LIT Motors Taking Deposits For Self-Balancing, Enclosed C-1 Motorcycle

Lit Motors founder Danny Kim is a lifelong builder. His childhood Lego creations gave way to intricate musical instruments and rock-solid mountain bikes by high school. Danny studied biology and physics at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, but left after a couple years, uninspired by the traditional career path. He trained as a Land Rover mechanic, earning ASE certification to rebuild automatic transmissions. Danny enrolled in the Rhode Island School of Design, earning a degree in Industrial Design and Sustainable Transportation. He spent all his studio classes directing small teams of engineers from Olin, Brown, and MIT to create initial C-1 prototypes. After graduation, Danny considered further studies, but decided it best to start working on the C-1 in earnest. He moved to San Francisco, California, and founded Lit Motors in February 2010.

One of the first people Danny met in San Francisco was legendary venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson, who provided key advice: don’t develop a product without first determining a market. With that in mind, Danny and the team applied Lean Startup methodologies to get real market feedback on a Minimum Viable Product C-1. Once he determined a market, Danny felt comfortable investing more time and effort into de-risking the technical aspects of the vehicle. Over six months, his team built a variety of prototypes, culminating in our full-scale driving prototype. Click here to watch the prototype in action.

The company is taking orders for delivery later this year.