Winglets, or: When Motorcycles Learn to Fly

Yeah, I know. Winglets – those odd, ugly wing-like parts on the sides of more and more motorcycles – have nothing to do with flying; quite the opposite, in fact. But allow me the pun anyway, because I can’t help but wonder: Is there nothing left flowing through the veins of motorcycle designers these days but some wing-giving energy drink?

Before you read, please note: this post was translated with the help of Deepl.
If you find any errors – please have fun first and then give me a hint.

Summer 2025. I’m at the Tamburini gathering at the foot of Monte Grappa. In honor of Massimo Tamburini, the creator of the Ducati 916, Tifosi from all over Italy are gathering to celebrate themselves, the 916, and its derivatives. It goes without saying that there must be separate parking areas on the festival grounds for “real” and “fake” Ducatis. That the latest ground-hugging rockets from Borgo Panigale are on display anyway – understandable. But that they have to be tucked away in hidden corners and that 91.6% of the visitors describe their fairings as “schifosi” – that is, disgusting in English – who would have thought THAT?

Winglets –
 Next Level Aero

In the fall, I walk through the EICMA exhibition halls and see: wings. Everywhere, side extensions in all shapes and sizes. The sight is certainly no longer unusual on European high-performance monsters – rumor has it that BMW’s M1000RR is now even being used for snow removal. But meter-wide fenders on 250cc bikes are really a bit unsettling.

Winglets –
 The Trend of Horror

I bet this trendy craze hasn’t peaked yet. There are already “lightweight parts that give your motorcycle a high-end racing look”. I’m curious to see when the first nutcase will nail two of them to his helmet. Three drops of glue, four cable ties thrown on, and boom! – the racer is ready to go.

Back to Massimo Tamburini: The initial letters of his last name are found in “Bimota.” Bi-Mo-Ta – a declaration of love. Motorcycle enthusiasts would fall to their knees before the machines from this prestigious manufacturer, lose themselves in the exquisite details, marvel at the meticulous craftsmanship, and fall in love with the unrivaled beauty of its design language. You can say goodbye to all that now, because the KB998 is here. Whatever the designers were smoking while they were working on this – I’d rather not get anywhere near it.

Winglets are marketed to us as providing added stability at +300 km/h. That’s obviously incredibly important for the 250s mentioned earlier. And finally, you can tear through Alpine passes on your 1,000cc bike in sixth gear, in the red zone, without having to worry about wheelies. It’s a bit of a shame, because I really love riding on the rear wheel; on a motorcycle with winglets, I might feel a little patronized.

But I don’t have a Winglet bike yet. And I’m afraid of going over 300 km/h.

Déjà vu
 with the glorious ’90s

The current wing craze began in MotoGP. A Formula 1 aerodynamics engineer probably wandered into the paddock and, in a feverish delirium, kept shouting “Wings, baby – wings!” and “Downforce, baby – downforce!” until someone finally paid attention to him.

But all of this isn’t really that new. Even back in the ’90s, there were funny-looking plastic parts on motorcycles – just designed a bit more subtly. I’m thinking of the rear spoiler on the 1993 Kawasaki ZXR 750. Intended as a handhold for the passenger, it bore a resemblance to those Japanese “Fast and Furious”-style bar-counter bombs and had a Toyota Supra vibe. Now, decades later, MotoGP is celebrating a veritable orchestra of rear wings – and all without any handhold function.

As practical as those winglets might be when leaning against walls, I don’t like them. I’m a fan of old-school motorcycle design. In my youth, I idolized Kevin Schwantz and Wayne Rainey and their 500s decked out in Lucky Strike and Marlboro livery. Then a certain Valentino Rossi came along and turned MotoGP upside down with his style. I already thought his Hondas and Yamahas were fantastic, but the divinely beautiful 2011 Ducati completely blew me away – I still have a model of it on my desk, completely without wings or spoilers, of course. And now I’m imagining Pecco’s 2026 bike right next to it. That’s not going to end well.

Vision
 Wings

If this keeps up, in ten years motorcycles will have wings, rudders, and retractable landing flaps just in case of an emergency on the Stelvio hairpin bends. There might be some space issues at motorcycle meetups, but wind turbines could be repurposed for the winglets. And the electric motorcycles I love so much will finally stop being criticized for their range – because winglets can accommodate plenty of battery cells.

Only Honda’s Gold Wing – plated in gold – will become unaffordable. So you’d better start saving now.

Perfectly matching: