Types of motorcycles

standard motorcycle naked bike standard motorcycle Standard motorcycles (also called naked bikes, or roadsters) 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 (hence the modern usage naked bikes). With handlebars that are set neither high nor low, and footpegs neither placed forward nor "rear-set", standards give an upright rider posture (in-between the semi-recumbent cruiser and the forward crouch of a sport bike). 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 ==

cruisers Cruiser motorcycles (or simply cruisers) are styled after American motorcycles from the 1930s to the early 1960s, such as those made by Harley-Davidson, Indian, and Excelsior-Henderson. The riding position places the feet forward and the hands are up relatively high, so that the spine is erect or leaning back slightly. Cruisers have limited cornering ability due to a lack of ground clearance. == Touring ==

GL1800 touring motorcycle Although any motorcycle can be equipped and used for touring, touring motorcycles are specifically designed to excel at covering long distances. == Sport ==

sport bike 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. 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.{{Citation == Off-road ==

dirt bike with a paddle tire 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 (such as SUVs, ATVs, snowmobiles and mountain bikes in recent decades, and minibikes even earlier) 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 (usually 21" front, 18" rear) 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 (125 cc to 300 cc) 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 (which may include roads); and an enduro event may last between one day and six days (such as the International Six Days Enduro). Some enduro events (known as "multi-lappers") 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 (e.g. Paris-Dakar rally). 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. == Dual-purpose ==

dual-sport motorcycle Dual-purpose motorcycles, sometimes called dual-sport, on/off-road motorcycles, or adventure motorcycles, are street legal machines that are also designed to enter off-road situations. Their size, weight and sometimes their tires may limit their off-road capability. Most adventure motorcycles function well on graded dirt and gravel roads but are less than ideal on more difficult off-pavement terrain. Supermoto motorcycles were designed to compete on a single course that alternated between three genres of motorcycle racing: road racing, track racing, and motocross. This increasingly popular type of motorcycle is often a dual-sport that has been fitted by the manufacturer with smaller rims and road tires. Supermotos are quickly gaining popularity as street bikes due to their combination of light weight, durability, relatively low cost, and sporty handling. == Sport touring ==

sport-touring motorcycle Sport touring motorcycles combine attributes of sport bikes and touring motorcycles. The rider posture is less extreme than a sport bike, giving greater long-distance comfort. Accommodation for a passenger is superior to a sport bike as well, along with increased luggage capacity. Being lighter, at wet, than a pure touring bike and often having racier engines, suspensions, and brakes, sport tourers corner better and are more at home being aggressively ridden on curvy canyon roads. The distinction between touring and sport touring is not always clear as some manufacturers will list the same bike in either category in different markets. The Honda ST1300 Pan-European, for example, was listed by Honda as a sport touring motorcycle in the United States and Australia, but as a touring motorcycle in Europe. ==Scooters==

Scooters are a type of motorcycle Maxi-scooter: Maxi-scooters are equipped with high-displacement engines, ranging from 200cc to 250cc (12.2–15.3 cu in), designed for covering long distances at high speeds. Although they are heavier and less agile than standard scooters, they are commonly used in cities and suburbs due to their larger fuel tank capacity and larger wheels, which can reach 15 or even 16 inches (38.1−40.7 cm). Mega-scooter: also known as touring scooters, like maxi-scooters, mega-scooters feature a higher-displacement engine, ranging from 400cc to 850cc (24.5−51.9 cu in), and superior performance, designed for covering long distances at high speeds. However, their considerably greater weight and lower agility make them less suitable for use in the city than on highways. A scooter is considered to fall into the mega-scooter category when its displacement exceeds 400cc. File:Lambretta scooter racing at 3 sisters.jpg|Road racing a Lambretta standard scooter File:Wuling Visitor Center and Honda NSS300 20200711.jpg|Maxi-scooter Honda NSS250 File:Yamaha TMAX 2011 Tokyo Motor Show.jpg|Mega-scooter Yamaha TMAX == Underbones and mopeds==

underbone Underbones are small-displacement motorcycles with a step-through frame, descendants of the original Honda Super Cub. They are differentiated from scooters by their larger wheels and their use of footpegs instead of a floorboard. They often have a gear shifter with an automatic clutch. The moped used to be a hybrid of the bicycle and the motorcycle, equipped with a small engine (usually a small two-stroke engine up to 50 cc, but occasionally an electric motor) and a bicycle drivetrain, and motive power can be supplied by the engine, the rider, or both. There are also Sport mopeds – a type of moped that resembles a sport bike. In many places, mopeds are subject to less stringent licensing than bikes with larger engines and are popular as very cheap motorbikes, with the pedals seeing next to no use. Mopeds were very popular in the United States during the fuel-crisis of the late 1970s and early 1980s, but their popularity has fallen off sharply since the mid-1980s. In response to rising fuel prices in the first decade of the 2000s, U.S. scooter and moped ridership saw a resurgence. Other types of small motorcycles include the minibike, monkey bike, Welbike, pocketbike, and pit bike. ==Enclosed and feet forwards==

, winner of the Zero Emissions Race competition, is an electric feet forwards cabin motorcycle Enclosed motorcycles include cabin motorcycles and streamliner motorcycles. Feet forwards motorcycles include the 1911 Wilkinson TMC and the 1918 Ner-A-Car. Contemporary examples include the Quasar, powered by a Reliant Robin engine, and the Peraves range powered mainly by BMW K Series engines. ==Utility==

s are job-related motorcycles Some motorcycles are specially adapted for specific job functions, such as those used by the ambulance, blood bikes, fire, and military services, and for specialized delivery services, such as pizza deliveries. Beginning in the 1960s with the Mountain Goat specialized motorcycles were developed for use on farms. Some people considerably prefer it for long road trips and biking expeditions. The Motocrotte (or cainette) was used in Paris to collect dog waste with vacuum suction in the 1980s and 1990s, and was still in use in other French cities as of 2016. A derny is a motorized bicycle used for motor-paced cycling events. ==Tricycles==

While motorcycles typically have two wheels, some motorized tricycles are classed as three-wheeled motorcycles. Some brands have made various types of three-wheelers direct from the factory. Most of these vehicles are treated as motorcycles for registration or licensing purposes. Tilting three-wheelers keep all three wheels on the ground when they lean to negotiate curves. These include Honda's Gyro range, all of which have a front wheel that leans and a pair of rear wheels that do not, and the Piaggio MP3, which has two front wheels and a single rear wheel, all of which lean. The Yamaha Niken is also a tilting three wheeler but has smaller track width such that it is considered a motorcycle by some authorities. ==See also==