Design from the very heart of the machine

The Jawa motorcycle has long symbolized the inventiveness and spirit of the Czech nation, a vehicle that carries a sole intrepid rider down a dusty road to whatever lies ahead.

Originally manufactured in 1929 in Czechoslovakia, the Jawa's sleek design and advanced technology earned it an international reputation that continues to this day. But the Jawa may now have to share the spotlight: Moto FGR, based in Ústí nad Orlicí, east Bohemia, has just unveiled a new bike, the FGR 2500 V6 Midalu, which is, quite simply, the fastest in the world.

Six years in the making, the Midalu was a "labor of love" for Stanislav Hanuš, who won a national Moto FGR competition, partly funded by the Industry and Trade Ministry, for the design of the bike, built specifically to house the all-powerful engine conceptualized by Moto FGR's Miroslav Felgr and built by engineer Oldřich Kreuz in 2008.

Hanuš's design was the clear winner for Moto FGR, and Hanuš himself was confident in his creation.

"One has to trust oneself," he says. "I've been in the motorbike industry for more than 10 years, so I expected to win."

Hanuš, who studied mechanical engineering at the Czech Technical University in Brno, where he is currently a vice dean, calls automobile designer Václav Král and his tenure at the engineering firm Blata his biggest influences. His work on the Midalu, he says, is the highlight of his career.

Moto FGR PR Manager Luboš Felgr, Miroslav's son, says of the 45 submissions for the Midalu, Hanuš's entry immediately stood out from the rest.

"Hanuš's design was the best because it was original, simple and interesting," he says. "It has so many design aspects that you can't find on any other motorbike."

These unique aspects include a carefully rendered chassis that includes carbon composites and special aluminum alloys, created to support the sheer power of the engine. According to Hanuš, Kreuz's engine can go from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in just 3 seconds - ranking it among the likes of a Bugatti Veyron, the fastest road-legal sports car.

The 2442 cm, liquid-cooled, 90-degree V6 engine produces 240 horsepower and more than 200 Nm of torque. Its volume, which Luboš Felgr says is the biggest in the world, tops the previous record of England's Triumph engine with 2,300 ccm.

Creating the motorbike took two years, in which Hanuš carried out most of the design work on his computer, without aluminum models. The vision he had for the Midalu meant that he had to make a lot of tools himself in order to create individual components.

"Motorbikes are a unique thing when it comes to design," he says. "Unlike cars, a motorbike has only its exterior, which must look nice and be fully functional at the same time."

Hanuš takes to heart the lessons he learned from his mentor Václav Král about design's role and responsibility in completing an object.

"I am proud to be able to do what Král taught me. He always said that design is not just a fancy coat - it has to begin in the heart of the machine, from its functions," he says, adding that he tries to pass on this philosophy to his students. "I don't distinguish between design and construction, which is often the case at art schools."

The heart of the Midalu is certainly its all-powerful core, developed by Kreuz.

Twelve Midalus will be manufactured in 2012, each with a price tag of 1 million Kč. But perhaps one can't put a price on what could be the new engine of the nation.

- Klára Jiřičná contributed to this report.

Fiona Gaze can be reached at
fgaze@praguepost.com