18 May Škoda Slavia B Electric Motorcycle: Modern Café Racer with 1899 Roots
Škoda Slavia B Motorcycle Concept
A 21st-century café-racer reboot of Laurin & Klement’s 1899 icon
From pedal-start pioneer to electric showcase
Long before it built cars, Laurin & Klement (the forerunner of Škoda Auto) produced the Slavia B, a belt-drive, 240 cc single that won notoriety in the 1901 Paris-Berlin race. Today Škoda’s design studio has re-imagined that machine as an all-electric concept to headline its Modern Solid R&D programme—demonstrating how the marque might look if it ever returns to two wheels.
Design language: Modern Solid meets café-racer minimalism
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Diamond frame redux – The original cast-steel trellis is echoed by a hollow, lime-green aluminium “U” spine that carries the traction battery like a stressed member.
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Clean aero surfaces – White glass-fibre body panels hide the wiring loom and cooling channels, while a translucent tail-fin doubles as the rear lamp.
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Heritage cues – Copper-toned leather on the saddle and knee-pads references the tool rolls of early L&K racers. The fuel-sight-glass has been repurposed as a state-of-charge indicator.
Electric drivetrain & chassis highlights
| Component | Detail | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Motor | Mid-mounted 50 kW permanent-magnet unit (est.) | Keeps mass low and central for agile café-racer stance. Carscoops |
| Battery pack | 9 kWh Li-ion in quick-swap cartridge | 0-80 % in 30 min on 50 kW DC; ~120 km urban range. Driven |
| Transmission | Single-speed with belt final drive | Silent running—nod to the 1899 belt system. Designboom |
| Suspension | 43 mm USD fork / cantilever rear mono-shock | Tuned for spirited city riding and B-road sweepers. drivespark.com |
| Wheels & brakes | 19-in aero-disc composites, twin 320 mm rotors | Low drag, regenerative braking compatibility. Carscoops |
(A full technical sheet was not released; figures above synthesise Škoda’s design notes and supplier data.)
Who penned it?
The concept is the work of Romain Bucaille, exterior designer at Škoda, who challenged the team to “treat the motorbike frame like a jewellery setting for the battery” while keeping the silhouette unmistakably Slavia.
Why it matters
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Brand heritage – Škoda has never forgotten its two-wheel roots; Slavia B joins the 1100 OHC Spider and 1100 GT in a growing series of modernised classics.
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Design manifesto – It’s the first two-wheeler shaped by the Modern Solid aesthetic previewed on the Vision 7S SUV, signalling that the language is scalable from trucks to bikes.
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Urban-mobility testbed – Modular battery trays, 3D-printed body skins and plug-and-play electronics serve as live experiments for future Škoda e-scooters or microcars.
Expert verdict
The Slavia B concept isn’t a production promise, but it nails the brief: electrify a 19th-century race bike without losing its soul. By coupling heritage storytelling with believable e-mobility tech, Škoda positions itself for whatever shape personal transport takes next—be it four, three or, once again, two wheels.
written and curated by ozzie small
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