Katsuhiro Otomo’s classic Akira has no doubt inspired innumerable fantasies about flying down the road on Kaneda’s motorcycle. Not satisfied with the prospect of having the machine exist only in the pages of a book, Masashi Teshima invested seven years and 10 million yen (about $121,000) to build his example of the bike, which is so badass that it is the only such project to earn Otomo’s official stamp of approval.
If that’s not cool enough, Teshima is currently taking the bike on a cross-country ride with the goal of raising money for autism research. Once he reaches Tokyo, the bike will be displayed at an “art of Katsuhiro Otomo” exhibition.
Check out additional photos and videos after the break.
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Hollywood fabricator Eddie Paul is selling a life-size replica bike from Akira on Craigslist for only $4000. It was made for Kanye West’s video for the song Stronger, but the footage was ultimately cut from the final product. It’s even signed by Kanye himself—but despite that it’s still pretty cool.
Besides the whole Kanye connection, the only other catch is that it its bike is a non-working model meant for display only. Still, $4000 is not a bad price to pay for a collectible like this.
(Craigslist via /Film)
Created under the direct supervision of AKIRA creator Katsuhiro Otomo, this Kaneda die-cast bike replica measures 6.3″ H x 19.7″ W and features LED illumination on the front and back wheels, headlights, taillights, blinker, and dashboard. It also includes sound effects, adjustable headlights, a front end that can be raised and lowered and a full, workable suspension. Naturally, a model of this caliber will blow up most budgets. Additional images are available after the break.
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