Rarely do we ever hear “mobility scooters” and ” Harley-Davidson motorcycles” in the same sentence, but now that we have, we can’t help but wonder how or what a mash-up of the two might look like. In any case, it would probably be very close to the recently-redesigned Afiscooter SE mobility scooter from Studio Lama.
According to Studio Lama’s Ofer Dahan, this was Afiscooter’s first mobility scooter model originally made over forty years ago. It had already gone through several face-lifts since then, but this time, the client asked us for a grounds-up redesign.
“Our brief included adding rear shock-absorbers, an adjustable handlebar with handguards, front and rear LED lights, and improved access for maintenance,” explains Dahan. “Our point of departure underscored ergonomics and the user interface, and these remained our guiding principles throughout the design process.”
Among other newly-added features, the rear suspension – combined with the large-diameter wheels – helps take the edge off rough surfaces, giving the user an exceptionally smooth and stable ride over bumpy surfaces.
To further add to the iconic motorcycle look, the studio even added polished metal mud guards and an adjustable chromium headlight at the top of the front fork and an integrated dashboard:
“There are two main elements forming the rear casing, both are a black matte-finish plastic; one is vacuum formed, and the other is injected,” says Dahan. “For the signal-lights casings, we insisted on an in-house design rather than opting for an off-the-shelf product so that we could guarantee a contemporary look conferred by a smooth transition between the black injected plastic and the clear plastic of the signal lights. Achieving a holistic product design required us to design several of the scooter accessories at the concept phase: the canopy, the rear metal bin, and a customized locking plastic bin. We designed a perforated material for the metal bin that would give it a mesh-like texture and look. This contemporary style of texture combined with traditional sheet-metal technologies like die-cutting, rolling, and welding yielded a distinctive style.”
Find out more over at Studio Lama.
