Skip to main content

Wheels? Where BMW’s Hover Ride Concept bike is going, we don’t need wheels

Sometimes the best ideas come from unexpected places. Back in January, Lego Technic released a 603-piece creation for BMW’s R 1200 GS Adventure, a dual-sport motorcycle that’s as comfortable on dirt as it is on tarmac. After some tinkering, Lego discovered the same 603 pieces could be reconfigured into a futuristic flying motorbike, and BMW took notice.

The automaker — specifically a training unit called the BMW Junior Company — took Lego’s design and transformed it into a full-size aerial motorcycle called the Hover Ride Concept. Now that’s thinking outside the box. The technology to make it fly safely is unfortunately several years out, but as a mode of future transport, the concept certainly looks the part.

The bike is sleek, sharp, and quite frankly cool as hell, and we can already imagine squads of robotic policemen using it to swarm baddies from above. To make it “air-worthy,” BMW transformed the front-wheel rim into a propeller and added a hover unit under the seat, but unfortunately, the brand has no plans to produce it. At least not right now.

BMW Hover Ride Design Concept
Image used with permission by copyright holder

“It was a great idea and a superb creative challenge to develop a fictitious model from the parts of the Lego Technic BMW R 1200 GS Adventure set,” BMW said. “Our concept not only incorporates the BMW Motorrad design DNA with typical elements such as the boxer engine and the characteristic GS silhouette, it also draws on the Lego Technic stylistic idiom.”

The Hover Ride Concept was shown for the first time earlier this month at Lego World in Copenhagen, Denmark, but if you missed it, it will soon travel to places like the BMW Group Research and Innovation Center and BMW Welt in Munich. How long until the real version comes out? Hopefully not long.

Editors' Recommendations

Andrew Hard
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Andrew first started writing in middle school and hasn't put the pen down since. Whether it's technology, music, sports, or…
Don’t ditch gasoline just yet: BMW argues electric cars are overhyped
2018 BMW i3

BMW is spending millions of dollars developing electric cars that motorists don't want to buy, according to the head of its research and development. The German company needs to add battery-powered cars to its portfolio to comply with the draconian emissions regulations coming into effect soon in the early 2020s in key markets, including Europe, but it doesn't expect electric cars will outsell gasoline-powered models anytime soon.

"There is no customer request for battery-electric vehicles. There are regulator requests for battery-electric vehicles," explained Klaus Frölich, the man who oversees BMW's research efforts, in an interview with Australian website Motoring.

Read more
Tesla’s fix for faulty Cybertruck pedal is simpler than you might think
Tesla Cybertruck

Less than five months after handing over the first Cybertrucks to customers, Tesla has had to recall the electric pickup to fix an issue with the accelerator.

In a notice issued on Friday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that the recall impacts Cybertruck vehicles manufactured from November 13, 2023, to April 4, 2024. This suggests that all -- or almost all -- of the 3,878 Cybertrucks being recalled are those that have been manufactured to date.

Read more
Ford Mustang Mach-E 2024 vs. Mach-E 2023: What’s new in Ford’s electric Mustang?
Blue Ford Mustang Mach-E on a rooftop

The Ford Mustang Mach-E is easily one of the best EVs for the price, offering a solid range, sleek design, and pretty good tech on the inside. In recent years, it has gotten even cheaper -- thanks in large part to a price war between it and the Tesla Model 3. And, the company just took the wraps off of the latest and greatest version of the Mach-E, labeled as the 2024 model.

The 2024 Mustang Mach-E is notably different from the 2023 iteration in some meaningful ways. So much so that we decided to take a look at the two head-to-head -- to see if it was better to pay for the 2024 model or save some cash on any remaining 2023 stock.
Design
The Mustang Mach-E looks relatively unique -- in a good way. And thankfully, Ford has largely kept the overall design the same for the 2024 model, at least when it comes to the more consumer-focused models. The car retains the slatted taillights and crossover size. It also offers a large selection of colors, including the very blue Grabber Blue Metallic, as well as Rapid Red Metallic. It's a good selection of colors, and there should be an option for most buyers.

Read more