Back when motorcycles first started, they were designed to be used on several different platforms. With little adjustments to the suspension or engine you could turn your regular street cruiser to an off-road bike. This was back in the olden days. Nowadays they build bikes for ever single purpose you may have. Here we will give you a brief description of each of the different types of motorcycles to give you a better understanding of what bike is best for you.
Cruisers
These bikes are more commonly referred to as “American Bikes” due to the different style these motorcycles have. Their style came from people getting bored by the looks of their regular Harley’s. They began creating choppers or custom bikes. They would make these machines look the way they do by taking out all the extra accessories that did not help the bike be lighter or go faster. All you ended up with was two wheels, a seat, frame, and a gas tank. These bikes began to symbolize the outlaw biker phenomenon. But by taking all of the extra accessories, this made some of the bikes very difficult or even impossible to maneuver.
These bikes continued to be custom works of arts until the early 1970’s when manufacturers started producing factory choppers of their own. These bikes were not as popular with the public as a custom chopper since anyone could just go out and buy them. They rode allot better than homemade choppers but did not look the same. Not until Willie G Davidson introduced the Low Rider in 1977 did the public start to love factory produced choppers. This and the Wide Glide of 1980 can still be found in parts on choppers and cruisers of today.
Power Cruisers
While the public was loving their cruisers and choppers, many felt that they were lacking something. The public was also in love with the new sportbikes coming out but they did not want to switch out their cruiser for a sportbike. Manufacturers then came out with their Power Cruisers. They handles like great cruisers should but had bigger engines in them. They gave cruiser lovers the power they were looking for. Now several Japanese companies make Power Cruisers. They are more popular than ever before.
Sport Bikes
If the laid back, easy riding cruisers are not your style, then a super fast sport bike maybe what your looking for. Sports bikes were designed for one thing, to go fast! When sports bikes first started off, they were not able to beat a fairly tuned Harley in a straight line but once the road got a little windy, it was a different story. These bikes were able to be driven at their limits day in and day out with no worry about breaking down. As sport bikes progressed they became faster and more agile. Now they can both out-run and out-maneuver any other type of bike on the road. They are best suited for riders who like speed and are not afraid to push their bikes to their limits.
Off-Road Motorcycles
Off-Road bikes are in a league all their own. For one, most of them are illegal to ride on public highways. In order to enjoy your off-road bike you have to transport it via pick-up or trailer to your nearest off-road location. Pure dirt bikes as they are sometimes referred to do not meet the qualifications to make them street legal. They are really loud, do not meet the emission standards, lack turn signals and horns as most street bikes have. Most of them carry two-stroke engines which means you have to pre-mix your gas with oil before going out to ride. Makes it very inconvenient if you don’t have a bucket to mix your fuel. These machines also have very abrupt horsepower surges. These bikes are not recommended for inexperienced riders due to how different they ride from any other bike.
I hope that this brief description of each bike gave you a better understanding of what each style of bike is all about. Now bikes are really affordable so go out and find the bike that suits your lifestyle.
Ride Safe
-Team Motorhelmets