Kawasaki Motorcycles made a splash with a hydrogen-powered bike at EICMA last year, and now several custom manufacturers are stepping in to show what a hydrogen-powered motorcycle could look like. There?s a new crop of concept bikes coming forth that shows hydrogen could be the next big thing in motorcycling. Maybe.
Hydrogen-powered cars are gaining momentum. Hydrogen is, after all, one of the most abundant molecules on Earth. And, when you combust it, you get water vapor as a byproduct. Manufacturers are taking notice. Honda, for example, will be selling a version of its most popular SUV, the CR-V, with a hydrogen engine in 2024. But for motorcycles, we may be on the cusp of something new.
Now, custom designers are getting in on the potential of hydrogen. Anton Brousseau, one of the three designers behind the Hydra hydrogen concept bike, told BikeEXIF: ?Electricity might not be right for motorbikes. What else do you have" Hydrogen is closer to combustion, and it?s closer to that feel.?
Brousseau, with Andon Guzhov and Andre Taylforth (who have design experience with Ford and Mercedes-Benz) designed the Hydra as a futuristic hydrogen-powered café racer, he said. ?It has a café racer feel. That was the inspiration. It?s just such a simple and clean idea and it was inspired by custom motorbikes.?
Anton Brousseau | Instagram

The Hydra concept uses a more traditional, if you can call it that, fuel cell technology. In a fuel cell, hydrogen is passed through a membrane ...