"CFMOTO introduces the 2026 Papio SS, a 'miniature' café racer that illuminates with headlights resembling wide-open eyes. An upgraded and smaller version of the 2024 model, the brand revives the retro styling for the recent motorbike with its orange and beige color palette. Pixelated font face marks the sides of the vehicle, and at the back of the two-wheeler, the rear headlights flash static-looking red lights, its visuals resembling a person wearing glasses and in the moment of gasping as the round exhaust sits just below the pair of glowing 'eyes.'"
"The project is built around a clear goal: to create a small motorbike with the layout of a café racer but with the functions of a current urban motorcycle. Starting with the frame, the team adopts steel for its material, taking the load from the engine and the rider and keeping the shape stable during travel. They shaped the frame so it can hold the fairing, the seat, the suspension, and the wheels without bending. This is important because the 2026 café racer Papio SS uses a small chassis, and the layout must keep its form during cornering and braking."
"Lighting and display technology are also part of the design story around the 2026 café racer Papio SS. For this model, CFMOTO uses two LED pod headlights at the front, placed in a way that recalls earlier racing motorcycles that used two round lamps. The LED system gives clear forward lighting while using low electrical power, making the design look as if it were a pair of wide-open eyes. As for the dashboard, the brand adds an LCD display, which shows the speed, fuel information, gear position, and other riding information."
The 2026 Papio SS is a compact café racer with retro orange and beige livery, pixelated side graphics, and rear lights that create a character-like face above a round exhaust. The design goal is a small motorbike combining café-racer layout with modern urban motorcycle functions. A steel frame carries engine and rider loads while securing fairing, seat, suspension, and wheels to prevent bending during cornering and braking. Twin LED pod headlights provide efficient forward lighting and evoke wide-open eyes, and an LCD dashboard displays speed, fuel, gear position, and other riding information. Color-matched rims and grippy tires suit city and short-distance routes, with low clip-on handlebars creating a forward riding posture.
Read at designboom | architecture & design magazine
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