Gerald Kiska, Motorcycle Designer
Gerald Kiska, Motorcycle Designer
Anonim

Gerald kiska He is one of those dark characters that we all hear about but rarely really know, motorcycle designers. We have all heard of Terblanche, or of Galluzzi, both successful designers for Ducati and some other brands, but hardly anyone can put a face on. The guys from Motoblog.it have interviewed Mr Kiska in Milan taking advantage of his attendance at the EICMA International Show in Milan. And Mr Kiska has told you some interesting things.

Asked about the sharp designs he uses for KTM, he comments that this is a style chosen intentionally by KTM itself, to express the soul and heart of the brand. Kiska finds the sharp edges of the KTM perfect and comments that they will continue to use this line. As an affirmation of this, you just have to follow the steps followed by the other brands that increasingly sharpen the lines of the models that they put on the market.

On the group work system Mr Kiska comments that he is only one of the 15 members of the KTM design team. He is also a fan of traditional work systems, which means that he likes working with clay models more than CAD programs and the like. An entire declaration of principles.

Claudio Castiglioni (Founder of Aprilia) was the first to hire designers outside the factory, specifically Galluzzi and Terblanche. A path that others did not take long to follow with different levels of success. But it opened the market to the hiring of designer cabinets

In addition, taking maximum care of the selection of the personnel who work with him, he has achieved success with his designs and associates it with the fact that in the world of design you have to be like in F1, the best in everything, because usually it is not enough to have the best car, if not you also have to have a very good team.

At the moment KTM is the main client of Mr Kiska's cabinet, and for them designs motorcycles, clothing, advertising campaigns and more, a complete service for a complete client. The KTM Super Duke was the first bike to be recognized and appreciated as a project of Gerald Kiska and his team.

Ducati 916
Ducati 916

Despite everything, the Ducati 916 It is his favorite bike, because he considers it a masterpiece, and he also cites the Benelli TNT as very close to the Ducati.

Regarding the Borgo Panigale brand, it is noted that after Terblanche's entry into Ducati, it presented a series of "consistent" motorcycles on the timeline. We can see that the Ducati Monster by Galluzzi, the 916 by Tamburini and the Supermoto by Terblanche They do not clash with each other and maintain a very consistent style line between them. In industrial design, the rule reigns that the company is the boss, and you have to try to stick to the brand's trajectory as much as possible.

The future of the market is more or less marked, but despite considering several options, for example, they are not sure that a 160 hp super sports car is the right motorcycle to build, since they consider that in the future the market will be divided into two large segments; one in which the prevailing will be the utility motorcycles that can be used for small tours of the suburbs; another one for sports bikes for people who want to ride on the circuit. But in any case, brands need to foresee what will be the best option for their customers.

Gerald kiska
Gerald kiska

To design The KTM RC8 were inspired by the shapes of the Stealth fighter, which is the most technologically advanced aircraft of the moment. They started with the center lines first, minimizing the top and painting the tail black to make it disappear. Taking advantage of the fact that KTM is a groundbreaking brand, they can do risky exercises that do not need to please everyone.

Finally, Mr Kiska thinks that contrary to the Japanese culture, the Chinese is not interested in achieving improvements in the product, if not in obtaining benefits at all costs, and this affects brands and designs, which are usually copies without more than the original.

Interesting opinions of this character with a very defined vision of what the two-wheeler market will be in the future.

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