LAOAG, Philippines – Filipino ingenuity and resourcefulness at its finest.

This was how online users described the photo of a customized hubless motorcycle that went viral on social media on Sunday, March 18.

The motorcycle that could rival the world’s best was created by OttoJworkz, an all-Ilocano group composed of 7 bike enthusiasts. It is owned by Jayjay Herman. 

Among the bike’s features are the intricately carved fairings, an acrylic seat that glows in the dark, manually produced sprocket, and lighted wheels.

But the bike’s most remarkable feature is its wheels. With hubless wheels, the bike rolls even without the standard spokes.

“Hubless, from the word itself, doesn’t have a hub. The middle, or where the axle is usually located, is hollow. The axle is where sprockets and belts are usually connected. But we modified that part – how to make the bike work without the hub,” according to Jheremy Abiang, who was behind the design and customization of the motorcycle.

Bike festival

According to the group, they were inspired by international models of hubless motorcycles. The problem is, they said, many hubless models are not fit for riding.

Without a guide to consult, this was what they tried to address in their model.

“We based the design on what we see in international pages…We considered making a version that’s Filipino-made. While there are a few hubless versions already in the country, most of them aren’t functional. We wanted to create a fully-functioning hubless motorcycle,” Abiang said.

While hubless wheels are not a new invention, the mechanics behind a functional model is not easy.

They worked on the motorcycle in their own garages because they don’t own a repair shop. 

“The one our group created is actually a product of our collective ideas on how to fabricate, customize, and make the bike work. We all worked hard together to make it happen,” Abiang said. 

According to Earos Ramos, their group spent more than a month only to align the bike properly. Ramos served as the financer and producer of the OttoJworkz. 

“The most challenging part of the work is the alignment. Most of the hubless versions are not ridable. They are pretty to look at but not functional. Unlike our bike, we really worked on making it functional,” Ramos said.

It took the group almost a year to finish the project. Connected by their shared interest in motorcycles, members of OttoJworkz became friends during the 2016 Inside Racing Bike Festival.

From March 24 to 28, they are showcasing their innovation at the 2017 Inside Racing bike festival as one of the entries. – Rappler.com