DAB 1α electric motorcycle goes atomic purple, reviving nintendo’s retro game boy color

Nintendo’s atomic purple as DAB 1α electric motorcycle’s color

DAB Motors and its custom studio like retro so much that their recent bodywork for the DAB 1α electric motorcycle is translucent purple. It’s reminiscent of late-night retro gaming and vibes, the world of synth, and neon lights in the dark. It’s not the first retro rodeo for DAB Custom Studio, as they’ve already placed retro-inspired buttons in their other tailored models. But this might be the first time they’ve gone purple for their electric motorcycle, drawing inspiration from the Atomic Purple Game Boy Color by Nintendo, which celebrates its 125th anniversary this week.

all images courtesy of DAB Motors

console buttons on the handlebars like the retro controllers

Looking at the body of the DAB 1α, translucent purple plastic wraps around the electric motorcycle, peering through its inner mechanics. Even its controls, visual elements, and color palette stay faithful to the retro-gaming aesthetics. To top it all off, the start key is made of a custom vintage game cartridge, a distinctive feature that the motorcycle team gifts to retro-console and gaming fans. It doesn’t stop there because the design team adds the classic A & B buttons of the console controllers onto the handlebars, as well as a cross-shaped D-pad, just like the ones on arcade games and handheld consoles in the past.

DAB 1α draws inspiration from the Atomic Purple Game Boy Color by Nintendo

Retro DAB 1α electric motorcycle with hidden ‘cheat codes’

Gaming, in general, wouldn’t be complete without some attempts to activate cheat codes. Around the DAB 1α, these are hidden and integrated into the electric motorcycle’s software. Only the owners can unlock these features, which give them the option to boost the speed of their ride, change the look of the display, and even play 8-bit sound effects as if they were in retro games. But DAB Custom Studio wants the owners to play their own treasure hunt. They’ve hidden a classic-style cheat code magazine somewhere in the ride in hopes of bringing back the gaming publications that dominated the 1990s.

the electric motorcycle’s Atomic Purple color coincides with Nintendo celebrating its 135th anniversary

DAB Motors is only going to produce 400 units of the DAB 1α, and only for their first 400 selected members. When a rider lucks out and gets onto the list, they can customize their electric motorcycle to have the Purple Clear Romance translucent bodywork. The specs, on the other hand, might remain the same for all the units, although leeway to change or tweak them is given. For this model, the seat is made of Alcantara, while the front fender and motor side protectors are made from repurposed Airbus carbon fiber.

There’s an integrated LCD 2.8-inch dashboard, and the rear end has a translucent monobloc LED tail light and an aluminum number plate holder with LED mini-blinkers. The electric motorcycle’s range and top speed are up to 150 km and 130 km/h, respectively, and within around three hours, the ride can be fully charged. As of publishing this story, the price of DAB 1α’s Atomic Purple variant is 14,900 EUR.

the handlebars feature buttons from the retro controllers too