Can the French Make A Legitimate Motorcycle Contender

France, despite being able over the years to occasionally compete in the car market, has never been able to make a legitimate, globally acceptable motorcycle.

Never.

The people responsible for the Boxer Design SuperBob are hoping they can change that less-than-enticing run of form.

While the Superbob is a limited-run, exotic custom motorcycle, and it’s probably odds-on that the company will fold like a Robert Hall suit before you can buy one, the prototype looks a little like the real deal.

Ugly? Well, yes. And maybe the name is a little precious for American tastes, but the model in question does seem a bit reminiscent of the excellent Confederate Hellcat, so it may be able to overcome those name and styling limitations – if it moves out like a scalded dog and handles like a Benelli shotgun.

But with a 1000cc V-twin turbocharged at low-pressures for wacking solid and smooth linear torque throughout the range and 158 bhp, it may well go fast enough to make it attractive to buyers. The Superbob features a cleverly-imagined carbon-fibre frame, single-sided swingarm and radical front suspension along the lines of the BMW Duolever, the resulting disconnect of the steering and braking forces might prove prescient and useful.

Brembo brakes, Marchesini wheels, Ohlins suspension should insure that the SuperBob goes where you aim it and rides well, and the powerplant has been developed by the same crew responsible for the Inmotec MotoGP team.

The company says this fugly thing will enter production within the next two years.