
Neander Kraftrad
Years: 2015 – 2021
Neander’s early legacy is design bravado: pressed-steel frames and streamlined forms that stood apart in the interwar years, when motorcycles were evolving from motorized bicycles into distinct machines. Ernst Neumann-Neander was an artist as much as engineer, and his bikes reflected that, with forms that still look modern. In the 2000s, Neander Motors AG pursued a different kind of audacity—a parallel-twin, turbo-diesel motorcycle with counter-rotating crankshafts to tame vibration and a torque curve suited to long-distance hauling. While never a mass product, the project showcased German problem-solving applied to unconventional propulsion. Historically, Neander represents the willingness to reimagine both structure and heart of a motorcycle—first with steel sculpture, later with compression ignition and balance-shaft wizardry. The throughline is curiosity: if common answers get you common machines, try uncommon questions.