Tinker, a thoroughly modern take on the classic British café racer motorcycle, is the work of Jack Lennie, a product design graduate from Edinburgh Napier University. Tinker is an open-source bike that a novice can build from engine to rolling chassis. Its design allows users to download the specs and build their own bike with simple, non-specialist tools that allow maximum customisation.
Lennie’s design is an unpredictable approach to sustainability. Having found that 90 per cent of bikes in the UK were written off due to frame damage, Lennie created this innovative solution that brings motorbikes and their essential parts back to life.
The open-source file details how to build a frame to encase the existing or purchased engine and running gear. Tinker can be manufactured using CAD/CAM computer software, which ensures the open-source design will be available globally, eliminating the need for shipping. This drastically cuts high production costs common to vehicle manufacture.
Lennie's design won New Designer of the Year 2015 at New Designers exhibition in London. "His designs had a solution-driven aesthetic and the application of the concept could be far, far wider," the judges said.
Fans of old café racers and open-source design will be happy to know that Tinker will be available for download later this year.
