In February 2020, the Vietnamese custom shop Bandit9 unveiled its latest project: the Supermarine Concept. The store said at the time that it planned to spend all of 2020 working on this one project, taking it from a concept to reality. The designs he revealed over a year ago were beautiful, but concepts often change shape as they take shape in the real world. How did the Supermarine concept fare?
Unknown to the general public, Bandit9 is a brand created around ten years ago near Saigon in Vietnam by a former artistic director, Daryl Villanueva. And after several interesting preparations, today it unveils its first major work, the Supermarine. The end result is available in two versions, one with an ABS fairing, intended for competition, and the other with a carbon fiber fairing. Regardless, the form expressed in those original concepts released in early 2020 is still there.
With a fairing design designed to mimic the grace of mobula rays, coupled with a coral reef-inspired frame, this is a completely sea-inspired concept that's destined to go fast on land. To this end, the Bandit9 workshop decided to equip the Supermarine with a Triumph twin-cylinder, leaving the customer the choice regarding the displacement: 900cc or 1200cc.
It's true, the Supermarine is not just a unique piece. Instead, Bandit9 will build a custom Supermarine for customers who want one. In addition to the choice of displacement and fairing material, potential buyers can also choose between Nitron or Ohlins suspensions, as well as Brembo or Beringer Aerotec brakes. Additional customization options to make your Supermarine a truly bespoke machine are also offered.
The frame is either 7075 aluminum or carbon fiber, again depending on the customer's (and wallet's) choice. Typically used in missiles, spacecraft and other defense applications, 7075 aluminum has excellent mechanical properties: high strength, toughness and great fatigue resistance.
The weight is between 216 kg for the “basic” version and 190 kg for the improved version. Bandit9 says that as it refines this design, some specifications may be subject to change, but the basic structure is now ready to roll out of the store and into the hands of customers.
The bike measures 2099mm long, 778mm wide, 1097mm high fuel consumption is rated at 4.1L/100km
While it's absolutely stunning to look at, as some have noted with the original concept drawing, it's not immediately clear when looking at it how maneuverable this machine would be. The fairing appears to significantly restrict handlebar movement. As everything appears to be a piece that goes back to hold the saddle and rider in position, it doesn't appear that the fairing would simply rotate with the handlebars.
The price remains unknown to this day, but orders can already be placed!
