RYCA Motors, Californian outfit makers are celebrating their tenth anniversary with ‘CS-1X’ kit designed by using AR. Founders of RYCA Casey Stevenson and Ryan Rajewski are fans of augmented reality and plan big for the future.
“I called my friend Yohan Baillot—now our CTO—who is a true pioneer in AR. I told him I had been using the IKEA app, and asked him if we could do something with motorcycles. We built our first AR prototype based on a Ducati Scrambler, and it turned out great. We got the ‘virtual’ parts to just snap right on, like magic. So when it was time to build a tenth-anniversary edition of the CS-1, we wanted to use AR in practical, realistic ways. To prove it’s not a novelty or a toy.” – Ryan Rajewski
Ryan and Casey wanted to keep the general aesthetic look of their original kit but wanted to take it up by a level.
“On a typical day, Ryan would come up with a design idea, and I would piece together a 3D model of the concept. We’d use AR to ‘see’ it on the bike, in full context, then either go with it, or move on to something else. It’s the most fun we’ve ever had designing and building a motorcycle.” – Casey.
One of the most significant differences from the original RYCA kit is the fuel tank. The actual setup uses the Suzuki’s stock tank, but the CS-1X employs a new, bolt-on upgrade. An external vendor supplies the 2.4 gallon steel shell, and then modified in-house with a new tunnel and mounts distinct to the Savage.
Next was the CS-1X’s unique ‘double-barrel shotgun’ intake and exhaust. “I wanted to create something a bit different this time around,” says Ryan, “so I designed a ram air style intake that crisscrosses and runs parallel to the tightly tucked mid-exhaust. It’s a stylish and functional system that looks and sounds awesome.” – Ryan
RYCA is offering the first 5 limited edition kits as bonuses to people who either invest or fund their FantomView concept; it is an augmented reality platform that has raised around USD 65,000 through crowdfunding. “The last customer we had in the shop—before the world closed down—was looking for a pair of reverse cone mufflers for his cafe build. They weren’t particularly expensive, but he was on the fence about the purchase. He turned to his friend and said, ‘I wish I could see them on the bike first” – Casey.
