The SP1-powered Praëm SP3. Making a 15-year-old Honda look interesting
Love it or hate it, there’s no denying this French creation is different
Praëm isn’t a familiar name but the first creation from the newly-formed firm is certainly unusual enough to get attention.
Launched in Paris this week, the Praëm SP3 is the work of Sylvain Berneron – a former BMW Motorrad designer – and Florent Berneron, who has a background in aeronautics and mechanics.
The sharp-eyed will have already noticed that the underpinnings are from a 15-year-old Honda VTR1000 SP1, but the new bodywork and the cutting edge suspension and brakes give little hint that it’s basic chassis design dates back to the last millennium.
Official information about the bike and the firm’s plans is scant, but it’s clear that the bodywork is largely made of alloy, with large chunks of the fairing and seat made up of hundreds of thin aluminium wires rather than sheet, giving a unique finish but one that’s clearly going to be terrifyingly expensive and labour intensive to produce.
The frame and swingarm are SP1, but the forks are Öhlins FGR units, fitted with radial Brembo .484 calipers gripping what appear to be carbon or carbon-ceramic discs. The wheels are carbon, too, made by Rotobox, although the slick tyres seem at odds with the bike’s headlights, taillights and number plate hanger.
If there’s any doubt that this is a high-end machine aimed at the celebrity set, check out the TAG Heuer Monaco chronograph that’s mounted in an aluminium bracket attached to the fairing brace. As far as we can tell, it’s the only instrument on the bike, but then again this is more sculpture, intended to demonstrate Praëm’s abilities, than a serious proposition. No doubt anyone ordering a replica will be able to specify every element of the bike.
According to Praëm’s website (www.praem.fr) the firm has seven more designs in the making, all due to appear during 2016. Silhouettes show two café racers, a V-twin board tracker, a scrambler, a custom V-twin and two naked bikes. It appears they’ll be based on a wide range of machines, from BMW boxers to Harley Davidsons.
