The vintage-looking personal utility vehicle is a low-impact, high-performance two-wheeler.

Cykno oro coccodrillo. Photo by Gianni Baccega
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Is it a bicycle? Is it a motorbike? Something in between, according to Bruno Greppi, the co-founder of Cykno. “I don’t like to call it a bicycle,” says the Italian engineer. “I don’t know what the correct name is. From my side, I like to call it a PUV, a personal utility vehicle, but it’s really something in the middle.”

Having spent the last seven years in the “two-wheels” business, developing electric prototype vehicles for motorcycle companies across Europe, Greppi decided it was time to create something of his own. It was almost a matter of national pride, he says. “Italy is the country of the bike.”

Cykno was born and Greppi’s creations were showcased for the first time at Downtown Design in Dubai earlier this month. Developed in partnership with the engineer and designer Luca Scopel, the vintage-looking vehicle consists of a central motor, monocoque frame, radial spoke wheels and a front fork made out of carbon fibre and stainless steel pipes, with a jaunty seat suspended on a stainless steel blade. The team went out of their way to make sure that all of the electrics were kept hidden. The end result is a timeless, low-impact, high-performance two-wheeler.

“I wanted to do something special and I thought why not do something really luxurious or design-led. I put in everything from the heart, not the brain. And this is the result,” says Greppi.

Each bike is built to order and can be fully customised. The one pictured here has an alligator-leather saddle, made with leather sourced from Hermès, with a gold-plated frame. It would set you back around €25,000 (Dh124,000).

www.cykno.com