BMW K75 Alpha Landspeeder

The BMW K75 Alpha Landspeeder by Speed of Cheese Racing is what happens when a 3D concept too beautiful to remain digital meets a builder too determined to let it stay that way. Conceived by designer Mehmet Doruk Erdem and executed by fabricator Mark Atkinson, it is widely regarded as one of the most elegant custom motorcycles ever constructed. Photography by Rich Patch.

The Concept

Mehmet Doruk Erdem based the styling on the apex predator of the ocean: the great white shark. The front is clean and smooth, a single unbroken surface that reads as a snout. The rear is open and raw, the exposed driving force of the predator, mirroring the musculature of a shark's tail. Clean lines run the full length without accentuating a single corner, achieving aggression through proportion alone. When the concept circulated online, it generated significant attention from builders worldwide. None could make it real. Then Mark Atkinson found a wrecked BMW K75 in his shop.

The Build

Mark repaired the K75 and contacted Mehmet. No reply. He began building the bike anyway, so passionate was he about the design. He halted at the body fabrication stage, unwilling to finalize someone else's work without their involvement. He contacted Mehmet a second time. This time Mehmet answered, explaining that many had tried before and failed. Mark had already started. They began collaborating, sharing 3D models and daily progress updates across time zones.

For the plug and mold of the body, Mark consumed eight gallons of filler to achieve a perfectly symmetrical surface. The front body is formed from basalt fiber, a material derived from volcanic rock extruded into thread and woven into cloth. It provides structural strength without the brittleness of carbon fiber. The entire body was vacuum-bagged and sealed in epoxy resin. Beneath the nose sits a patented center-hub steering system actuated by miniature hydraulic cylinders. The GT-15 Turbocharger forces compressed air into the 750cc three-cylinder, producing power well beyond the K75's factory output.

What Makes It

The Alpha is a functioning motorcycle. It has lights, turn signals, and a horn. It is not practical and it is not user-friendly, but it moves under its own power and fulfills every requirement of a road-going machine. What separates it from every other custom is that it exists at all. The combination of basalt fiber bodywork, hub-center steering, turbocharging, and a silhouette derived from pure predatory logic places it in a category of one. At 505 lbs and an asking price of 450,000 EUR, it is the rarest kind of object: a resolved idea.

Specifications

• Designer: Mehmet Doruk Erdem
• Builder: Mark Atkinson (Speed of Cheese Racing)
• Donor bike: BMW K75
• Engine displacement: 750cc
• Aspiration: GT-15 Turbocharger
• Steering: Patented center-hub with hydraulic cylinders
• Body material: Basalt fiber, vacuum-bagged in epoxy resin
• Frame: Custom designed
• Weight: 505 lbs

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