Call us romantic, but we love the idea of old-school craftsmanship. The process of starting a project on a piece of paper, and bringing it to life with English wheels and planing hammers. It’s how this beloved scene of ours was built: by hand.
But although we’re enamored by the tools of the past, we’re equally captivated by the tools of the future. And this futuristic Buell is the poster child for cutting edge techniques. Instead of being built in a dusty old shed, it was created in a modern studio with CAD software and a 3D printer.

It’s the brainchild of Paolo ?Tex? Tesio?an Italian automotive designer with over 20 years industry experience. Tesio spends his days at a design and engineering firm, working for a major auto manufacturer. But when the sun sets, he drags himself into his ‘Tex Design’ studio to cultivate his passion for two wheelers. Tesio first landed on our radar five years ago with this beastly Ducati S4R. The 2006 Buell XB12 Firebolt he used for his latest project is a vastly different machine, but the result is no less radical.

?For a long time I’ve been trying to get on the American twin-cylinder,? he says. ?I?m fascinated by its exaggerated proportions, and its strong personality. It?s full of (more or less) logical and functional innovations.?
Tesio’s process with the Buell was as digital as you can get. The project spanned 18 months?12 of which focused solely on design and development, using Autodes...