And it’s all thanks to great teamwork. Everyone believed in the mission, understood its importance, and paddled in the same direction to achieve something that would not have been possible as an individual.

Daryl Villanueva