My folks live in England, and—like most people in Western Europe—they’ve spent the past few weeks buried under snow and ice in the most vicious winter for decades. Which led me to thinking about all the motorcycles locked up in garages and sheds, waiting for the roads to clear and tires to find grip. So when I happened across this extraordinary machine from TGS in Germany, I had to feature it. The bike was built by TGS’ owner Tobias Guckel for Sepp Schmidt, hence the name ‘Seppster’. And those huge Avon Cobra tires each have 120 spikes for maximum purchase on ice … Of course, it’s not an entirely practical bike, unlike the hugely popular ice speedway racers of Europe, but it’s a very interesting alternative to the usual ‘Hot Wheels’ style choppers. Power comes from a turbocharged S&S 93-ci motor, but virtually every other part of this machine was built in-house by TGS, from the radical single-sided front fork to the rigid frame and wheels. This bike came third at the 2008 World Championship of Bike Building; like Hot Dock’s StG Nautilus, it was overshadowed by Roger Goldammer’s paradigm-shifting ‘Goldmember’. In any other year, Ice Racer would have grabbed the spotlight, and rightly so.
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13 Comments
My first thought was, “Holy crap, I want one with street tires.” Lo and behold, TGS has built just that with their Seppster S. (Check out the web site.)
Not sure I’m wild about the paint job or the trim on either this or the S variant, but damn if these aren’t some wild looking scoots.
looks like a drawing to me how about seeing it for real
Mitchell: here’s one of many pictures showing the Ice Racer ‘in the flesh’.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vjphotography/4133506759/
still looks like a drawing or some kind of computer graphic.
do you have any pictures of it at this 2008 World Championship in the USA event ?
ok found what looks like real pics i like it really cool, it would be even cooler if it had furry critter carnage all over the wheels.
Is that the turbo right down there waiting to stupid fail?
It’s not the spikes that scare me, it’s the open clutch and primary chain that tell me “look, but don’t ride…”
Nothing against this build, but a proper ice-racing bike should be included in your site.
For those readers who are Seattle-based, there is a fund raiser this Sat. at the Hudson for Seattle’s Ice-racing team.
One of their bikes will be on display…
http://pnwriders.com/general-discussion/122672-2010-ice-holes-annual-ice-cold-beer-bash.html
Hum, air filter right behind the front tire, no fender, racing on ice. What could possibly go wrong?
I agree with Mitchell, it needs a white fur suit. Love the design although I imagine actually using it on ice would be tough due to the riding position.
wow now thats one ugly bike .. and it must have cost a fortune to get way
1st prize for the ugliest waste of money spent .. goes to this thing..
I sure could have used this when I lived up in the northeast
i like the design with ergonomics form for all details….