Outline of motorcycles and motorcycling explained
The following outline is provided as an overview of motorcycles and motorcycling:
Motorcycle — two-wheeled,[1] single-track motor vehicle.[2] [3] Other names include: motorbike, bike, and cycle.
Motorcycling — act of riding a motorcycle, around which a variety of subcultures and lifestyles have built up.
Motorcycles
Description
- Legal definition of motorcycle – a 'powered two-wheel motor vehicle'. Most countries distinguish between mopeds up to 49cc and the more powerful, larger, vehicles known as motorcycles. Scooters do not count as a separate category, and are deemed to be "motorcycles".
- Some motorcycles have paired front wheels, or paired rear wheels, three in all. Motorized tricycles and sidecar outfits are deemed "motorcycles". Most jurisdictions do not consider three-wheeled cars to be motorcycles; but some (including the UK) grant low tax and driving licence exemptions to such vehicles subject to, say, weight and power limits.[4]
- Motorcycles can be described as all of the following:
Types
Types of motorcyclesThe design of a motorcycle reflects the purpose for which it is to be used. The main types of motorcycle include:
- Street motorcycle – designed for riding on paved roads; features smooth tyres with a light tread pattern and at least 125cc engine.
- Cruiser – mimics the style of American machines from the 1930s to the early 1960s, including those made by Harley-Davidson, Indian, Excelsior and Henderson; models evocative of the early cruisers make up 60% of the U.S. market
- Bobber – usually has had the front fender removed, the rear fender 'bobbed' or made smaller, and all superfluous items removed to make it lighter[5]
- Chopper – has a longer frame design accompanied by a stretched front end (or rake). To achieve a longer front end, while the frame is being designed, the fabricator tilts the neck of the frame at less of an incline and installs a longer fork.
- Sport bike – optimised for speed, acceleration, braking, and cornering on paved roads,[6] typically at the expense of comfort and fuel economy in comparison to less specialised motorcycles.
- Café racer – a type of motorcycle that has been modified for speed and good handling rather than comfort. Cafe racers' bodywork and control layout typically mimic the style of Grand Prix roadracers of the 1950s or 1960s with or without fairings. They tend to feature an elongated fuel tank, a small, rearward mounted and humped single seat, and low, race style handlebars mounted on the front forks.
- Streetfighter – a sport bike that is customised by removing the fairing, with other changes that result in an overall more aggressive look
- Touring motorcycle – designed for long-distance touring and heavy commuting; although any motorcycle can be ridden to tour or commute, manufacturers provide specific models designed to address these particular needs
- Sport touring motorcycle – blends performance with long-distance capabilities while providing comfort and relative safety to the rider, and tend to include accessories, such as a trunk or saddlebags for storage, to enhance the touring experience
- Standard motorcycle – versatile, general purpose street motorcycle, with an upright riding position.
- Universal Japanese Motorcycle – Japanese motorcycle with a transverse air-cooled four-cylinder engine in a conventional tube frame with a dual seat, mostly made in the 1970s and early 1980s
- Custom motorcycle – unique or individually produced in a very limited quantity, as opposed to stock bikes which are mass-produced. Is usually highly stylised or has an unusual frame geometry or engine design. Many styles including café racer, streetfighter, and chopper began as customized motorcycles before manufacturers mass-produced bikes styled after popular custom machines.
- Rat bike – motorcycle maintained at little to no cost, or often of a deliberately exaggerated state of disrepair
- Dual-sport motorcycle – type of street-legal motorcycle designed for both on and off-road use
- Enduro motorcycle – motorcycle made specifically for the Enduro sport, with the long travel and medium-hard suspension of a motocross bike enhanced with motorcycle features such as a headlight and quiet muffler to make the bike street-legal for parts of the track
- Motocross motorcycle – a light weight, high power, off-road competition race bike
- Supermoto motorcycle – a dual purpose, single cylinder, light weight bike fitted with equipment better suited to street riding or racing such as 18 inch front wheel and road tyres
- Off-road motorcycle
- Motocross motorcycle
- Track racing motorcycle – customised for track racing, with no brakes and fueled with methanol
- Trials motorcycle – an extremely lightweight design, that lacks seating (designed to be ridden standing up) and that has suspension travel that is short, relative to a motocross or enduro motorcycle
- Small class
- Minibike – sometimes called a mini-moto or pocket-bike, it is a considerably smaller motorcycle; most traditional minibikes use a two stroke engine to turn the rear wheel via a chain
- Mini chopper – mini choppers are scaled-down versions of choppers, and are usually constructed from 1" steel tubing or 3/4" steel black pipe; the tube or pipe is bent and then welded together to get the desired angles and shapes of the frame, which is usually custom made
- Moped – a type of low-powered motorcycle designed to provide economical and relatively safe transport with minimal licensing requirements
- Pit bike – a small off-road motorcycle originally used for riding around the pits or staging area of a motocross race; since the early 2000s, pit bike racing, a sport similar to motocross, has become popular in the United States, especially in Southern California
- Scooter – a step-through motorcycle with a seat, a floorboard, and small or low wheels. Most modern scooter designs have swingarm-mounted engines
- Underbone – a step-through motorcycle with a structural down-tube and conventionally sized wheels, but without a floorboard
- Electric motorcycle – has an electric motor powered by one or more batteries or fuel cells
- Enclosed motorcycle
- Utility motorcycle
- Other designs and variations
- Related three-wheeled vehicles
Design
Motorcycle design
Major component parts
Motorcycle components
- Motorcycle brakes
- Motorcycle chassis – includes the frame and suspension, along with the front forks, of the vehicle.[7]
- Motorcycle frame – provides the strength and rigidity of the motorcycle; all other parts are attached directly or indirectly to the frame
- Suspension – controls the ride and handling of the motorcycle by controlling the rate and distance of the movement of the wheels relative to the frame
- Motorcycle fork – acts as suspension for the front wheel and allows the motorcycle to be steered
- Motorcycle engine – provides the power to propel the motorcycle
- Motorcycle transmission
- Chain drive – the most common method of transferring power from the engine to the wheels
- Shaft drive – low-maintenance alternative to chain drive, favoured by certain manufacturers, such as BMW Motorrad and Moto Guzzi, and also used on many large touring motorcycles
- Belt drive – low-maintenance alternative to chain drive, favoured by certain manufacturers, such as Harley-Davidson, and on many cruiser motorcycles
- Motorcycle handlebar
- Instrument panel
- Speedometer – indicates the forward speed of the motorcycle
- Odometer – records and indicates the total distance travelled by the motorcycle
- Tachometer – indicates the rotational speed of the crankshaft in the engine, often also shows an indicated safe limit called a redline
- Fuel gauge – indicates the amount of fuel in the tank relative to tank capacity
- Motorcycle saddle
- Motorcycle tyres – have a round cross section to facilitate the leaning necessary when a motorcycle turns
- Motorcycle wheels
- Motorcycle accessories
Models
Manufacturers
History
Motorcycle history
Pioneers
First motorcycle ride – it is generally accepted that the first motorcycle ride was by Gottlieb Daimler's son Paul on a new machine called Einspur ('one track') near Stuttgart in Germany on 10 November 1885.[8] However, several pioneering engineers and inventors preceded Daimler, mostly with steam engines powering their cycles. These include:
Many pioneering engineers and inventors followed Daimler in using internal combustion engines . These include:
Innovators
- Max Friz – German mechanical engineer and contributor of engine design that led to the founding of BMW in 1917
- Harry Ricardo – pioneering motorcycle engine designer influential in the early years of the development of the internal combustion engine
- Edward Turner – motorcycle designer and General Manager of Triumph where he led the development of many important technical ideas found on motorcycles today
- John Britten – New Zealand mechanical engineer who designed a world-record-setting motorcycle with innovative features and materials
- Mike Tomkinson - motorcycle engineer whose Bol d'Or endurance racers incorporated numerous innovative features.
- David Garside - BSA engineer who developed the F&S Wankel into a powerful Norton motorcycle engine.
Industrialists
Museums and exhibitions
There are a number of museums which feature collections of motorcycles, either as part of a larger exhibition of vehicles, or dedicated entirely to motorcycles. Some of those museums are listed below:
Motorcycling
Motorcycling
Safety
Equipment
Accidents
Types
Sport
Motorcycle sport – broad field that encompasses all sporting aspects of motorcycling. The various disciplines are not all races or timed-speed events, as several disciplines test a competitor's various riding skills. Riders have raced motorcycles for over a hundred years, with the first official competition recorded as the Paris–Rouen race in July 1894. This was quickly followed by races all over Europe and the US. In 1907, the Isle of Man TT races took over 66km (41miles) of the island's roads and has continued since.[8] Motorcycle sport now takes many different forms, including:
- Enduro
- Freestyle Motocross
- Land speed record – a single rider accelerates over a 1- to 3-mile (4.8 km) long straight track (usually on dry lake beds) and is timed for top speed through a trap at the end of the run. The rider must exceed the previous top speed record for that class or type of bike for their name to be placed on the record books.
- Motoball (Motorcycle Polo) – similar to football, but all players (except goalkeepers) ride motorcycles, and the ball is much bigger.
- Motorcycle trials
- Motorcycle stunt riding
Racing
Motorcycle racing – motorcycle sport involving racing motorcycles, on or off a track.
Organisations and clubs
See main article: Motorcycle club and List of motorcycle clubs. Although motorcycling can be a solitary form of transport, there are clubs for almost every aspect; including charities, social clubs, criminal or outlaw clubs, lobby groups that guard against restrictive legislation, and specialist clubs for specific makes or types of motorcycle.[8] Examples include:
Organisations
Motorcycle clubs
Motorcycle club – group of individuals whose primary interest and activities involve motorcycles.
Notable motorcyclists
- Sonny Barger – Hells Angel
- Marlon Brando – actor
- Peter Fonda – actor, star of Easy Rider
- Malcolm Forbes – capitalist, leader of the first group of foreigners permitted to tour Soviet Union by motorcycle
- Che Guevara – revolutionary, inspired by witnessing peasants' living conditions during 8,000 km ride across South America
- Harry Hurt – safety researcher and author of the Hurt Report
- T. E. Lawrence – Lawrence of Arabia
- Jay Leno – talk show host, rare motorcycle collector
- Ewan McGregor – actor, marathon international motorcycle trips
- Steve McQueen – actor and motorcycle racer and collector
- Ted Simon – British journalist known for circumnavigating the world by motorcycle and for documenting his journey in the book Jupiter's Travels
- Bessie Stringfield – early black woman motorcyclist and long distance rider
- Hunter S. Thompson – author and journalist
- Van Buren sisters – first women to ride across the U.S. in 1916
Notable motorcycle sportspersons
- Giacomo Agostini – Grand Prix motorcycle racer, winner of fifteen World Championship titles and 122 Grand Prix race wins
- Erwin 'Cannonball' Baker – US promotional rider known for setting transcontinental speed records on motorcycles and in cars in the early 20th century
- Toni Bou – winner of thirteen trial World Championship titles
- Ricky Carmichael – very successful motocross racer
- Geoff Duke – Grand Prix motorcycle racer, winner of six World Championship titles, and the first racer to wear a one-piece leather racing suit
- Joey Dunlop – motorcycle racer who won 26 races at the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy meets
- Bud Ekins – stunt rider and stunt coordinator
- Stefan Everts – winner of ten FIM Motocross World Championship titles
- Carl Fogarty – superbike racer, four-time World Superbike champion
- Mike Hailwood – Grand Prix motorcycle racer, winner of 9 World Championship titles and 14 Isle of Man TT races; first to win 3 races at one IoM TT, in 1961 (125 cc, 250 cc, and 500 cc)
- Ernst Jakob Henne – a German motorcycle racer in the 1920s
- Aleš Hlad, Slovenian supermoto racer, 2005 European Champion and winner of the 2007 Athens GP
- Dougie Lampkin – winner of twelve trial World Championship titles
- Mary McGee -first woman to officially race motorcycles
- John McGuinness successful road racer at the Isle of Man TT, the North West 200, the Macau Grand Prix and the Bol d'Or.
- Guy Martin - an English motorcycle racer and television personality.
- Sammy Miller, MBE – motorcycle sportsperson, museum collector, patron of the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD)
- Evel Knievel – stunt rider known for jumping motorcycles over tall, long, or otherwise dangerous obstacles; and for multiple injuries from bad landings
- Phil Read - motorcycle racer who successfully competed in MotoGPs, the Isle of Man TT and in Bol d'Or endurance races.
- Valentino Rossi – Grand Prix motorcycle racer, winner of nine World Championship titles and 111 Grand Prix races
- Kenny Roberts – first American to win a motorcycle Grand Prix, winner of the AMA Grand Slam, racing team owner and safety advocate
- Juha Salminen – winner of thirteen World Enduro Championship titles
- Barry Sheene – Grand Prix motorcycle racer, winner of three World Championship titles
- John Surtees – Grand Prix motorcycle racer, winner of seven World Championship titles; the only racer to have won world championship titles on both two and four wheels
- Mick Doohan – Grand Prix motorcycle racer, winner of five World Championship titles
- Kari Tiainen – winner of seven World Enduro Championship titles
Motocross riders
Motorcycling in the media
Film
See also: List of biker films.
Television programmes
Documentaries
- Hard Miles and Hard Miles 2
Books
Exhibitions
External links
Notes and References
- Book: Cossalter, Vittore. Motorcycle Dynamics. Lulu. 2006. 978-1-4303-0861-4.
- Book: Foale, Tony. Motorcycle Handling and Chassis Design. 4–1. Tony Foale Designs. 2006. 978-84-933286-3-4.
- Note: Some definitions also include some forms of three-wheelers.
- "Daily Telegraph" report on new limits https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motorbikes/10043638/Changes-to-the-three-wheeler-licence.html
- Art of the Bobber by Spencer Drate, Judith Salavetz, Alex Mardikian - 2006
- ("…a powerful, lightweight motorcycle, designed for optimal speed and handling")
- Web site: Chassis. Motorcycle-Glossary.com. 3 July 2007.
- Book: Brown, Roland. Classic Motorcycles. Joanna Lorenz. 2002. 1-84038-433-6.
- Web site: The Wild One. 16 October 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101226042946/http://www.falconmotorcycles.com/blog/falcon-blog/65-movie-review-mondays/177-40-of-the-best-motorcycle-movies-of-all-time-the-wild-one.html. 26 December 2010. dead.
- Book: Youth culture in global cinema. 2007. University of Texas Press. Timothy Shary. Timothy Shary. Alexandra Seibel. 17.
