Design Re-invented: CR&S DUU

American engine with Italian design – something we have never seen on two wheels. This is the DUU, the craziest looking naked twin cylinder bike available in the market today.

American bikes don’t hold the same reputation as their four-wheeled counterparts in Europe, but their designs do tend to seem rather bashful and less elegant than the European beauties. However, American motorcycle engines are rather well engineered and provide high torque outputs to deliver some very exciting acceleration. Roberto Crepaldi is an Italian bike maker with a passion for these brute engines, and thanks to the designers from his Milan based company CR&S, he has created a very interesting motorcycle.

CR&S is an acronym for Café Racers and Superbikes, and that is exactly what the DUU is. The bike uses an Italian sporty rolling chassis and design that looks phenomenal, and is probably the most unique naked sports bike on the planet. The DUU is powered by a muscular American big-twin, it’s a 1916cc V Twin 56° that provides immense power and incredible torque – roughly 148Nm. The transmission is custom made and the buyer will have an option of a 5-speed or a 6-speed gearbox.

The bike rests on a stainless steel main structure made with big section tubes, stainless steel engine’s cradle and holder. The chassis’ components are made in stainless steel, machined, bended and hand welded at the factory in Milan. The single sided swingarm is also custom built and is made in stainless steel high section tube reinforced with a stainless steel box. The front suspension uses an upside down telescopic 48mm fork that can be adjusted, while the rear uses a single hydraulic progressive shock absorber. The overall design of the bike is very attractive and takes cues from both the cafe racer and custom bike worlds. In fact each bike can be designed according to the buyer’s preferences. The buyer can choose from different seating positions, paint jobs, finishes and power performance packages.

Tipping the scales at 245 kilograms, it’s a heavy bike, but it is also well-balanced. The structural components are made in carbon and others are made in VTR or carbon. The gas tank is divided in two parts – the chassis’ backbone and the seat holder box structure. Some body parts have a specific aerodynamic function enabling a better flow channeling to favor the vehicle’s efficacy, the cooling of the mechanic parts and the pilot’s comfort. The brakes are also very powerful and the front uses 320mm wave double floating discs with 4 pistons brake calipers and the rear gets a 260mm single disc brake with 2 pistons.

The engine might be American but thanks to the Italian designs the chassis and its handling performances are much more evolved than what can be thought. These parts have been engineered and designed to warrant a complete riding satisfaction on every kind of road, even on fast bends or narrow mountain roads. The DUU is an innovative motorcycle, “modular and muscular” as the company claims, and with durable materials and components, and a well equipped powerful engine, it is also rugged and reliable.

The DUU is available for direct order on the company’s website and the starting price of $27,000 (Rs.15.4 lakhs) is very reasonable considering what you are getting for such a price.