Vertigo developing first street bike
The name Vertigo is a relative newcomer when it comes to European motorcycle manufacturers, having sprung onto the trials scene in 2015. But the Spanish company’s success since then has been impressive and now it has its eye on the street bike market.
These newly-registered designs show the styling of an upcoming Vertigo road bike sporting a water-cooled single-cylinder, four-stroke engine - a departure compared to the two-strokes favoured for Vertigo’s competition bikes - and styling that taps into the competition heritage of the brand.
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We don’t have any specifications of the bike yet, but the physical size of the engine suggests a capacity between 250 cc and 450 cc. It’s mounted in a tubular steel frame that takes its cues from Vertigo’s trials bikes, combining a trellis-style front section around the steering head with simpler twin tubes running down to the swingarm pivot. The engine, with mounting bolts at the front and rear, appears to contribute to the structural rigidity of the design.
At the back, the alloy swingarm is very similar to the design used on Vertigo’s trials bikes, with a sculpted section towards the front where the two sides of the arm are cross-braced around the rising-rate monoshock suspension. The exhaust, tucked under the bodywork and cut short to end halfway along the tail, is another nod to trials bike design, as is the miniscule fuel tank ahead of the seat, but the bike’s proportions are much more like a conventional enduro. The seat is relatively tall and flat, and at the front the small round headlight and stubby beak-style mudguard below it have a hint of retro adventure bike.
As a road-going model, there are elements you’ll never see on a trials bike, including a licence plate bracket, lights and indicators, as well as a simple set of digital instruments mounted in the cowl above the headlight. There’s also an electric starter, and the design illustrations are even detailed enough to show the presence of an ignition key just below the dashboard.
This isn’t Vertigo’s first look at street bikes. Back in 2015, when the company was still a newcomer, it showed the Ursus concept, using a twist-and-go CVT transmission and a single-sided swingarm along with oversized tyres. That machine was originally intended for production, with 350 cc and 450 cc singles promised, along with a 600 cc V-twin, but despite at least one running prototype appearing, the project never went much further. The new design is far more conventional, and that’s likely to bode well for it when it comes to appealing to customers.
