3D PRINTING IS without a doubt one of the innovations that will change our lives in the future. Everything from food to firearms has been created using the technology and it’s only a matter of time before it becomes a familiar source of motorcycle components.

US firm Divergent 3D is already working on a supercar using the technology and has now shown a Kawasaki Ninja H2-powered supercharged bike that illustrates the potential of the idea.

Apart from the Kawasaki engine, all the major parts of the bike, dubbed the Dagger, have been 3D-printed. The frame, swingarm and tank are all created using the tech, which is more accurately described as ‘additive manufacturing’. Carbon fibre and metal parts are built up using the 3D printers, a system that creates far less waste than traditional techniques of casting or machining components.

The frame, in particular, also illustrates the flexibility of 3D printing to create unusually- shaped, intricate parts. Recently revealed in Los Angeles, the Dagger still doesn’t appear to be finished – partly to allow the firm to show off the technology. It’s not clear whether it intends to complete the project and add lights and other road- going components.

How long before we see this technlogy in a MotoGP garage?