Dab Motors has announced a new finish for its Dab 1a electric motorcycle that’s inspired by Nintendo’s atomic purple Game Boy Color. Customers who preorder the bike, which starts at €14,900 (over $16,500 USD), can opt for a transparent purple body that will look familiar to those who remember playing the handheld.
Created by Dab Motors’ “bespoke service branch,” the atomic purple version of the Dab 1a also includes custom handlebars with controls made to look like the Game Boy Color’s D-pad and action buttons. Between them, the bike’s screen features an overlay with a red status light on one side mimicking the Game Boy display many of us spent too much of our childhood staring at.
The Dab 1a’s GBC makeover includes a cartridge start key.Image: Dab Motors
The best upgrade might be a slot on top of the bike for a vintage Game Boy Color game cartridge that’s been upgraded to function as the 1a’s start key. Is it practical to carry around an old Nintendo cartridge every time you go for a ride? Absolutely not. Is it enough to make me consider ditching the minivan for an electric bike? I’m sorely tempted.
Even the Dab Motors logo on the Dab 1a has been given a Nintendo makeover.Image: Dab Motors
The atomic purple Dab 1a will even have secret “cheat codes” that unlock features like “speed boosts,” themes for its display, and 8-bit sound effects. To find those cheat codes, the bike will include a copy of a fictional gaming magazine with the codes hidden throughout.
Dab Motors was founded in 2018 by Simon Dabadie and is based out of Bayonne, France. In 2021, it shared details of an electric motorcycle called the Concept-E. That turned into the production-ready Dab 1a, which debuted last April, after Peugeot Motorcycles acquired the company in 2023. Powered by an 11kW electric motor, the Dab 1a is said to have a top speed of just over 80mph and a range of 93 miles with its 7.1kWh lithium-ion battery pack that takes around three-and-a-half hours.
Only 400 units of the Dab 1a will be manufactured, and those who preorder one can pick and choose which of the Game Boy Color-inspired upgrades they actually want if they choose that finish.
Original author: Andrew Liszewski