I was trawling through the threads on Yay Hooray the other night and found the image above posted in between animated gifs of kids being hurt and photoshop jobs of fathers and sons with their faces swapped. I was blown away by the look of the bike about as much as I was by the fact that I didn’t have a clue what it was or where it came from.

Turns out it’s by an Estonian company called Renard that has a history dating back to before the Second World War. Their factory was destroyed in 1944 by Soviet bombers and the brand has lain dormant ever since. In 2008 it was revived, and what you see here is their first production model – the Grand Tourer. The first sales are planned for next year.

The specs on the bike are as sweet as they are simple – it’s essentially a carbon fiber and kevlar monocoque chassis supporting a v-twin Moto Guzzi engine which is all held off of Mother Earth by Ohlins best. Sprinkle it with the best accessories money can buy and you’ve got a 190 kg, 230 km/h, 125 hp beautiful black beastie. I mean just look at the thing. And yes, it obviously takes a little inspiration from a certain Alabamian motorbike maker; but if you ask me they have beaten those good ol’ boys at their own game…

Find out more on Renard’s website.