There?s a problem with big leaps forward in tech and styling: for every person who loves something futuristic, there?s someone else who hates it. You only have to look at the market for electric motorcycles to see this.
Cutting-edge scooters like the BMW C400 X are similarly afflicted. The styling is straight out of a Transformers movie, and you can buy a new Triumph Trident 660 for less money. But the C400 does make it easy to store shopping or a helmet, and some folks find scooters more comfortable to ride.

A year ago, the Russian company NMoto caused a stir with its C400-based ?Golden Age? concept. The machine is finally in production, and despite the high tech underpinnings, the styling has taken a big leap backwards?in a good way. According to NMoto?s Vlad Klepach, Golden Age harks back to ?the halcyon days of pre-war motoring?when transportation was equal parts speed, style and skill.? The design channels the famous Henderson special built in 1936 by Art Deco enthusiast O. Ray Courtney.

?The main challenge was our desire to make this custom available to everyone,? says Vlad. ?That is why we chose the BMW C 400 X as the base model?the most affordable scooter of the German brand.?
To keep weight down, the stunning bodywork is rigid carbon fiber composite, rather than molded from plastic. The kit was developed and produced with the help of another Russian shop, Zillers Motorcycles?the AMD World Championship holders, and builders of the incredible ?slammed? BMW R n...