1988 Krauser Domani, a 3-wheeler powered by a BMW engine

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lifestepvan@reddit

It's just a motorcycle with a sidecar and a lot of fibreglass, isn't it?

The sidecar championship bikes are the same in principle. And perhaps the most unhinged form of motorsport there is, if you're unfamiliar, go watch some clips on youtube right now.

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Dorwyn@reddit

It's just a motorcycle with a sidecar and a lot of fibreglass, isn't it?

Not quite. Sidecar is attached to a fully autonomous motorcycle. This thing actually has a full rear axle going through both pieces.

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kalei50@reddit

Have you seen the boat races that are run similarly to the sidecar ones? Those people are a different breed...

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eightstravels@reddit

What in the actual fuck, that is insane.. And how have I never heard of it before? Motorcycle racing with a moving human counterweight 🤯

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civicsfactor@reddit

"sidecar racing? Is that a bit like F1?"

"... Yeah kinda"

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Batman_wears_Crocs@reddit (OP)

Your guess is as good as mine lol

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NyphessaSylvorynx@reddit

it crossed the line into charm somehow

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RuinFabulous3077@reddit

There were much, much worse looking ones than this.

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PiesRLife@reddit

It's weird, because depending on the angle it looks to me like a bike, sports car, boat, or something Barbie would ride.

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demonsdencollective@reddit

Ugly? I think this looks brilliant. Looks like they made a three wheeled 80s open top.

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Batman_wears_Crocs@reddit (OP)

Imagine cruising up to a Pizza Hut in the 1990s before a trip to Blockbuster with this thing

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sicurri@reddit

I vaguely remember seeing something like this in some Japanese super sentai TV show or something similar. One of their power ranger style shows for people who don't know anything about that stuff.

I saw it when I was a kid and they have had so many costumed super hero shows like that its hard to tell what its from after so many years unless you're into it, lol.

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spiritthehorse@reddit

This is peak ‘80s in the best way. The future we dreamed about. How did this not catch on?

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Batman_wears_Crocs@reddit (OP)

We could have had such a cooler future

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No_Nature_7109@reddit

I mean we did, one where people abandoned this and accepted the convertible and motorcycle separately instead of a vehicle with the flaws of both

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Mechanically speaking it appears to be a standard sidecar motorcycle that's been slightly overcomplicated. Sidecar bikes are already somewhat niche, especially one like this that would be significantly more expensive than existing Ural models or just having a shop install a sidecar kit on a midsized bike.

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Xeelef@reddit

Overcomplicated? The differences make sense if you design a motorbike which always includes the sidecar: fuel tank in the back, better suspension, steering bar not directly connected to wheel, car wheels for stability and comfort

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Molested-Cholo-5305@reddit

Hey man, don't be a downer, we got 30 different crossover SUVs in three colours instead (black, grey, white)

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Stambro1@reddit

I think if I was rich enough to have a motorcycle collection, I’d be buying all the weird ones like this!!

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Oiggamed@reddit

This thing looks like it goes in the water too. Imagine how cool that would be….

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PraxisLD@reddit

Here you go.

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thejesterofdarkness@reddit

Link is broken

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PraxisLD@reddit

Try it now.

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thejesterofdarkness@reddit

Works now!

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Batman_wears_Crocs@reddit (OP)

I like how you think!

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bigbadler@reddit

Fuck… this thing looks so good

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pjskiboy@reddit

Want

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PuttingFishOnJupiter@reddit

BigTrak vibes!

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redditheeagle@reddit

Peak 80s kind off.

Reference to Koenig Ferraris

Definitely no two ways about in which era this design came to life.

Brilliant in a unique way.

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lupindeathray@reddit

At first glance I thought this was some old toy from the 80s.

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whoishomer@reddit

As a K-bike fan and K1100 rider, I love this machine

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Noodnix@reddit

Also, didn’t Krauser make the OEM luggage for BMW of the era?

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whoishomer@reddit

Looks like they made them for the R-bikes, I did not know that!

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Noodnix@reddit

I had a r100rs and always heard the hard bags referred to as Krauser bags.

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Herr-Zipp@reddit

Yes, they were famous for their luggage boxes and cases.

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Batman_wears_Crocs@reddit (OP)

The K1100RS is a beast of a bike, good choice!

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whoishomer@reddit

Thanks! And thanks for including the pics of the chassis, I've never seen those before.

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Batman_wears_Crocs@reddit (OP)

I saw that schematic with the way the front wheel was mounted and felt like I had to have it in there, too cool not to

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TerGrills@reddit

It would be perfect if you could launch the sidecar and use is as a submarine

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okcumputer@reddit

MASK was cool as shit!

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po_ta_toes_80@reddit

So as an 80's kid, when I was fantasizing about the vehicles that MASK had, there were similar vehicles out there existing in real life?! Damn! I want one.

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okcumputer@reddit

Plenty of them were looked like real vehicles. Buzzard looked like an Indycar, firefly just looked like a modified sandrail. Hurricane looked like a bel air, Manta a datsun Z maybe, and Jackhammer looks a lot like a Bronco from that era.

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TerGrills@reddit

A Countach, Camaro list goes on, only they didn't get the license for Gloria's Porsche, which still sucks to this day

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TerGrills@reddit

But there are custom toys being made! Hooray!

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panthersausage@reddit

I was staring at ops photo thinking "I have seen something like this vividly before" and there it is!

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Yeetstation4@reddit

Reminds me of a racing sidecar

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Wade1217@reddit

As someone who grew up in the 1980s, this build is absolutely stunning! It perfectly captures the way I remember summers between 1985-1988. I would sell all my toys for a chance to own something as beautiful as this, and it’s powered by a legendary BMW Motorrad K series engine to boot! The most reliable and beautiful looking engine BMW ever made for a motorcycle. I’m sure it has a radio that is only capable of playing Vaporwave…

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xrelaht@reddit

The longer I look at this, the weirder it gets. It’s amazing, and I love it!

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jimmythetuba@reddit

Kinda reminds me of a sidecar Akira bike.

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Brief-Luck-6254@reddit

This looks so cool

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ArriDesto@reddit

Road legal, full size "sidecar racing combo", and cool as a snowman in a bobsleigh! Love this!

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AllReflection@reddit

flying brick is a good motor choice

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Herr-Zipp@reddit

Peak design of the 80ies.

Today: "How could they", but they simply did.

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Batman_wears_Crocs@reddit (OP)

Today: "How can we make it look more bland and the same as everything else? Is it out of the question to turn it into a crossover?"

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SomethingFoul@reddit

I don’t remember this being part of the NJ Transit fleet…

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Batman_wears_Crocs@reddit (OP)

It should be

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Danny_Mc_71@reddit

r/cassettefuturism

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Batman_wears_Crocs@reddit (OP)

I posted it in both right away, I am a fiend for that sub

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Poenicus@reddit

Looks almost like a side car racing motorcycle, but the passenger doesn't have to cling onto it as a "monkey".

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MisterSmoketoomuch@reddit

It's basically abig

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Batman_wears_Crocs@reddit (OP)

The best kind of appreciation for an 80s vehicle lol

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SameArtichoke8913@reddit

It's prominently featured in the Nineties Oh My Goddess/Aa Megamisama manga. \^\^
As a wacky side note: In Japan, the Domani was legally classified as an car, not a motorcycle, and could be driven with a normal driver's license instead of a motorcycle license. Good luck, though...

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Batman_wears_Crocs@reddit (OP)

I saw that on the Wikipedia page, I bet that looks sick in the manga!

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