BLAST FROM THE PAST

Combining retro design and sustainable technology with a legendary racing heritage, these exclusive, hand-made e-mopeds are designed and built just down the road from Heesen

TEXT BY HAN THOMA

The resurrection of this famous Dutch automotive company reads like an adventure story. Alain van Dijk, Rik Smits and brothers Jasper and Stijn Smit are childhood friends from Vught, just 30 minutes from Oss. Alain, an industrial designer with a passion for cars and motorcycles, was inspired by the history and heritage of Eysink (originally spelt with a k), the first Dutch car manufacturer. Founded in 1886, the company made everything completely in-house, and later also found fame for its racing successes on two wheels.

A memorable win in the prestigious ‘Six Days Trial’ in the Italian Alps in 1931 inspired the construction of the legendary Eysink Alpenjager (Alpine Hunter) motorcycle, known for its speed and durability. The Eysink Jubilee was ridden to victory by many a Dutch motorcycle racer in the 1930s.

100 Sold In One Weekend

The four friends decided to bring back the design of the Eysink motorcycles, but with a contemporary, more sustainable twist: as an all-electric, hand-built retro moped. It started as a hobby project, to build something cool to ride around town. But the first prototype exceeded their expectations. Recalls Jasper Smit: “We thought, what a shame to keep this beautifully crafted machine all to ourselves. So we decided to gauge interest by showing our moped at a large luxury fair in Amsterdam. The response completely blew us away: after the weekend we left the show with 100 signed contracts!”

Zero cancellations

The young entrepreneurs had a short but serious conversation about their future plans and decided to go all-in. “This meant completing a long but crucial certification process, and setting up extensive production facilities,” says Jasper. “It took us two years to turn the prototype into a high-quality production model. But our presale clients were patient and we received zero cancellations.”

The first Eysing, appropriately named Pioneer, is something else. Around 85% per cent of all components are designed in-house, even the tyres. Most parts are hand-made, like the carefully crafted fuel tank, and the handlaced spoke wheels. In contrast to its looks, the propulsion is very ‘now’, with a 2.0kW electric motor providing a top speed of 45km/h.

Heesen-branded Eysing www.eysing.com

Coming from the same region, and sharing the same design, engineering and craftsmanship philosophy, it didn’t take long before Heesen and Eysing ran into each other and started talking about a partnership. This resulted in two very special Heesen mopeds, shown to the world at the Monaco Yacht Show.

Like the shipyard, Eysing offers its clientèle extensive customisation possibilities, as shown in the Heesen branded colour scheme and design details. Heesen owners can add to their stable of on-board toys with a personalised Eysing e-moped, for stylish and sustainable shoreside expeditions – or perhaps decorate their yacht interior with one, as a shining example of Dutch retro design.