Super73 K1D

Irvine, CA

With Eric Dunshee, Josue Gonzalez, Karoline Davidian, Ian Chambers, Jonathan Kikawa

2022

Designed for young riders, this small yet powerful bike combines the thrill of a motorcycle with the balance and control needed for beginners. Drawing inspiration from the iconic Super73 lineup, the K1D blends classic design elements with cutting-edge electric performance, making it the perfect introduction to the world of powered two-wheelers. I led the design team in bringing this concept to reality.

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Growing the crew

Super73 has cultivated a community of passionate riders, many of whom want to share their love of two wheels with the next generation. The K1D was created to introduce younger riders to the Super73 experience, enabling families to ride together. This small yet powerful bike allows kids to learn the ropes early, laying the foundation for future progression onto full-sized bikes and motorcycles, and expanding the brand’s reach to include the entire family.

BMX Roots

The K1D draws heavy inspiration from the iconic BMX bikes of the 1980s—classics from companies like Diamond Back, PK Ripper, Dyno, and GT. These bikes defined a generation with their distinctive silhouettes and rugged simplicity. We carried those design cues into the K1D’s frame geometry and CMF choices. The result is a bike that feels both timeless and totally new—built for the next generation of riders.

Concepts

The frame is the soul of any bike, and for the K1D, it had to strike the perfect balance between nostalgia and fresh innovation. I led the team through a range of design explorations—from relaxed, classic silhouettes to more motorcycle-inspired forms. Ultimately, the simple, clean lines of BMX and dirt-jumper bikes resonated most. With a bike this small, every design decision carries extra weight; the major moves defining its character. Our goal was to create something instantly recognizable and distinct yet approachable—something that makes every kid who rides it feel like the coolest kid on the block.

What do the kids think?

Ride Testing

Real riders

Designing for young riders meant we had to see the bike through their eyes—so we built a test bike to put our ideas to the test. We let our kids hop on, ride around, and give us unfiltered feedback. Watching them interact with the bike in real time helped us dial in everything from frame geometry to throttle response. It was all about understanding what felt natural, what was fun, and what needed tweaking. Those early tests had massive impact on the final design, ensuring the K1D wasn’t just cool to look at, but genuinely intuitive and exciting to ride.

My daughter was right in our age range at this time, so bringing her into the design process was such a blast and something I’ll never forget.

P1 Learnings

- Increase mechanical trail
- Increase rake
- High-rise bars are too high for the youngest riders
- Lower height
- Platforms best by first-time riders
- Seat should be lowered slightly

P2 Updates

To check our frame geometry and mechanical design updates, we made another prototype – this time with our vendor in Taiwan. We started honing in on peg/platform interface and design, seat ergonomics and surfacing, and battery architecture. Things were really starting to come together by this point.

Detail Refinement

With the frame’s core geometry dialed in, the whole team focused on refining the plastics – battery, seat, rear fenders, wheel cover, number plate, and tires. The accessories team especially put a lot of hard work into this.

Color. Material. Finish.

To connect with the parents shopping for this bike, we leaned hard into those BMX roots—channeling the nostalgia through bold colors and punchy graphics. We had a blast gathering inspiration, tossing around wild ideas, and honing in on the most compelling ones. The final color and graphic treatment nods confidently to the past while staying grounded in a modern, forward-looking aesthetic.

Our signature drop-shadow motif runs across a range of classic primary colors that practically shout, “rad!”