Every legendary automotive design starts with a blueprint, and when it comes to the industry’s most renowned motorcycles, the process of conceptual creation isn’t far removed. For Nick Graveley, a Munich-based clay modeler/sculptor, the meaning behind this artistic process hits much closer to home. His most recent project, the 2017 ZERO FX Flat Tracker, is a testament to the creative vision, and origin, of the bike’s purposeful design.
Over the years, Graveley has offered his modeling expertise to a number of prolific brands — ZERO included. Naturally, his interest in electric motorcycle platforms led him to take on the company’s lauded FX, a capable variant that’s made more than a few waves due to its minimalistic design, adaptability, and performance. Enamored by the idea of using the cycle’s regenerative braking to tap into a hidden source of power, Nick took to the drawing board. For him, the connection between a builder and platform delves far deeper than anything a CAD program can offer. So, after 80 hours of hand-sculpting the ZERO’s exterior from clay, he was awarded a fully-realized, symmetrical product. The FX was then scanned and rebuilt by Alias AutoStudio, who removed any imperfections in the bike’s exterior before producing an ABS plastic prototype for fitment. Eventually, Graveley would dress the 46-horsepower FX in a layer of carbon fiber, garnering just 5.3-pounds for the entire set of body panels. A shortened suspension, new flat-track wheels, and a revised drive system round out the rambunctious racer.
