Types of motorcycles


In the market, there is a wide variety of types of motorcycles, each with unique characteristics and features. Models vary according to the specific needs of each user, such as standard, cruiser, touring, sports, off-road, dual-purpose, scooters, etc. Often, some hybrid types like sport touring are considered as an additional category.
There is no universal system for classifying all types of motorcycles. However, some authors argue that there are generally six categories recognized by most motorcycle manufacturers and organizations, making clear distinctions between these six main types and other motorcycles. For example, scooters, mopeds, underbones, minibikes, pocket bikes, electric bikes such as surrons or talarias or even skark vargs, and three-wheeled motorcycles are often excluded from the main categories within these classifications, but other classification schemes may also include these types of motorcycles.
Nevertheless, there are strict classification systems enforced by competitive motorcycle sport sanctioning bodies, or legal definitions of a motorcycle established by certain legal jurisdictions for motorcycle registration, emissions, road traffic safety rules or motorcyclist licensing. There are also informal classifications or nicknames used by manufacturers, riders, and the motorcycling media. Some experts do not recognize sub-types, like naked bike, that "purport to be classified" outside the usual classes, because they fit within one of the main types and are recognizable only by cosmetic changes.
Street motorcycles are motorcycles designed for being ridden on paved roads. They have smooth tires with tread patterns and engines generally in the and over range. Typically, street motorcycles are capable of speeds up to, and many of speeds in excess of. Street motorcycles powered by electric motors are becoming more common, with firms like Harley-Davidson entering the market.

Standard

Standard motorcycles are street motorcycles that conform to a stereotypical image of a motorcycle, with an exposed engine and fuel tank above it. Standard bikes typically have neither fairings nor windscreens as OEM attachments. With handlebars that are set neither high nor low, and footpegs neither placed forward nor "rear-set", standards give an upright rider posture. A standard's relationship between footpegs, handlebars and seat gives the rider a comfortable and natural posture. The comfort, ease of control, and safety of standard bikes means that beginner motorcyclists inevitably learn to ride on them, and many experienced riders choose to continue riding this motorcycle type.

Cruiser

Cruiser motorcycles are styled after American motorcycles from the 1930s to the early 1960s, such as those made by Harley-Davidson, Indian, and Excelsior-Henderson. Harley-Davidsons largely define the cruiser category, and large-displacement V-twin engines are the norm, although other engine configurations and small to medium displacements also exist. Their engines are tuned for low-end torque, making them less demanding to ride because it is not necessary to shift as frequently to accelerate or maintain control.
The riding position places the feet forward and the hands are up relatively high, so that the spine is erect or leaning back slightly. At low to moderate speeds, cruisers are more comfortable than other styles, but riding for long periods at freeway speeds can lead to fatigue from pulling back on the handlebars to resist the force of the wind against the rider's chest. Cruisers have limited cornering ability due to a lack of ground clearance.
File:PeterFondaCaptainAmerica-side.jpg|thumb|Actor Peter Fonda aboard an Easy Rider chopper
Choppers are a type of cruiser, so called because they are a "chopped", or cut-down, version of a production cruiser. Choppers are usually custom projects that result in a bike modified to suit the owner's ideals, and, as such, are a source of pride and accomplishment. Stereotypically, a chopper may have raked-out forks, small fuel tanks and high handlebars. Choppers were popularised in the Peter Fonda film Easy Rider. Being designed primarily for visual effect, choppers will rarely be suitable for lengthy cruising.
Related to the chopper motorcycle is the bobber, a solo bike which is created by "bobbing" a factory bike by removing superfluous weight and bodywork from a motorcycle to reduce mass and increase performance. A common element of these motorcycles is a shortened rear fender that creates a "bobbed" look.
Power cruiser is a name used to distinguish bikes in the cruiser class that have significantly greater levels of power. They typically have with upgraded brakes and suspensions, better ground clearance, and premium surface finishes, as well as more exotic or non-traditional styling.

Touring

Although any motorcycle can be equipped and used for touring, touring motorcycles are specifically designed to excel at covering long distances. They have large-displacement engines, fairings and screens that offer good weather and wind protection, large-capacity fuel tanks for long ranges between fill-ups, and a relaxed, upright seating position. Passenger accommodation is excellent and expansive luggage space is the norm for this class. Such bikes can have wet weights of and top fully loaded with a rider, passenger and gear.
Bagger, full dresser, full dress tourer, or dresser are various names for touring motorcycles, sometimes used disparagingly or jocularly, and originally referring to a Harley-Davidson or other cruisers with full sets of saddlebags. This can now refer to any touring motorcycle.

Sport

Sport bikes are road bikes that emphasize top speed, acceleration, braking, handling and grip, typically at the expense of comfort and fuel economy in comparison to other motorcycle types. Sport bikes have comparatively high performance engines supported within a lightweight frame. Inline-four engines dominate the sport bike category, with V-twins and parallel twins having a significant presence; and most other engine configurations appear in small numbers at times. High-performance braking systems may use upgraded brake pads, multi-piston calipers and larger vented rotors. Sports bike suspension systems may be more sophisticated, with greater adjustments for compression and rebound. Sport bikes have fairings to completely enclose the engine, along with windscreens that effectively deflect the air at high speeds away from the rider, thereby minimising overall drag.
Sport bikes may have footpegs that are both higher and set further back than on a standard bike, improving ground clearance when cornering and enabling a more prone position for the rider. There may be a long reach to the hand controls, which positions the body and center of gravity forward, above the fuel tank. The rider leans forward into the wind, the force of which may support the rider's weight at high speeds. However, at lower speeds a rider may experience excessive weight on the arms and wrists, causing fatigue.
is a nickname for a motorcycle type, derived from a sport bike design, that puts a disproportionately high priority on engine power.
Streetfighters are derived from sport bikes, originally being customized sport bikes with the fairings removed and higher handlebars replacing the low clip-on handlebars. Since the 1990s, factory streetfighters have been produced. As with naked bike and muscle bike, the name streetfighter is used to help clarify the middle ground occupied by designs that blend elements of both sport bikes and standards.

Off-road

Off-road motorcycles, also known as adventure bikes, dirt bikes or scramblers, are specially designed for off-road use. The term off-road refers to driving surfaces that are not conventionally paved. These are rough surfaces, often created naturally, such as sand, gravel, a river, mud or snow. These types of terrain can sometimes only be travelled on with vehicles designed for off-road driving or vehicles are designed to better handle off-road conditions. Compared to road-going motorcycles, off-road machines are lighter and more flexible, typically have long travel suspension, high ground clearance, and are geared higher to provide more torque in off-road situations. Wheels have knobby tires, often clamped to the rim with a rim lock.
Many competitive events have emerged and developed into a variety of off-road motorcycle sports, for which a number of specialized motorcycles have been built:
  • Motocross - Such bikes are raced on short, closed off-road tracks with a variety of obstacles. The motorcycles have a small fuel tank for lightness and compactness. Long-travel suspension allows riders to take jumps at high speed. Motocross engines are single-cylinder two-stroke or four-stroke units, which vary in size from 50cc up to about 500cc. At the professional level, bikes are split up into two levels based on their displacements: MX and MX Lite. The MX Lite class contains 125cc two-stroke engines and 250cc four-stroke engines, while the MX class pits 250cc two-stroke engines against 450cc four-stroke engines. The actual displacement for both four-strokes and two-strokes can be under what is listed for the different bikes. The differences in power, displacement, torque, and weight are all variables that balance the competition between two-stroke and four-stroke engines. Motocross sidecar outfits have bigger engines, usually four-stroke and often twin-cylinder. Motocross bikes are also used in freestyle motocross.
  • Trials - A specialized form of off-road competition testing balancing skills and precision rather than speed. For a trials bike, low weight and crisp throttle response power are prioritized, so trials bikes tend to have a small engine, with two-strokes being common. During the trial, the rider stands on the foot-pegs, so a trials bike will have only a vestigial seat, or no seat at all. Fuel tanks are very small, giving a very limited range. Trials bikes are designed to tackle obstacles which would be impossible for other kinds of motorcycle.
  • Enduro - A modified and road-legal motocross bike which is something between a Trial motorcycle and Motocross, having the addition of a horn, lights, effective silencing and a number plate. Enduro riders compete over a longer course ; and an enduro event may last between one day and six days. Some enduro events are held on rather shorter circuits, not unlike scramble tracks. "Multi-lappers" are especially popular with novice riders.
  • * Hard Enduro–Enduro bike with more focus on durability, lighter weight, agility and low-end torque.
  • Rally raid, or "rallies"—A special type of enduro bike with a significantly larger fuel tank for very long distance racing, typically through deserts. Engine capacities tend to be larger, usually between 450 cc and 750 cc.
  • Hill Climb–Longer wheelbase to prevent backflip, paddle or spiked tyres. Unlike the small screws/studs found on snow tyres, each spike is 4cm long and 1cm thick, bolted on with two washers on interior and exterior of tyre. 1, 2 or 3 in a row, spaced equidistantly around the circumference of a tyre.
  • Dual-Sport—A dual-sport bike is a multi-purpose bike, made for on-road and recreational off-road riding. A dual-sport bike may resemble an enduro bike, but since a dual-sport bike is not intended to be used for competition, it may be less rugged, and equipped with dual-purpose tires and with more road legal equipment, such as indicators, mirrors and extra instruments. Most dual-sport bikes require a number plate to be ridden on state and county roads.
  • Track racing—High-speed oval racing, typically with no brakes, nor rear suspension. The engines, fueled by methanol, are long-stroke four-stroke singles, such as JAP and Jawa. They have at most two gears. Some types, such as speedway, and grass-track bikes, are designed to take left turns only.
  • Snow bikes—A snow bike takes a typical dirt-bike and replaces the rear wheel with a single tread system similar to a snowmobile and the front wheel with a large ski. They are much smaller and more nimble than a snowmobile, and they have a tighter turning radius, which lets the rider go where many snowmobiles cannot. The first prototype of motorcycles with a rear tread date all the way back to the 1920s, with failed attempts to bring them onto the market until recent times. Many motorcycles made after the 1990s or later can be fitted with a kit that transforms them into a snow bike.