☕Crawling forward in the traffic, my little cousin peeped outside my car’s window. After a long stare, he suddenly turned to me and asked “what that is?” pointing at a two wheeler automobile☕

Two/three wheeler

A two/three wheeler is an automobile with a small capacity engine on two or three wheels respectively unlike a car with four wheels. It is also known as motorcycle or trike (Three wheels). A person has to learn the skill of balancing to ride a bike as this vehicle can’t stand on its own like a car. A rider sits on the bike rather than inside as seen in case of a car where he sits inside the car cabin.

Chronicles of Motorcycles

Earlier bicycles were the only so called two wheeler transport used around the world. It had a thin frame comprising of a movable handle, chain, seat fixed to the frame and wheels which are attached to this setup. The discerning feature of a bicycle was the pedal. By applying sufficient force on the pedals made the rear wheel to rotate thus making the cycle to move forward. The pedal was connected to the rear wheel by a chain which transferred the force applied on the pedal to the rear wheel. Bicycle was the easiest way of transportation earlier. Until people came across the limitations of it which were short distance range, high muscular power to push the pedals, low speed bandwidth.

   Cycle racing was very popular in that decade. Along with cycles, the event also had a crucial vehicle called Safety Bicycle. A safety bicycle was actually a conventional cycle but with an engine mounted on the frame located in section between the two wheels.

 Safety bicycle gave birth to motorcycle which was a cycle with an engine. It was built by Gottlieb Daimler(Germany) and Wilhelm Maybach(Germany) in 1885. It was a motorcycle equipped with an internal combustion engine that ran on petroleum. The name given to this motorcycle was Daimler Reitwagen.

 

 

Production	1885
Assembly	Cannstatt
Engine	264 cc (16.1 cu in) air-cooled four-stroke single. Crank start.
Bore / stroke	58 mm × 100 mm (2.3 in × 3.9 in)
Top speed	11 km/h (6.8 mph)
Power	0.5 hp (0.37 kW) @ 600 rpm
Ignition type	Hot tube
Transmission	Single speed, belt drive (1885) Two speed, belt primary, pinion gear final drive (1886)
Frame type	Wood beam
Suspension	None
Brakes	Front: none Rear: shoe
Tires	Iron over wood rim, wood spokes.
Rake, trail	0°, 0 mm
Weight	90 kg (200 lb) (dry)

 

But after series of research work, experiments and developments, finally motorcycle found its place of birth in factories. Also known as production bike, a motorcycle is automobile build or produced in an exclusive factory in large or mass scale. Hildebrand & Wolfmuller was the first production motorcycle that was produced in Munich (1894).

📌Technical Details of Hildebrand & Wolfmuller 

Manufacturer	Heinrich Hildebrand, Wilhelm Hildebrand & Aloes Wolfmuller
Production	1894 –1897
Engine	1,489 cc (90.9 cu in) 360° two-cylinder water-cooled four-stroke, with surface carburettor
Bore / stroke	90 mm × 117 mm (3.5 in × 4.6 in)
Top speed	28 mph (45 km/h)
Power	2.5 bhp (1.9 kW) @ 240 rpm
Ignition type	Hot tube
Transmission	Direct drive via connecting rods
Frame type	Steel tubular duplex, step-through
Brakes	spoon brake, friction against front tire
Tires	pneumatic, front 26 in (66 cm), rear 22 in (56 cm)
Weight	110 lb (50 kg)

Present day

After decades of development, today there are more than fifty manufacturers across the globe that provide best in class motorcycle technology. Slowly the number of bikes increased with advancements in the technology. Bikes became more adventurous and fast with time. The main purpose of the bike remained the same but with addition of different categories in that amazing world of motorcycle made it a whole lot quirky. Many brands proved themselves to be the best in their style with technology and grew bigger and better than the others. Top ten largest manufacturers in the world are:-

  1🚦    Honda(Japan)

  2🚦   Yamaha(Japan)

  3🚦    Hero Corp(India)

  4🚦    Bajaj(India)

  5🚦    TVS(India)

  6🚦    Suzuki(Japan)

  7🚦    BMW(Germany)

  8🚦    Royal Enfield(India)

  9🚦    KTM(Austria)

10🚦   Piaggio(Italy)

☕Different landscapes, events and requirements etc gave rise to different types of motorcycles. I’ll break down the article to make it simple for the readers. Below are the classifications of motorcycle☕

🚴   Types of body

🚴    Purpose

🚴    Final and Wheel drive

🚴    Fuel

 

🚨All specification of engines mentioned below are one amongst all the other engines and may differ with the brand. All riders must wear safety gears like knee guard, elbow guard and a helmet while riding. I advise readers to ride sensibly and safe!!!🚨

🚴 Types of body

 Moped – Invented not before 1950s, it was called autocycle or cyclemotor. A moped means low power and is a small size motorcycle having two modes of riding - 1)Conventional mode and 2)pedal mode. Conventional mode is the way all other bikes are ridden like. Like a bicycle, moped has pedals that could be pedalled to bring it in motion which is pedal mode. It is slightly bigger, heavier, faster and comfortable than a bicycle. Along with the rider, a moped has an extra room for a person called pillion rider who can sit behind this rider. By attaching a carrier to the rear body panel, small space can be added to carry small things. Moped has a step through frame like a bicycle. A small capacity(50cc-100cc) single cylinder, carburetted gearless engine is located on the rear below precisely between the head tube and the seat. The engine drives the rear wheel by roller chain or simply chain driven that easily produce power of 5Hp and torque of 6Nm. Fuel capacity is 5 litres which is because a moped is not build for the purpose of long touring. A small exhaust pipe connected to the engine runs down below it and stretches upto the rear wheel. This pipe removes the exhaust gas produced by the engine. It has a potential of giving a mileage of over 50kmpl and is the best choice for beginners due to the above advantages and only requires a learner license to ride one, e.g. TVS XL 100, Lazer 50cc etc.       

 

 Scooter – A scooter or motorized scooter has a closed body structure. It was built in 1914 but gained popularity at the time of WW2 and responsible brands were the famous Vespa and Lambretta from Italy. A typical scooter has a step through frame with a platform on which the rider can rest his feet. A side mounted 4 stroke, single cylinder, carburetted engine is assembled in it. It is enclosed inside the body with gills provided on it for wind to flow in and cool down the engine. An irregular box shaped exhaust is fitted to the engine which is either under the foot platform or below the engine. The handle has controls like accelerator, two brake levers, horn switch, starter switch, indicator switch, engine kill switch. Handle also has a fixed headlight and indicators which moves with the movement of the handle. Scooter has small diameter(13inches) wheels which give good handling. A normal scooter has a long flat seat extending upto the taillight. A luggage compartment is provided beneath the seat having sufficient space to store helmet and other small stuffs. To access this compartment, a rider has to press a switch located under the handle. This opens the seat lock and later on the seat can be swung upwards. In some scooters, there is large room for feet that could be used to share some trunk stuffs also and keep them hooked on this flat foot platform. There are geared scooters as well as gearless scooters. A geared scooter has transmission messed with engine whereas a gearless scooter has a continuous variable transmission(CVT). A spare wheel called Stepney is attached to the rear mounting on the body panel behind the seat that can be used in case of any flat tire emergency. Mostly a scooter has two starting options – 1)kick start and 2)self start or switch start. A scooter is an easiest type of a two wheeler, e.g. Bajaj Chetak, Honda Activa etc.   

 

 Full fairing motorcycle - A sports motorcycle with a fairing present on the front portion of the motorcycle. Fairing actually is a front fibre(acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) shell that covers the engine which is fixed to the frame of the bike. The shell covers both upper and lower front portion of the bike giving it an aggressive aerodynamic look. Fairing also has a wind shield or visor that protects the rider form the strong wind blast when travelling at high speed. Fairing is actually designed in such an aerodynamic way that it reduces the aerodynamic drag felt by it while moving. When a vehicle moves on a road, air that flows in the opposite direction of the vehicle tries to exert resistance thus reducing the speed which is known as drag. Drag is a component of wind that flows in the direction parallel to the flow of a vehicle but in opposite direction. Due to drag, a vehicle is unable to perform to its optimum capability. Therefore a fairing is assembled that cuts down this problem to a great extent and gives a bullet shell shape that can cut down wind resistance. It gives air/wind a nice and smooth path to flow over the bike. Along with aerodynamics, a fairing also protects the engine, chassis and other parts in case of an accident. Lights, indicators and instrument cluster all are fixed to the fairing and can’t move with the movement of the handlebar. Handle bar is free to move but is squared around by this fairing, e.g. TVS Apache 310R, Kawasaki ZX14R etc.

   

 Semi-fairing motorcycle - A motorcycle which has a half fairing that covers only the upper portion of the bike. Fairing on this bike begins with the windshield on the top and extends down to the upper portion of the engine on both the sides called engine block. Other than the engine block, everything else is left exposed. Often the belly portion of the engine is fitted with a belly pan which helps to divert the flow of air/wind away from the engine reducing aerodynamic lift. Aerodynamic lift is a component of air that is perpendicular to the direction of the movement of the bike. A component of air that tries to act in upward direction and lifts the vehicle travelling at high speed is called lift. Lights, indicators and instrument cluster all are fixed on to the fairing and cannot move with the movement of handlebar. Handle bar is free to move but is squared around by this fairing just like a fully fairing motorcycle, e.g. Suzuki Bandit 1200S, Yamaha FZ1 etc. 

 

 Naked motorcycle – A naked motorcycle is one which does not have any fairing neither full nor semi. Because fairing in the motorcycle world is considered to be the clothes of a bike hence due to absence of the clothes, this bike looks naked which is why it is termed as a naked motorcycle. The assembled parts are entirely exposed. Naked motorcycle has headlight assembled on the front fork. Along with the headlight, indicators and instrument cluster are also fixed to the handle. Unlike a fairing or a semi– fairing bike, all the above parts move with the movement of the handle because of its assembly type. A naked motorcycle changes the direction with less effort resulting in shorter turning radius. This bike basically focuses on city commuting, e.g. Mahindra Mojo, Bajaj Pulsar NS etc.

📌Readers will repeatedly come across a term “street legal” so it is important to know what it actually means. Every bike that rolls out to public road requires permission from government. A bike that is equipped with instrument cluster, rear view mirrors, taillight, indicators, horn, silent exhaust known as   muffler etc is issued a special licence number by the government. Rider should put this number on the number plate fitted on the rear fender and on the front fork. This brings the bike under the “street legal” column.  This number is combination of alphabets and numerical depending on the location, year etc.

 

 Standard motorcycle – A street legal motorcycle that has an upright sitting position and is used for standard cruising in the city. The sitting posture is in between the forward leaning of a sports bike and reclining rider posture of a cruiser. Handle bar is not far from the rider but is high enough to make the rider not lean forward. Adding to this, foot pegs are located just below the rider that makes the hip and the shoulder to form a straight line helping him/er to sit in a much natural position. Standard motorcycle is fitted with fast engine that makes it a light weight, low cost and easy to commute bike. Due to the absence of front fairing, number of standard bikes on the street is more. 

  

 Dual-sport motorcycle - The name itself indicates that a dual sport is a dual purpose motorcycle. Developed in early 1950s, a dual sport is a street legal motorcycle that can be ridden on smooth paved as well as on unpaved roads. There are some regions having roads and some not having roads. To travel in both these road conditions, a dual sport is the best choice for a rider. The characteristic feature of this bike is the suspension and fenders/mud guard. The height of the bike is tall due to the high suspension setting on both rear and front side. High suspension along with fender accords tackle off road conditions that may include logs, rocks and pot holes etc which are quite obvious in the way. The bike comes with knobby tyres on 21 inches spoked wheel that can bite loose and sticky mud regions and escape out of it. Front wheel has a small 260mm disc brake. This bike has an average top speed and hence this is the reason behind a small disc brake. Engine on this bike is a small capacity one to reduce the overall weight. Generally equipped with a 250 – 300 cc, 2 stroke, single cylinder, air cooled engine capable of producing 40Hp of power and 30Nm of torque. Lower gear ratio makes it easy to ride in poor road conditions. Generally it has kick start option to start the bike. Small capacity fuel tank helps to retain low weight characteristic thus making the distance covered in one full tank less. Bike starts dancing as soon as it is driven in unpaved surface which keeps transferring the forces to the bike. The only thing that holds everything in place and even saves the internal parts in a crash is the strong aluminium dual tube frame. It is the backbone of any bike. One of my favourite feature is the under tail exhaust that is situated high enough. The reasons behind up high location of the exhaust are 1)to protect it from the above mentioned road conditions and 2)centre of gravity. A long low but flat seat doesn’t give a rider much comfort but this is obvious because the bike is not meant for long touring. Rider sits upright with his head, hips and feet all in a straight line. Also most of the time it is ridden in a standing position to escape the obstacles without the rider experiencing those hard jerks. Handle is high and is fitted with mud resistant throttle mechanism. It is also protected by hand guards. The above parts are fixed on the frame and that is the reason why it should be strong enough to withstand different forces that concentrate on the frame. Chrome molybdenum material is used to build the frame as it is light and strong. Due to material used to build the frame, it could also be shaped into flexible and complex shapes. Riders torture the bike by taking it to the jungle, abandoned mills or for hill climbing.  A dual sport bike is one of the skinniest one among the other bikes, e.g. Honda CRF450l, Beta 500RR-S etc.  

 

Supermoto/SUMO/Supermotard motorcycle – Supermotard is a French word for motorcyclist took birth when people started fitting street tires on a motocross bike to explore twisty mountain roads. Supermoto means a supreme form of motocross motorcycle. It is similar to a dual sport in terms of looks, features and purpose. I’ll describe only the area that makes it different from a dual sport and for more details just refer dual sport class. Originated back in the 1970s in France, the only difference is rims/tires size. A dual sport has bigger and sportier wheels with 19inches rear and 21inches front wheel that provide a better comfort off road whereas a sumo has 17inches. Also the wheels on a sumo are wider and less knobbly making it little less capable to handle off roading and not the best in its class. Dual sport has knobbly wheel providing a better grip in wet mud/loose sand making it the best bike to escape any unpaved surface. Sumo has higher top speed than a dual sport and so bigger 320mm front disc brake for better braking on streets but may even get damaged if brakes are applied hard on rough terrain. It is fitted with a stiffer suspension dedicated to street riding. Overall look is healthier than a dual sport and has better pickup and top speed than the later. The heart(engine) of a sumo is a 700cc 4-stroke, single cylinder, 6 speed transmission, liquid cooled chain driven that cranks out power of about 70Hp and a torque of about 65Nm which are descent performance figures. These are not used for long touring and that is why a sufficient capacity 15litres fuel tank is assembled in it. Like a dual sports, a sumo is also ridden in standing position when taken to explore the jungles, e.g. Husqvarna SM 701, KTM 690 SMC-R etc.  

 

 Adventure motorcycle – Dual sport motorcycle had limitations like short travel distance, less comfort and low top speed. To overcome these problems, an updated and feature full version of a dual sport motorcycle was introduced to the world called Adventure motorcycle. BMW was the first brand to produce an adventure bike by launching the BMW R80 G/S in 1980. Adventure bike is semi-fairing bike that overcomes all the cons of a dual sport bike. Ground clearance is high with longer suspension travel but little lower than a dual sport. This was done to make it ride faster. Large capacity 650 cc, 4 stroke, twin cylinder, liquid cooled, 5 speed manual/automatic chain driven petrol engine gives life to this off road monster. The engine produces 80Hp of power and 85Nm of torque. Higher gear ratio helps the bike to reach good high speeds. These values are somewhat the minimum ones you can expect from any adventure motorcycle. Large fuel tank of about 23 litres makes it capable enough to cover longer distances of 200 miles in one fill up. Adventure bike is enhanced by adding more cosmetic features. The semi-fairing is made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene(ABS) and fibreglass. Longer windshield on this fairing cuts the windblast away from the rider when travelling at high speeds. Air vents on either side of this fairing are provided to improve the air flow through it for better aerodynamics. These vents also help to divert the air flow towards the engine for cooling purpose. The advanced thin film transistor(TFT) instrument cluster has more details/options like GPS, traffic alert, cruise control, ABS, traction control, emergency call intercom and various connectivity options which all together help on long rides. Strong beam headlights with projector lamps help improve the vision at night. To increase area of vision at night, dual headlights are the chosen by the manufacturers. The bike also gets an option to fix saddle bags, panniers on the rear and magnetic bag on the tank. Extended grab rail is fitted on it where additional luggage can be carried as long tours mean larger luggage. Long continuous seat focuses especially on touring helps the rider to cover long distance without taking pit stops to stretch out muscles. The long seat is designed not only for the rider but also for the pillion so that both can enjoy long rides. Adventure bike is a fully loaded bike making it very heavy. To withstand such large load, an ordinary frame cannot withstand such huge load. A special steel twin cradle type frame with backbone and down tube takes up the massive down force and gives stability and strength at the same time to the bike. Wide tires with spoked wheels of size that vary between 17-21inches provide the best traction on loose surfaces and also gives a smooth riding experience on highway. As mentioned in the beginning of this segment, it is an advanced type of a dual sport hence other design elements are similar to a dual sport. With all these features, an adventure can cross any obstacle on its way. It could even get submerged till half of its height and still won’t ask for help. High height of this bike helps it in such conditions. It is a battle tank on two wheels or a go anywhere motorcycle, e.g. BMW GS1200R, Triumph Tiger XCx etc.

      

 Cruiser motorcycle – A cruiser is a different class of motorcycle that was developed in America around 1930s and from then it has gone through many stages of evolution. This bike was build for comfort over speed and is used for touring or cruising purpose but on paved surface only. The word “cruise” means to travel at a specific speed smoothly as if the cruise control mode is on. Cruiser is low in height that gives an opportunity for a shorter rider to try his/er riding hobby. A cruiser should be comfortable enough to cruise for prolonged hour and this is achieved by dual role of bike profile and riding position. Typically, the bike looks high from the front and low from the rear end to give the rider a more relaxed riding posture. Imagine.....the best way to watch a football match is to sit back and relax on a couch. You tend to sit inside that couch rather than on it due to the high compressive cushion. The final posture achieved is a combination of backward leaned spinal, hips low and forward placed legs which is also known as reclining. A cruiser could be a naked or semi-fairing bike. Motorcycle classes like baggers, tourers etc all fall under this category. The front end is raised by setting the large forks to high. The fork is kicked out to increase the wheel base. This makes the bike stand close to the ground and increases stability. The handlebar is little high and wide which opens up the arms of the rider and gives a much relaxed hand posture. Doomed headlight is a classic feature of this bike giving it a retro look. The rear wheel has dual coil spring suspension that completes the suspension system on the bike. Another outstanding organ of this souled bike is the massive teardrop(mostly) fuel tank which is only part that is visible to the rider at the time of riding. Generally it has about 20litres of fuel capacity. The tank also consists of an instrument cluster which is kept with minimum detailing and mostly lacks engine revolution per minute or RPM meter. The reason is simply the increased distance between the rider and headlight which is where nearly all bikes have their instrument clusters. It would not be safe and comfortable for the rider to lean forward and check the cluster while riding on this bike. In some cruisers the cluster is located on the tank but still it is not a detailed one.  Seat height is the lowest amongst other segments and is known as saddlemen seat on which the rider sits lower than the pillion. This gives the pillion a much more comfortable view and also a good angle to hold the rider for support. Due to the high handlebar, rider’s hands aren’t straight rather are high and in relaxed manner. The spinal leans backward from the hips. Foot pegs are placed way to the front making the leg placement forward. The overall riding position is snug. A typical cruiser has a loud oversized engine that produces not much power in comparison to the capacity. It is designed for low end torque or torque available at lower rpm. The engine is cranked by a 1000cc V-twin cylinder, air cooled capable of producing torque of 120Nm and power of 80Hp. Most of the overall weight of the bike is due to this engine. Bigger engine means parts like air filter cover, crankcase, clutch cover etc all are bigger in size and catch attention easily. Being a naked or semi-fairing bike, it focuses on comfort rather than speed. All the body panels like front and rear fenders, engine, fuel tank, side panels are made of heavy steel. Heavy chrome work is also visible on these parts which strike up overall beauty of this cruiser. The weight distribution is not as good as on a sportsbike due the uneven weight across parts. The massive and heavy machine is driven by a V-notch belt which is way stronger than a chain and connects the rear wheel to the engine transmitting the power from later to former known as final drive. The exhaust system makes the bike even louder and has a unique potato sound. Parallel twin horizontal exhaust pipes are extended upto the rear fender which are low as well. Ground clearance of the bike along with low height parts limit the lean angle thus making it little tough to corner. Often a cruiser has a thinner front and thicker rear wheel. These wheels may be spoked, alloy or cast steel forged thick disc depending on the model. Thicker rear wheel absorbs road impact as the rider and the pillion are placed on the portion above the rear wheel and thus provides a smoother ride while thinner front wheels help to easily turn the bike. Along with the thickness, there is difference in the diameters too with larger front and smaller rear wheel. Frame geometry, final drive transmission with the ratio of rear wheel/tire diameter is a practical component of the design. This profile helps better straight line travel and turns. Comfort with styling makes a cruiser the best choice for a person who loves travelling on two-wheelers, e.g. Harley Davidson 883, bajaj Avenger 220, Yamaha bolt etc.    

      

 Bagger motorcycle - A bagger is a low height motorcycle with the best rideability that is used for long road trips. A type of cruiser with improved touring features and focuses on control over speed. It is believed to have evolved in 1950-51 with the credits shared by two automobile giants - Harley Davidson and BMW. Bagger has the lowest ground clearance amongst all the other bikes but is huge and bulky in size. Low height brings the rider close to the ground making it easy to manoeuvre and improves control. High ape handle bars, low seat height and forward positioned foot pegs give a comfortable cruise. Arms of the handle bar are high and inclined backwards so that rider’s arms are not straight but rather bend that feels in a much relaxed position. Shoulder leans backward making it lag behind the hips. Along with this, the foot pegs are located way ahead of the rider making the feet position forward. The overall position when looked from a distance is like the rider sitting on a couch or recliner. Bagger is used for long distance touring and that is why a comfortable riding position is a must. Bagger generally has split seat with detachable rear seat. Low and comfortable seat has seat heater to avoid sore hip problem when riding for hours. Engine contributes a large portion to the looks which is an oversized 1900cc V-twin, air cooled, belt driven that produces 170Nm of torque and 120Hp of power. Looking at the size; speed and power production, the first thing in your mind would be its top speed(high top speed). But the engine is engineered for high power production with low controlled speed. The other part that catches the attention is the massive 20litre capacity or more fuel tank. It is made of pure steel and also has an instrument cluster on it as well which helps the rider not to roll his eye ball much to find it. Due to its unique design, the distance between the rider and headlight is more which would have given the riders trouble to reach the cluster. As mentioned above, this bike focuses on comfort more than anything so even if the engineers had to make some weird changes, it would all be accepted. This is the reason why a bagger is a poorly designed aerodynamic bike. It is a semi-fairing motorcycle that comes with a large dual projector, high visibility headlights that flare the vision in low light conditions. From riders point, adjustable windshield is one important feature that helps divert the windblast from reaching him while cruising at a high speed. Front inverted forks are slightly kicked out to increase the overall wheel base ultimately increasing the stability of the bike. Overall rear space is occupied by pannier bags on either side that increase the luggage carrying capacity of a bagger.  Almost all body panels are entirely made of chrome steel which makes it even heavier. Due to the enormous weight, an ordinary chain cannot push the bike and that is the reason why a bagger is driven by a high strength belt. Presence of steel adds up overall weight and strength to the bike even when it lacks a trellis frame unlike other bikes.  Another signature feature that beautifies the bike is the high chrome work on engine parts, foot pegs, handles, headlights, wheels etc. However, most baggers often use black mat finished engine, tapered muffler and other mechanical parts to give a distinct look. Readers might be wondering how this bike feels on off road conditions and the answer is - not recommended at all. This bike has everything that can ruin your body as well as your ride if taken on a rough terrain. It is strictly designed to roll on well-constructed roads only. The bike may weigh above 250kgs which is really heavy and for this; normal wheel cannot withstand the weight. Some baggers have spoked or slotted wheels whereas others have high strength, custom cut chrome, impress plated and polished wide wheels. These wheels have 17inches tires fitted on them. Thin sized wheel is fitted on the front and comparatively fatter wheel on the rear. This type of setting helps to reduce the front weight and subsequently twirls the bike easily. It is carefully and artistically designed overall package to satisfy those hardcore cruise lovers, e.g. Harley Davidson RoadGlide, Yamaha Star Eluder etc.               

                              

 Motorized tricycle/trikes – A three wheeled vehicle that uses the same motorcycle engine, parts and technology to operate is known as a trike. This is most complex shaped bike with the plasma of a car. History has recorded the first trike rolled in 1970s with a conversion of a regular Honda CB900 motorcycle modified to a trike. Trike is a regular cruiser but with three wheels instead one two. This three-wheeler is a step taken further to increase the cruising experience. There are two types of trikes:-

🚲)Delta arrangement – Arrangement includes single front wheel and dual rear wheels. Front portion of a trike is same as a motorcycle. The portion after the seat is totally removed and replaced with a regular car axle assembly. Delta shape chassis with frame forms the base of this bike making it look like a car from the behind. The material of frame could be aluminium, carbon fibre or titanium depending on the manufacture. There are two swing arms instead of one that holds the entire rear chassis and differential unit. A trike is equipped with 1700cc V-twin, 6-speed manual, belt driven engine with electric reverse motor capable enough to produce 165Nm of torque and 80Hp of power. Engine is assembled in its regular place.  This is a basic engine used in most of a bike. The rear skeleton gets an axle that carries wheel assembly on which the two wheels are fitted but on either sides of the axle. Due to the presence of two wheels, suspension system is added on each of the two wheels making it two instead of one suspension system observed on a regular bike. The centre portion of the axle is occupied with a differential unit that varies the speed of each wheel to make turnings possible without sliding. This is again similar to a conventional car system. Along with differential unit, a belt shaft is also present on the axle that connects the axle to the engine to transmit power from engine to the wheels. This whole unit comprising of shaft and differential is protected inside(mostly) 6 aluminium bars arranged in a circle to protect this complex unit from getting damaged in case of any hit. A fender hub is also assembled on other side of the same bars which has fenders to its end. Fender avoids dirt, mud or water present on the terrain from getting catapulted high in the air by the rotating wheels. An electric motor mentioned earlier helps this heavy motorcycle to reverse. The dual exhaust header pipes from the engine travel to the rear end and are separated by the differential unit. The exhaust pipe is fixed to the chassis but either side of the same axle. In the end, muffler serves the job of reducing sound. This type of arrangement helps even distribution the weight in the bike. The overall weight is more than 500kgs and to stop this heavy machine, a single braking system is not enough. This is why the front wheel gets dual rotor disc brakes and rear wheel gets a single rotor disc brake but on each wheel that increase the stopping power. Anti-lock braking system improves the braking power and avoids wheel locking when brakes are applied hard and sudden. 19inches front and 18inches rear wheels provide a perfect balance between comfort and control. Similar to a car, a trike has parking brakes too which is amazing. Amazing because never ever before a bike included such a car like feature. Wide rear body is designed such that it is similar to the same two wheel version of that particular bike to give the original look. This bike can be turned by simply moving the handle bar that turns the front wheel similar to a conventional bike. Due to its design, a trike cannot lean which makes turning operation a lot laborious. Adding to this, a trike cannot be ridden side by side with another trike like a standard motorcycle due to its wheel track and that is why they are ridden in a straight line one behind the other on highways. Enormous body means enormous space which gives the designer more options and features to add to this bike. The most comfortable and luxurious motorcycle on roads enhance the comfort by adding a lot bigger sized rider seat with backrest options. Recliner pillion seat is similar to a car seat with huge backrest, hand rest and a seat belt. Behind the pillion seat are two stories of trunk. The lower trunk has a lid which can be opened by a key or switch on the handlebar. The storage capacity is increased by the upper trunk or simply pannier box. Rear tail lights have their positions shifted to each fender with a bumper installed giving it a car look. Feature like 5 speaker stereo system with radio is given not only for enjoyment but also to know live news on climate, road traffic etc for updates. Rider’s fist, knee and feet all are positioned in a same line when riding. Hands are bend and more relaxed when the rider holds the handle bar. Rider is more relaxed and leans little backward to give a reclining sitting position, e.g. Harley Davidson CVO Tri Glide, Suzuki Hayabusa trike etc.

🚲)Tadpole arrangement – Arrangement includes dual front wheels and single rear wheel. It looks like a delta trike ridden in a reverse direction. In this trike, rear end is similar to a bike but front portion is where the whole design is modified. When viewed from the front, it looks like a car with wheels extended outside the body like a kit car. To know all about a kit car please do read my article on HALL OF CARS which you can find over here https://thehallofcars.blogspot.com/. Special type of chassis frame design that increases its width gradually as it progresses forward. Single steel frame that runs from the rear end follows a path that diverts and move apart from each other and then meet ahead when viewed from the side, it forms a helicopter shape. It is known as surrounding spar technology(SST) frame. This frame holds the conventional motorcycle engine used here firmly in its place. Basically a trike engine is over 1000cc that produces power just above 100Hp and torque of about 130Nm. Trike is a heavy machine and to reverse it using feet is impossible and for this there is an electric motor meshed with the engine for the reverse motion of this vehicle. This is a rear wheel belt driven vehicle with a large belt shaft pulley to transmit power from engine to the rear wheel. This means that it is having a belt shaft fitted to the rear wheel just like a conventional belt driven motorcycle. The wheels are way different and often car wheels(15inches) are selected. Wheel should be broad in size with small diameter which actually matches a small sized car wheels. The bike has broad wheel track and to keep it stable under any condition, broader wheels are fitted. The body covers and hides most of the parts including engine just like a car. Wheels are connected to the linkages on both the sides to the steering handle column. Double wishbone suspension is adopted by the makers to absorb jerks and give maximum strength to it. Rear end is fitted with a mono suspension system as the rear end is the same of a bike. Rear wheel is connected to the chassis by double swing arm which has limited movement to some angle called swing arm angle. Swing arm also serves the purpose of absorbing the shocks but to some extent. The front wheels have additional fenders for looks and also to avoid earth material from getting thrown high in the air. The choice of steering wheel or steering handle depends on the trike manufacturer. In both cases, the basic operation involved is to turn the front wheels in both the direction. The front portion has a small trunk for storage purpose. Additional options are also provided that helps the rider to fit extra pair of pannier bags on either side of the rear end and a small luggage compartment behind the seat to increase the storage capacity. The body looks sportier, aerodynamically focused design. This is the reason why it is fast as well as stable making it a better performance trike. Front portion is big and gives ample space to increase the area for instrument cluster. Mostly a tadpole trike has a well detailed type of dashboard like a car giving the rider more than sufficient options to give him a feel of a car on bike. Dual LED headlights on either side of the trunk give the best glare at night and improve the vision for hassle free touring. Designed especially for touring, it has one of the best pair of seat keeping both rider and pillion comfort in mind. Riding position is an amalgam of sports and cruiser style with hands not absolutely bend or absolutely straight but in an intermediate angle. Fist leads the body besides head and knee are in same line. Along with that, feet and hip are in same line as well. This makes the rider to lean little forward. In this world of innovation where every minute we witness a new development, manufacturers have developed different types of tadpole bike. Bikes with rear wheel steering, kit car cockpit, parallelogram linkage, two separate forks for two front wheels etc. Tadpole bike is the most complex and the most beautiful bike on Earth, e.g. Can am spyder roadster, Lazareth Wazuma R1 etc.

 Custom Motorcycle - A custom motorcycle is not actually a class but a modified section where any mass produced motorcycle goes under the process called customisation. Be it sportsbike, cruiser, tourer, scrambler or any other motorcycle that comes in your mind could be modified to a custom motorcycle. The word “custom or customization” means modification. The first motorcycle which was labelled as custom bike appeared in late 1950s. A production bike has specific and limited number of appearances which a manufacturer gives. Customization helps to increase the capillaries of appearance in terms of engine colour, variety in shape of parts, styling etc. The basic profile however remains the same like engine type, ignition system, braking system. Custom bikes are built in a small garage or workshop and not in a big plant or factory by creative designers. However, brands like Honda and Harley Davidson include option of customization where the buyer may give the details of what he wants on his bike.

 There are different types of a custom bikes and I’ll cover the most common ones. Following are the motorcycles that fall under this category:-

   🚲.Chopper – A chopper is a customized motorcycle which emerged in California(late 1950s) with the most extreme styling and could be easily recognized by utmost kicked out fork or front suspension arms. “Chop” means to cut down and in a chopper the parts are chopped to smaller sizes or completely removed to reduce weight. Mostly a cruiser is selected to build a chopper. Let’s start with the fork which is long with increased rake angle that results in greater centre of gravity and stable straight line riding. Hardtail frame or frame without rear suspension is chosen to give a much better vintage look. Overall frame is lengthened which feels as if it is stretched longitudinally. Short drag or long ape handle bar specially designed for a chopper has developed huge attraction amongst the riders. Front wheels are larger than the stock ones and further increases the fork height. The second characteristic feature is the backrest or sister bar(used mostly for a chopper) which is a tube that attaches the frame and the rear fender and is used to relax a riders back. Sister bar is extended several feet high. Rear wheel is way broader than the front giving a well defined look. Heavy chrome work adds glitter along with pin stripping paint that adds creativity and vintage styling to the bike.

  🚲.Cut down – Scooter is also modified in a manner similar to a motorcycle. Cutdown means to remove and in this context it means to remove various scooter body parts in order to carry out the mod. It was originated from England in 1960s. Assorted reasons behind its origin were race competitions, exhibitions, transportation and simply for look in many cases. Basics include removal of useless parts. These parts are removed to make it perform better by improving power to weight ratio. Rear fender is removed to make the engine visible. Next is the floor board which is removed as well. In place of which two foot pegs are added on either sides to rest feet. In many cases, front fender is either removed or fitted at a higher height. Skeleton of a scooter i.e. the frame becomes visible by removal of these parts making it look sportier. Stripping away body parts is possible only in scooters with tubular frames in which body parts don’t form the basic structure whereas in a scooter with unibody structure design cannot go through stripping mod. In this case, most body parts are replaced by much slimmer and sportier body panels with chrome paint. Some odd colour combinations with flame decals are one good attractive area of mod. Modification in engine begins with reconfiguring that makes it perform better. Disc brakes are fitted in place of drum brakes. Stock exhaust is replaced by a much louder racing exhaust. To make a cutdown scooter lighter and faster, most owners replace parts with carbon fibre ones.

🚲.Drag bike/dragster – Drag race may be 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 mile long and happens in a straight line. Two racers align their machines behind a marked starting line and accelerate as soon as the light on so called Christmas tree light(column design) turns green. Racer who crosses the finish line first wins the event. Drag motorcycles are not ordinary at all and are purely track focused with specially customization for racing. Bikes that take part in a drag event are called dragsters. A dragster could reach 200mph in less than 6secs. No stock bike can give such a jaw dropping performance. A dragster however is a modified stock bike. Such massive output is given by the heart of dragster which is a 1900cc supercharged inline 4-cylinders, belt driven, pneumatically controlled clutch and fuel system unlike other bikes which have gears for the purpose. Loud and massive engine produces 1500Hp of power and 10,000Nm of torque. Generally a dragster does not have a transmission but often some have a 2-speed transmission meshed with a multi-plate clutch system. Gear is shifted by a button located on the handle bar. The sound produced by this engine is about 150 decibels. Riders as well as the spectators are advised to wear ear bud protection to reduce the chances of hearing problems. You would be surprised to know that this power machine produces 1Hp per cc. It can reach 100mph in less than 2secs which is insanely quick which is why the engine consumes more than 18litres of fuel in a single ¼ mile run. Dragster is so powerful that not only the final drive but primary drive is also belt driven. Calling it a whole power plant on two wheels won’t be wrong at all. These next to impossible figures depend from one bike to the other and are possible only because the engine is reworked and reconstructed in workshops. Cast aluminium and magnesium parts are used to withstand the heat produced in the cranking process and also it keeps the overall weight down. The engine alone is several feet long and not for the weak hearted riders. Ordinary fuel cannot make it run to its optimum speed and therefore a special high octane fuel called nitro-methane is used. A solid steel backbone chassis frame holds the heavy engine in its place when travelling at such high speeds. The chassis is an extended one due to the revised size of the engine and other parts. A dragster could be 25ft long so just imagine the length of the chassis. The rider lies on the bike rather than sitting on it. His hands after grabbing the handlebar appear way ahead and legs way behind the rider making him look like a flying superman. Drag handle bar make him keep his hands in the plane of the bike to reduce air drag caused by off plane positioned hands. In real, it’s not the speed that affects but the immense acceleration that exerts a force of 3g on the rider. This force is so mammoth that often a 2.3 Richter scale quake is experienced which is a minor earthquake. With these parts, it becomes a challenge for the rider too to hang on the bike with such force acting. Dragster has the best aerodynamically designed body panels on it. Unnecessary parts like indicators, rear seat, back view mirrors, headlight, taillight etc are removed to cut down the weight further. Body panel only includes front semi-fairing panel, rear cowl and small engine body panel that directs air inward  towards the engine for cooling and also for smooth flow of air from bottom of the bike. All parts are high stage aerodynamically designed ones made of fibre composite to reduce weight. All panels have brand and sponsor stickers all over it for promotion purpose. Front upside down fork is kicked out to increase the trail and rake angles just like in a cruiser to increase the wheel base and lower the ground clearance to improve straight run. Engine is kept exposed due to 1)the massive size and 2)to keep the temperature down. Amongst all the parts that form the engine, many are left uncovered for the same reason. Cranked engine generally reaches temperature above 150 degrees. Rear portion has a long cowl integrated with a fender and extend sideways to develop the leg floor platform that completes the aerodynamics of the bike. The bike is only for racing purpose so the rider knows that the seat provided is only about some inches long and wide enough just to fit the rider and obviously not for comfort. Exhaust header pipes are diverted upwards behind the seat or precisely through the ducts provided in the cowl. There are more than one exhaust pipe with aluminium tips and heat shields for protection. These don’t have any muffler to retain the raw power and sound of the engine. Flames shoot out of these exhaust pipes is a common scene in a drag event indicating how dangerous nitro-methane fuel is.  Rear wheel provides maximum traction to the bike making it one of the most significant parts of the bike. Broader the wheel, better the traction which is achieved by fitting a 14 inch wide wheel with a slick tire on it. Burnout which is a process of rotating the rear tire on its own axis with locked front wheel is performed to raise the temperature of the tire to increase the sticking ability of it for optimum traction. Rear tires are groveless but slick that gains grip after it has reached an optimum temperature i.e. about 180 degrees. Front wheel is way slimmer than the rear one for balancing purpose and doesn’t steer much like in a conventional way. A wheelie bar in a shape of alphabet “A” is a trellis frame that extends the overall length of the bike. The upper arm of the wheelie bar is fixed to the upper end of swing arm while the other arm is attached to the lower end of chassis frame. The incredible acceleration at the time of pickup tries to lift the front end of the bike even after meticulously designed aerodynamic body. Wheelie bar is attached to control this lift or avoid wheelies to prevent rollover. This is the reason why only a highly trained rider can ride this massive beast. To stop this bike is also a big challenge. Carbon ceramic disc brake is strong and but cannot do the job alone and this is why a high performance parachute system is installed. Parachute experience high air drag that tries to block air flow against it, exerting high force against the motion of the bike. It is a type of air brake that assists overall braking largely. Disc brakes along with these activated parachute system work together to stop the bike and in case if the mechanical brakes fail, air brake proves to be an important “PLAN B”. Overall bike should be balanced in order to keep it on the track and to achieve it the rear portion of the bike looks bigger than the front. The rear and front weight of the bike is made uniform with the heavy mid engine location along with the rider leaning forward so that the bike doesn’t go airborne while it accelerates. Electronics on this bike is just for recording the performance of the bike and not like a regular production bike where an ECU (electronic control unit) takes up the charge to function different mechanisms. There is a team of several experts each having speciality in electronics, mechanics, fuel, body, managing etc. The bike is so heavy that more than 3 persons are required to pull the bike in case. The process of combustion in this motorcycle engine is very destructive and needs to be rebuilt after every run. Anyone can ride a production bike but only few get a chance to ride this beast machine. 

 🚲. Street tracker - First built in Australia in great era of 20s, a street tracker is an uncommonly modified production bike that looks like a flat-track racer. A famous race by the name Speedway championship is organized every year in which approx 5-8 racers compete on an unpaved oval track in counter-clockwise direction. Speedway bike has no brakes, gears, and starter but has hard tail (no rear suspension). It is small in size and resembles a bicycle with motor and tubular chassis frame. Most of the body panels like the aluminium tank, side body, instrument cluster etc are absent to make it lighter. It has a small sized delta shaped 7litre fuel tank but enough to complete 5 miles. Front fork is a lead fork that is thinner than a conventional bike and more close to a bicycle. Handle bar is wide not to strain rider’s arm too much while racing as it remains in that turning position almost all the time in the race. It has a front cover which not only saves the rider from the airborne dirt by the front racer but also gives room to display sponsor stickers. There is only one foot peg on right side to support the racer/rider when sliding. Even the front fender on the bike is slimmer because of skinny 19inches spoke rim with tire. Rear fender has a U-bar called push bar which helps to push start it due to the absence of self and kick start to cut down the weight and complexity of the engine. Front tire is almost of equal to a bicycle in size but knobbly rear one is little wider(80-100mm) to give minimum traction as most of the time these bikes are broad sliding. Rear wheel is made of solid material that acts like a spoiler to gives the necessary down force. Along with this, spoiler also saves racers leg from getting jammed inside a spoke wheel and also is used to display sponsor stickers. Rear wheel has a bigger diameter chain sprocket which is driven by a single speed transmission system engaged to a dry clutch. The bike looks small but can’t be taken for granted because racing bikes never go easy on any rider. Whatever weight is there of this bike it is due to engine which is a customized upright single cylinder, solo spark, 500cc 4-stroke, single carburettor, air cooled which cranks out power of 85Hp and torque of 100Nm to reach a top speed of 110km/h which could be achieved in less than 4secs. It is made by two major brands - JAWA and GM. Lay down engine which means that it is physically laid down in the frame to increase the centre of gravity. The sound of the bike is increased to 100 decibels due to straight pipe exhaust.  Speedway bikes run on methanol which means higher compression ratio resulting in high power output and speed(130 km/h). Due to absence of mechanical brakes, these bikes use broad sliding which is a type of over-steering technique to take the turns on the oval track. The bike decelerates when the throttle is closed thus causing the vertical force on the rear wheel to decrease and the weight on the rear tire tries to shift forward. Broad sliding makes the rear end slide sideways in the direction opposite to the direction of the lean bringing the rear end to the front. Seat is uncomfortably hard but anyways they are not used much as the rider is off the seat in forward position while sliding. No need to mention that all the racers wear proper protective gear before riding these small dangerous monsters. The photo below will give you a better idea of broad sliding. Broad sliding involves sliding the rear wheel which results in a better turn at higher speed but also sprays back a large amount of mud in air, making it difficult to continue the race for other racers tailing behind. Therefore, a specifically designed dirt deflector is fitted to bike that diverts the spray to the other side. It has a low height exhaust pipe that improves the weight distribution and performance. The bike has its own characteristic mix of a bobber and a cafe racer but is only a race focused bike and not a street legal one. There are street legal models out there of a street tracker. It is a naked light weight street legal bike derived from a speedway racing bike itself. The design features a tall tail section with long tapered seat that curves up towards the rear end. In absence of front fender, the rear fender is cut down and accommodated with stripped off number plate holder. Rear portion also gets the dual coil suspension dampers unlike a speedway racer bike to make it preferable for daily commuting. Twin loop cradle chassis frame is left exposed by removing the rear body panel and is a piece of an art. An increased capacity engine is fitted to make this a practical street legal bike with an 800cc V-twin, air cooled, twin carburettor, 4-speed transmission that transfers an impressive(torque of 75Nm) 80Hp power to the rear wheel through a chain driven final drive. It could achieve a top speed of 190km/h. A unique type of dual exhaust pipes are used in this bike that are fixed high enough to align the upper end of the rear wheel and are called as high pipes. It has a regular but small capacity peanut shaped 8 litre fuel tank. A high MotoX type handle bar gives the rider a better control on the bike on paved surfaces. Handle also has minimum size instrument cluster with less detailed display options and a small LED headlight to retain looks of a tracker class. The most important feature is the introduction of dual channel ABS disc brakes system and also foot pegs on either side unlike the speedway racing bike. This is the only class where I’m getting a feeling of something new by mentioning brake system and foot pegs as these are some basic components of a bike and not to be mentioned specifically. Wheels are 19inches but are wider to balance these comparatively bigger parts. Wheel may be spoked or alloys depending on the manufacturer. The size of chain sprocket is smaller than a speedway bike because of the presence of a small 4-speed transmission. The only race which involves a totally different technique is worth witnessing once, e.g. Harley Davidson XG 500, Indian XFR 750 (believed to be the only street tracker production motorcycle) etc.

🚲.Tri-B.S.A – A customized bike having a base profile of cafe racer built in between 1960s -1970s. The name is TRIB.S.A a combination of two famous brands – Triumph and B.S.A. Triumph was known for its parallel twin cylinder engine whereas B.S.A for its nimble chassis frame. So a group of experts thought of combining both and produce a remarkable motorcycle.....which actually they did. The marriage of Triumph’s engine with B.S.A’s frame resulted in a by-product which was TRIB.S.A. B.S.A produced a featherbed(duplex cradle) frame design which was better at handling. Bike was incredibly good in handling as well as in engine performance making its presence felt in race events. It is just like combining two better things to produce the best. Power and torque production of 50Hp and 53Nm respectively were cranked out by a naturally breathing 650cc parallel twin cylinder, 4-speed transmission, chain driven, air cooled engine. It only had an option of kick start to turn it on. Drum brakes were used to bring it to dead stop as disc brakes were still under development at the time. One more eye catchy feature was the heavy chrome body work and the iconic light alloy goldstar fuel tank. Recent development in the restoration technique has made this retro bike to survive till the date. With the installation of modern technology to restore parts like disc brake, instrument cluster, headlight etc, Its DNA is still surviving. A TriB.S.A could be witnessed in many vintage shows and exhibitions.

  🚲. Triton – Like Tri-B.S.A, Triton is an amalgamation of Triumph and Norton. Featherbed frame of Norton was considered the best handling frames in that era as mentioned on the earlier section, Triumph produced the best engine hence experts thought of combining both the bests. The combo gave birth to a new brand which manufactured a fanatic motorcycle by the name Triton. Secondary motive was to make these underdog brands to survive in the market. Brands like Norton, B.S.A, Triumph, Vincent were struggling to keep up the pace with other brands. Other brands like NorB.S.A, Norvin were also formed with similar intention.

  🚲. Bobber - Bobber is a cruiser that is custom built and also known as bob job. Custom means modifying by changing the stock parts of the motorcycle. The word “bob” means to cut and in a bobber the front fender is removed and rear one is shortened. This type of short rear tail is called bob tail. Along with fenders, other superfluous parts are also removed to cut down the overall weight. The evolution of bobber motorcycle began in America(believed to be in 1920) which is also the birthplace of all cruisers. To keep the weight down, naked cruiser is selected for this purpose which means nearly all the parts are left exposed. Heavy panniers are replaced with light saddle bags for the same purpose. Rear bobbed fender of it is only used to hang saddle bag on either sides. Big brands have come forward to build this class of motorcycle and sell by the name of bobber itself. It is observed that the front fork unit is kicked forward in a cruiser but here it is pulled little back and closer to the engine reducing the wheel base as well as shorten the turning radius. This makes the bike little more nimble. Light in weight makes it a good choice for daily commuting. The modification also includes chrome plating followed by special polychromatic paint. Some bobber lovers decorate the bike by doing pin striping on the tank. Upholstered triangular solo spring seat is fitted to give an old school look. Height of the handlebar is lowered down to match the seat height setting. Bar end mirror positioned either upwards or downwards gives the front end a modern look. Foot pegs are repositioned little backward than a cruiser. When a rider is sitting on a bobber, his hands are much straighter in position. Legs are positioned little forward ahead of the hips. Both shoulder and hip are in a straight line making the rider sit in a much erect position but without leaning back. Slimmer front wheel is changed to a thicker one or a wheel similar to the rear wheel in size. 16inches is wheel diameter of both front and rear wheel and this similar dimension gives similar amount of traction for better balance and ridability. Twin disc brake system on front wheel is replaced with a single one. Conventional shoe brake is used to stop the rear wheel. Instead of a V-twin engine, mostly a bobber is equipped with a parallel twin cylinder arrangement. The reason behind this change is a simple compensation with the modifications made on the bike. It has a low speed 1200cc 4-stroke, liquid cooled, 6-speed transmission, chain driven engine with a low top speed of 125km/h. Power and torque of 100Hp and 75Nm resp makes it a better cruising m/c. Fuel is stored in the fuel tank which has a capacity of 14litres that is enough for mid-range touring. The rear structure is  hardframed and whatever amount of damping is required by the rider, it is provided by the spring fitted solo seat. Old bikes had similar hardframe design and so a bobber shares it too. Engine is detuned to produce less horsepower and spike up the torque produced. Exhaust system looks unfinished as the long muffler is changed to shorter one and in some cases it is totally removed. A light weight revised version of a  cruiser that makes it handy for both touring as well as commuting, Triumph Street Bobber, Indian Scout Bobber etc.

 🚲.Cafe racer – A light weight naked and most probably a sports motorcycle which is preferred for short distance rides. In British way back in 1950s/60s, famous Rockers used this bike for short distance ride between cafes. The bike was fast and agile like a racer which tossed the term “Cafe Racer”. The bike was born in poverty where the citizen struggled financially. At that time the bikes had small capacity engine and that is why they were used for short trip. People who couldn’t afford new bikes chose to work on an old bike by stripping off parts like front and rear fenders, rear seats etc. But today this class has evolved and doesn’t symbolize poverty anymore. It is now designed and crafted by the makers for speed and agility and focuses less on comfort. The rear portion looks incomplete due to the absence of seat. Instead a rear cowl tail was fitted to this portion for a tidy finish. Cowl is a hump shaped body panel usually made of fibre that covers the rear seat area giving the bike a sportier and finished look. The evolution has changed the way of manufacturing it but not it’s DNA which still remain in the minds of the manufacturers. Engine on this bike is a small capacity single cylinder one which doesn’t go beyond 1000cc but definitely is build for speed. A Cafe racer churns out power of around 90Hp and torque of about 70Nm making it suitable for quick rides over short distances. Generally, it has an old technology engine without electronics to retain the retro feel. Engine is assembled on a twin tube chassis which lacks a frame to give it a retro look. Doom headlight is a circular headlight which was once used in the era of 50s/60s and still survives on this bike. Handlebar is mounted low and is generally a clip-on type which down positions the hands of the rider. Uniquely positioned rear view mirrors i.e. bar end mirrors make it easy for the rider to keep an eye on the rear vehicles without shifting his/er position. Elongated fuel tank has knee grips indented on either side of the tank where a rider could fix his knees for better hold on the bike at higher speeds and corners.  Alloy wheels were invented in the later period which had replaced the conventional spoked wheels on most of the bikes due to its less weight and strength. Due to low price, spoked wheels with passable thickness tires are fitted. It is not capable of achieving high top speeds and doesn’t weigh much which is why a single rotor disc brake on the front and a drum brake on the rear which is sufficient enough to bring it zero. Seat is not much comfortable but does the job and adding up to this is the suspension system which consists of dual coil shock absorbers and are used and front telescopic suspension giving a satisfactory output. Rider sits in a position where his hands are straight and leans forward. Foot peg are located just below the rider’s seat that align hip and feet on either side when viewed from the side. Chin and knee of the rider are both in a line making him lean forward and make a better aerodynamic shape overall. Ground clearance is more than a sports bike and cruiser thus it can withstand mild off road conditions. A cafe racer is one of the best daily commuting bikes, e.g. Triumph Thruxton, BMW R-Nine T etc.

 🚲.Street fighter – A pure converted naked fast commuter bike which has no semi or full fairing but having an upright sitting position is a street fighter motorcycle. Matter of the fact is that a street fighter was never a naked bike but derived from a pure sportsbike segment. It was developed in Japan in the great automobile development era of 1970s. Customers across the globe started getting attracted by the new fully faired line up of motorcycles developed by nearly all the Japanese brands. These bikes were costly though. Many inexperienced owners couldn’t afford the cost of repairing the fairing (rhymes....lol!!!) after repeated crashes. Fairing was and is the first major part of a bike that gets damaged in a crash. The alternative solution found was to simply remove it. This made the bike look incomplete from the front but at the same time made it look aggressive and more killer type and that is how the term “street fighter” was tossed. The removal also resulted in cut down of the weight. Aerodynamics was further improved by replacing the headlight. Acerbis headlight became famous after this. This bike was used as a stunt machine and that’s why the handle was changed to a higher straight bar which assisted in performing stunts in a much controlled manner. The whole look of a street fighter seems incomplete giving it a perfect naked bike tag. The forward leaning design not only makes it look sharp but also makes it fast due to diminished weight(no fairing) and improved aerodynamics. Most of the body panels are either absent or painted black to make the engine, chassis and frame exposed. A short light weight exhaust sits under the belly of the bike to improve the centre of gravity and handling. Almost whole length of the frame is exposed outside which is a highlighting feature of a street fighter. Other one is the massive aerodynamically designed 7 litre fuel tank which is the first part along with the wheels visible from a distance. Street fighter is a best speed and handling combination bike with great performance output. It is a pure road machine and not made for unpaved terrain due to short suspension travel. The wheels are wider with thickness of the rear tire larger than the front tire for better traction(rear wheel drive needs greater rear traction). Rear wheel thickness along with rear suspension makes the rear end look higher than the front and gives that overall front leaning look. This is done in order to improve aerodynamics and handling on a curve. Wheel base is shortened to improve the nimbleness and easy traffic rides and also it reduces the turning radius. Shorter wheel base induces quick switching from left to right turn and vice versa. The profile of the bike makes the rider too to lean forward. Bike in accommodation with the rider should make a smooth air flow shape and is achieved by a much focused riding position having bent hands and forward inclined spinal cord. Hip and tow align in a straight line due to the position of the foot pegs which are situated little behind the middle section of the bike. Rider could keep his/er head upright or rest it on the tank to achieve top speed. Rider’s seat is comfortable but when it comes to a pillion rider, I wouldn’t recommend as it is small in size and positioned high which is not fit for touring. High pillion position makes the pillion rider look like an idiot and also to go fast, pillion is required to lean down and forward which gives series of serious back aches to him/er. Nose of the bike is very much close to the front fender because of this design. Overall performance output is a summation of body design and engine. The unusual curves and shape of body parts give the bike an impossible look. Big brands like Triumph, Ducati etc started manufacturing street fighter bikes. Speed triple and Street fighter were and are still the flagship models of a street fighter. An L-twin 1000cc, 6-speed transmission, chain driven, dry clutch engine cranks out 155Hp of power and 115Nm of torque which is the life giver of the bike. Like a body builder develop muscles after series of intense workouts making veins visible which looks muscly in the same way this bike has steel tubular trellis frame and feels like veins and makes it look muscular. Obviously, it protects the engine and provides a strong base to the heavy engine and other mechanical parts. Infotainment system includes a TFT high definition display screen which comes with the most advance track racing features to give a taste of a track circuit motorcycle. Often carbon fibre(high strength with less weight) parts are used to make the bike even better, e.g. MV Agusta Brutalle 800 RC, Ducati Streetfighter etc.

   🚲.Scrambler - Scramble means to move fast on a steep gradient of rough surface. So, naturally a bike that can do this is a “Scrambler”. It was first developed in America for racing purpose that too in dirt. Due to the uneven track, the bike takes small or low jump. In 1970s era, scrambler lost its existence due to much superior bike for this purpose i.e. a MotoX bike. It returned after 4 decades with modern features that got it famous in European countries. This revised scrambler came strongly with great blend between a backbone of an off-road and a street bike. The characteristic features are high ground clearance, spoke wheels and high pipes. Basically, a scrambler is a naked motorcycle that is considered to be a by product of a cafe racer. You would believe the same when you reach the end of this segment. It has a great supple tubular steel cradle mid-sized cross section chassis on which a nice boosted torque engine is mounted. Off-road bikes need to escape through the surface that tries to stop the wheel from rotating. This demands high torque at lower rpms associated with smooth power delivery. A scrambler has a 4-stroke 900cc, parallel twin cylinder, liquid cooled, 5-speed chain driven engine that gives 65Hp power output and 80Nm of torque output. Medium sized P-nut fuel tank is mounted on the frame with storage capacity of 12 litres. This clearly shows that the bike is a pure commuter and not for long rides. It is light in weight due to less body panels as the idea was always to bob off unnecessary parts when it came to racing. This gives the bike a more exposed look where nearly all parts like engine, chassis frame etc are all left exposed. It gives an incomplete look similar to a cafe racer. Along with the front suspension, rear ones also have greater travel which increases the ground clearance. For simplicity, the distance between rear body panel and rear wheel is more providing high stance. Rear suspension is a common set of two coil spring to retain the retro look. Wheelbase is an intermediate between a cruiser and a sports bike for a perfect balance between straight road riding capability and nimble handling. Medium sized spoke wheels with knobby tires help to achieve better off road results. To cut down the weight further, front and rear fender are chopped to a smaller size. My favourite feature of a scrambler is the exhaust system which has high pipes. From the exhaust duct of the engine, the straight header pipes line doesn’t  run down to the foot peg height and then swirl to the rear wheel rather it turns right from the exhaust duct height back to the rear end and limits itself somewhere near the indicator line. This is why it is called “high pipe” and is such to avoid dirt and water from getting inside while riding off-road. High pipe has heat shields that protect other parts from getting damaged due to excess heat produced when the engine is running. Generally, this bike has least electronics which cuts down the overall cost. Instrument cluster is in the form of an odometer with classic pointer system to displays the details. This is done again to retain the retro DNA. When riders goes off-road, he stands up and rides to escape the back aching humps and also for better control on uneven surface. That is the reason why handle bar on this bike is high and wide to give a good arm position while sitting as well as standing. Foot pegs help him/er lock the feet for a firm hold on the bike when riding in standing position. Rider sits in a relaxed manner with chin, knee and feet in a straight line. Spine of the rider leans a little forward. Feet are positioned high due to high foot peg placement. Overall it is the best commuting posture. A scrambler is a 180Kg light weight and cheap bike which attracts attention of many. Several brands have scrambler as their entry level bike in many countries due to its low cost and weight. It is easy to figure out that most of the production bikes were once born on a race track, e.g. Triumph Scrambler, Ducati Scrambler etc.

  🚲. Rat bike – Rats found in the houses are dirty, stinky and generally black or brown in colour. Because this segment deals with a rat bike, it should resemble a rat in some manner. A rat bike or also known as survival bike is simply an old bike which is anyhow kept running by some clumsy techniques. Some are old and some are given this kind of a look as if they are more than a decade old. So, it is basically a type of modification. Mostly the bike uses a brown or black livery to make it look rusty. All chrome parts lose its shine due to continuous exposure to moisture for long time. If the bike is painted, it is painted with black or brown matte paint which gives that old look. Parts like tank, seat and side panels are often covered with brown cloth to improve the old look further. In India, there is a term called “jugad” in Hindi which means hack. The speciality about this type of modification is all the crazy hacks to repair and modify the bike. By looking at the bike, one would feel as if it has rolled straight out of a scrap yard or dirty waste. This bike does exist and it is not a mere surprise because out there, there are people with different liking for the styling of a bike.

 Minibike - The name itself states everything about this bike. There is no rocket science involved here to understand that a minibike is a two-wheeler that is small in size. In 1950s, some enthusiast handcrafted the minibike. Here, by small size I mean the size of all the parts and panels that constitute the bike.  Minibike is a beginner bike and is ridden by kids between 5-14 years. To learn riding, a minibike is the best choice because of its size and weight. Right from the basic part to the largest part on this bike, everything is way too small in size compared to a regular size bike. There are various types of minibike like monkey bike, mini chopper, pit bike, pocket bike, tote gote etc that are all small recreated bikes of the regular bikes in their respective segments. Fully-faired version of minibike is selected by the kids who have keen interest in MotoGP racing. In this case, the minibike is small but perfect replica of a MotoGP bike on which he/she could learn leaning techniques very well. There are several races where kids of same age group could race on a closed track.  Minibike was developed in 1960s and had a safe top speed keeping safety in mind. The recreated engine is a small 60cc 4-stroke, single cylinder, 2 speed transmission, chain driven which produces 5Hp of power and drives on small 4-6inches wheels. Mostly, it a single seater bike due to low power output. It just weighs about 50Kg which is light enough for a small kid to lift it in case the bike falls. It would be difficult for other drivers/riders to locate a minibike in traffic due to its small size making a minibike not fit for street use, e.g. Honda Z50A, Coleman Powersports etc.

 All Terrain Vehicle or ATV/Quads – ATV is a street legal 3 or 4 wheeler bike and also known by the name quadbike(4 wheels). By looking at an ATV which has not only 4 wheels but also a typical bike handle to steer, it is hard to tell whether it’s a bike or a minicar. It is designed in such a way that it could handle almost every type of terrain. The first ever ATV was built in Canada in 1961 and was called “Jiger” which had a small boat type body on four wheels. Rider could relax himself in terms of balancing the vehicle at low speed due to the presence of two extra wheels. Tire is the only thing that is in direct contact with the road and basically nothing is more important than a tire in a vehicle. Bike with everything perfect on it is nothing without a wheel. It is not the engine but the wheel that helps a bike to successfull trail riding. Knobby wheels with a diameter range between 8-12inches and 5-8inches wide are fitted to escape any type of challenging track. These wheels work well in snow as well. But addition to the threads, a set of chain is wrapped on the tire to further increase the grip. However, different  thread thickness tires could be used according to the location of its usage. ATV is not as comfortable as it looks due to its small and compact car like design. But to much extent, the solid coil spring that sit in between the frame and the axle does the job. This vehicle has rear and front axle with independent double wishbone suspension with adjustable coil spring settings. Front axle could be steered like a car. Front axle has a transfer case that directly supples the power to front wheels. A disc brake is assembled just prior to the wheel hub on both sides to stop the vehicle from a specific moving speed. ATV is an all wheel drive vehicle where the engine moves all the wheels. Power is tranfered to the rear wheels by chain or belt. There is an option of selecting 2 wheel or 4 wheel drive that could be selected by a switch on the dashboard. A small differential gear mounted on the rear axle makes the turns possible without skidding. Rear axle also has an electric reverse motor on it which helps easy reverse motion of the wheels. Beside these parts, rear axle also has a single disc brake for effective braking power. The most astonishing feature is to turn the front wheels by not a steering wheel but by a conventional bike handle. ATV has a small instrument cluster located near the handle to display the details like speed, rpm, fuel level and many more. The handle bar is high and wide to give a much relaxed arm position both while sitting and standing. ATV is made to withstand enormous amount of force that is taken up by its skeleton which is a cradle frame. Apart from withstanding and absorbing the jerks, it also acts as a strong and tough mounting base for almost all the parts and is made of  hybrid steel aluminium. The most attractive feature is the body. Like a JDM car i.e. Japanese domestic market car, all of which has extended and kicked out fenders out of the plane of the car. Similarly it looks as if a car fenders are integrated to a dual sport bike body on all the four sides. Body along with integrated fenders are attached high because of the long suspension travel. It is designed so to avoid dirt or water getting sprayed high from the spinning tire to the rider. It is designed in such a way that almost all the parts are left exposed. Unlike a regular bike where the rear view mirrors are on the handle, here they are on the front fenders on either side for better view. Generally, there are two headlights like a car on the front body panel. A small tail light is fixed which serves as a warning for tailing vehicles. Lower front portion goes through many hits by rocks, stones and other hard objects when trailing which could this damage front portion. An aluminium brushguard bumper is assembled to this portion which takes up all the hittings and avoid damages. The long flat seat is similar to a dual sport bike and is used in a similar fashion too. The rear portion of the body has a luggage rail on which a removable trunk could be fitted to load essentials. Fuel tank with 14litres of fuel capacity is located in between the seat and the steer handle just like any other bike. Half of the time, rider stays in standing position to tackle the rough terrain or else she/he may get serious back injuries due to violent shaking while riding. Only on a paved path where it would not shake much and thats when the rider gets a chance to sit. The whole force of the rider when standing comes on the foot floor located on either side of the bike. It is therefore serrated to give enough hold to the rider’s feet. The riding posture is erect where his/er head, shoulder and hip  all align in a straight line. The forward feet align themselves with knees and elbows in the same manner. This posture is best to change to standing position and back immediately, effortlessly and repeatedly. ATV has room for 2 riders. It is an aggressive machine with great power to escape difficult terrains. The high torquey engine gives it the aggressive behavior to win every off road challenge. This aggressiveness is induced by a violent 700cc two cylinder, 4-stroke, liquid cooled, 5 speed and 1 reverse speed transmission that produces almost same amount of torque as well as power i.e. 47Nm and 47Hp resp. The other head turning feature is the exhaust system which has high two into one manifold pipes and are diverted below the fenders on each side. ATV is a short vehicle and so is the wheel base. High ground clearance is necessary in an ATV so as to tackle the bumpy track and flooded regions. For that, small sized 9inches diameter with 10inches wide wheels are used. Addition to that, the front tire has bigger diameter than the rear one with 22inches and 20inches resp. Even after setting the suspension height to high, an Atv has a short overall height. This is so to improve the handling. ATV is a very effective vehicle due to the “go anywhere” capability which is why it is used by the disaster teams in emergencies situation like floods, on beaches, forest fire and many more. Keeping this fact in mind, manufacturers fit a winch to the chassis at the front end. It is a mechanical device to pull in or let out the tough wire that is wound around a motorised drum. Any object or vehicle could be hooked to this wire and dragged to different location. This is also helpful in towing out a vehicle stuck in deep mud. ATV has shovel attachments which in case could be used to move snow out of its path. Some ATVs have hooks to cable and pull a trolley. So basically,it is a very useful and effective vehicle or kind of a lifesaver, e.g. Yamaha Raptor 700, Arctic Cat mud pro 700 etc.

 Sidecar motorcycle - A sidecar motorcycle is a 3 wheeled motorcycle which has a sidecar attached to the side of a motorcycle. Precisely, the side cabin which is attached to the bike is called sidecar. It adds the 3^rd wheel along with two wheels of the bike. It is an open cabin on a wheel and could carry 1-2 passenger resulting in increase in the overall passenger carrying capacity to 4 passengers which otherwise would have remained to 2. In 1912, British designed the first sidecar which was fixed to a cycle at the trigulation portion of the tubes. Side car and the bike both are placed parallel to each other with the wheel of the side car almost aligning the rear wheel of the bike. It has a frame on which the body is mounted. The frame is fixed to the front frame portion of bike on one side and to the swingarm swing on the other side. There is an independent suspension on the sidecar wheel which absorbs the shock and induces comfort for the passenger. The body is closed from all the side except the top from where the passenger enters and get down of the sidecar. There is a small comfortable seat for the passenger. When she/he is sitting inside it, the portion above the biceps is visible outside. It is basically designed in a shape of a boat with induced some aerodynamic factor. A small windscreen located on the front end of it to cut and divert the air from falling directly on him/her. Backrest provides a relaxed sitting position and  comfort. There is a small trunk provided at the rear end and also a stepney wheel fixed to the side. A small back view mirror is also attached on the front end to improve the area of visibility for safety. Wheel of a side car is comparatively smaller than the bike to lower the height of it and also to improve handling the vehicle as after fitting a side car, it handles differently and could become even more difficult if the side car is not coordinated well with the bike. The wheel is between 24 to 29inches in size. A fender is fitted to this wheel which avoids splashing dirt and water high in the air. It also has a headlight and a taillight fixed to the front and rear respectively to make the sidecar visible to the traffic at night. To make it look like an integral part of the bike, it painted with a matching color of the bike. Looking from front view, the body of the side car sits in between the bike and the sidecar wheel as shown in the picture. Many a time, sidecar is used to carry extra luggage when there is no passenger. Some side cars have soft roof which saves the passenger from bad weather while travelling. It is an added feature to a bike and preferred mostly for touring.      

 Snowmobile/skimobile/Ski-doo - In winters, Countries like Iceland, New Zealand and Norway etc faces heavy snowfall which covers the entire land with snow. But not even nature could stop the automobile lovers from travelling and they made a snowmobile. The word “snowmobile” means to move on snow. It is a motorized two seater vehicle specially designed to move on snow and ice. Like a conventional motorcycle, a snowmobile doesn’t require any road. To travel on a bike is known riding same way travelling on a snowmobile is known as snowmobiling. In 1916, Harry Kalenze from Canada invented a vehicle propeller and which basically is known as the building block of a skidoo. The design looks similar to an ATV from the front and as you move your eyes to rear portion, the vehicle becomes smaller and smaller. Front comprises of windscreen, headlight, hood, shroud and reflectors which all together form an aerodynamically design. This front portion has air scoop vents so that the air enters from them and exits from the rear making the vehicle stay on the surface and perfectly stable. A skidoo has a handlebar to steer just like an ATV. Big windscreen covers the handlebar and instrument cluster. Knuckle guards fixed on each ends of the handlebar avoids any object from getting hit on rider’s hands. Front portion is bigger than a normal motorcycle having enough room for two rear view mirrors fitted on it similar to an ATV. The irregular design begins from the mid section where the body compacts having only footboard at the side lower ends. Rider gets feet grip by the serrated footboard when sitting or standing. From the side, a skidoo looks like a small helicopter. The rear portion of a snowmobile is where the rider along with pillion sits and resembles the tail tube of a helicopter. Long open tubular inverted cup frame holds all the parts in place and takes up the pressures and forces acting on the vehicle from all the directions. Rear frame is covered by slick fibre panels and a long saddlemen seat is fitted for comfort. Seat with a cosy backrest enhances mobiling experience. Rider keeps on shaking when mobiling because of the uneven and unpaved surface which is why there is no permanent sitting posture. Luggage rack improves storing capacity and generally fitted where it surrounds the rear seat from three ends. Reflectors on either sides aid visibility to other traffic by reflecting back the light(headlight) falling on it. Side grab rails help the pillion to hold on to the vehicle on a bumpy ride. The rear end is concluded by a snow flap that clear the snow from spraying high because of the rotating track. The most interesting part is yet to come where I’ll be giving a rough idea about how it propels. Wheels fail to move in snow due to lack of traction. Traction on such a region could be increased by increasing the surface area of the mover. This is where skis come into the play. The front part has two sledges or skis in place of wheels and is each attached on single wishbone suspension system. Like triple clamp is used in bike to hold the front arm, here there is a tough penta-tubular arm having three front arms. One arm connected to front suspension giving a strong hold to the front end and the remaining two arms fixed to the rear chassis. Skis slide smoothly on snow and construct the front wheel system. Both skis can move in both right and left directions but on their own axis with limited turning angle. The rear push is given by a long endless thread called track(found on a battle tank) made of tough material such as carbon fibre or Kevlar and 40cm wide. This track moves on set of sprocket and idler wheels which make the track to form a trapezium shape when viewed from the side. There are upper and lower sets of sprocket with difference in diameters. It is positioned in the rear centre side and is done so to balance the whole unit. There are two coil spring suspensions in between these sprockets. Snow itself is a soft substance and with this suspension system, it makes the vehicle restful. One of the sprockets is connected to the output shaft of the engine by a belt. Track is powered by an 800cc 2-stroke, in-line 2 cylinder, turbocharged engine that produces around 120Hp of power and 135Nm of torque. Engine has a special sealing which avoids snow to penetrate inside it which would lower engine temperature resulting in cold start trouble. Rich mixture is supplied initially where more fuel and less air is send to the engine. Snowmobile is a hungry vehicle forcing manufacturers to fit a high capacity fuel tank i.e. 35 litre, e.g. MX-ZX, Renegade Enduro etc.  

 Sportsbike – My personal favourite is the sports bike segment. Well... if you ask a kid what a motorcycle is then he would definitely fix his index finger at a sports bike because of its popularity and craze. It is one of the best aerodynamically designed bikes. Having said that, it also has one the best induced advanced technology which comes straight from superbike/hyper bike or MotoGP bikes. A street legal version of a MotoGP makes it a popular class. The best feature is the looks that nearly stop the time around when stared at. It is a total antonym of a cruiser in terms of features and working. Where a cruiser has a low centre of gravity, a sports bike has high centre of gravity which is fixed just below the fuel tank. Nearly all the details mentioned in the street fighter class will be fit over here due to a close relation of a street fighter and a sportsbike therefore only the unmentioned ones that make it different from the street fighter will contribute this segment. It could either be a semi-fairing or a full fairing bike. Front fairing is the most important and exciting feature which enhances the flow of air over the body making it so called aerodynamic. Apart from high performance engine, this bike can travel even faster if the air flowing towards it is diverted smoothly by providing a free path. Unlike a street fighter, here the engine is covered by a fairing. Parts on this bike are less exposed due to the presence of rear and centre body panels. Aggressive edges are added to all panel designs that help escaping the air out for a smoother flow over the body. Fairing has aggressive curves with gills/vents for the same purpose. Refer fully fairing motorcycle segment to know more about fairings. Vent holes provided below the headlight are actually the intake hose from where the air enters into the engine. Side vents gives a tunnel path to the flowing air and makes it flow over the engine that plays a role of an extra cooling system in a sportsbike. The cold atmospheric air carries along the heat from the engine and hence cooling it to some extent. Other half of this job is done by the radiator which circulates cold fluid around the engine. Mostly there is a dual high flaring projector headlamps as the fairing has extra room for two. Fairing is an expensive part due to its material, manufacturing methods and brand. It covers 20-60 of the bike and that is why manufacturers spend long time designing one. Indicators on either side find their way as well on the fairing. Windscreen has a unique shape and angle for smooth air flow also does not disturb the continuity of the fairing outline. Rear view mirror which is an essential part of a bike for safety is also assembled on the fairing near the wind screen. Clip-on type handlebar which is short and low gives the rider to synchronize well with the overall design. Having a distinctive riding style, a different technique is used by a rider to ride it. The whole body of the rider gets gelled with the bike to make it a closed bubble for smoother air flow over the system. She/he has high but forward leaning riding position. Hands get positioned low when holding the handlebar. Rider’s head and elbow align in a straight line with the spinal cord aggressively leaning forward. Wrist and hip of the rider align in a line horizontally. Foot pegs are fixed little high and shifted to the rear end of the bike. Rider can switch between two positions 1)head up 2)head low. The position explained above is a basic head up position. Head low position is used when the rider wants to go fast. Here, rider becomes a part of that continuous aerodynamic profile line of the bike by leaning his spinal further down making his head rest on the tank. The transparent aerodynamic wind screen/visor in front of the rider is used to navigate the road when riding using 2^nd type. Air/wind now flows over rider’s back which was blasting on rider’s chest otherwise in the 1^st position. This provides air a smooth uninterrupted flow making the bike go faster and perform better. Tank has a small depression in the design where the rider could rest his head(helmet) on it for the 2^nd position. This is a basic idea of how a rider is positioned while riding as it is a crucial part of a sportsbike. Designed to reach higher top speeds, a high performance light weight engine is fitted to it. It is cranked by a 999cc 4-stroke, in-line 4 cylinder, liquid cooled, 6-speed transmission, chain driven with 4-2-1 exhaust that overall produce 195Hp and 120Nm of power and torque resp. It could reach a top speed of 299 km/h which is incredibly fast. Along with top speed, it is engineered to reach 0-100km/h in just 3secs making one of the fastest class of bike on the planet.  Wheels used are similar to a street fighter and made of alloy material which is tough and light at the same time. Dual side light weight swing arm gives strength to the rear portion and also gives a firm base to the rear wheel. Not only speed but braking is also taken seriously on this bike with large 320mm dual vented rotor perforated disc brakes on the front wheel and a small 260mm solid disc brake on the rear wheel. It becomes a challenge otherwise to stop this monster m/c. One stylish feature is the way it is parked. Mostly, side stand is compromised due to excessive space occupied by the fairing. Centre stand avoids the bike from falling and is parked without leaning left like in case of a side stand. To be précised, a paddock type centre stand is used which is a strong tubular L shaped frame with small crawling wheels to slide it on and off the bike. It is a detachable stand unlike a regular fixed stand. Horizontal tube of the stand is pushed down which acts like a lever that lifts the rear wheel to a height. The stand arms temporarily get meshed with the rear wheel lock nut. The reverse technique is used to remove the stand. Some sportsbike have an option of side stand too. Riders use leaning technique to take fast turns by leaning towards the corner direction. This helps them to take turn at high speed. Sportsbike is always fun to ride, e.g. Kawasaki Ninja Zx-6R, Cagiva Raptor 1L etc.

 Adventure sports or AS/ Sports tourer or ST – This is a semi or fully faired touring version of a sports bike. When speed(dynamic performance) is amalgamated with touring, an AS is born. So, with this bike a traveller could go on long rides and even can complete in short time due to high speed touring capability. The first AS was the 1977 BMW R100RS. The dominating feature is the large front fairing and windscreen. Whenever speed is mentioned in an automobile, aerodynamics always comes into the picture. According to what I have observed about an AS is that when there is ample increase in the suspension height of a sportsbike with pannier bags on, you see an AS. Unlike a classic sportsbike, this could be used for long distance touring. Much of the overall details are similar to a sportsbike so I would only mention the characteristic features and rest could be referred from the sportsbike class. The windscreen could be adjusted according to rider’s choice. Riding position gets little higher making the rider’s spine much straighter and relaxed which is technically a semi-sporty riding position. This is also done by raising the handlebar. Riding for long hours with arms under the influence of cold wind, making them soar after some time and rider loses the feel of his arms. This could land him/er in a much troubled situation and might even cause a road accident which is why it cannot be taken casually. Heated grips in the handlebar make the rider to regain the feel in his arms. Instrument cluster is all in one TFT screen with wider options of(hard, normal, soft with or without pillion rider) suspension setting, load setting, height setting, riding setting and many electronically controlled safety systems like ABS, cruise control and the list just goes on giving a good hassle free riding experience. Larger fuel tank of 24 litres fuel capacity gives the bike its binge in a long run. Ground clearance is little more than a sportsbike to compensate with compressed spring after loading and also provide good cornering ability at the same time. AS is a comfortable tourer for a pillion rider too because of the presence of wide pillion. Rear body has various mounting options for pannier bags and more. There is no distinct engine for an AS. Some changes are made on the classic sportsbike engine which earlier focused on peak power after modification focuses on mid range torque. It generally has an in-line 4 cylinder, 4 stroke, 1200cc, liquid cooled and a 6-speed transmission but with a unique final drive called shaft drive. A top speed which is lesser than its sibling sportsbike version but higher in mid range torque which is 130Nm and 155Hp of power production. AS is a much quieter bike than a typical sportsbike due to its exhaust system with a much silent end muffler, e.g. AS version of Kawasaki H2 is H2 SX, MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 is an AS version of MV Agusta F3 etc.

 Hyper bike/motorbike – Whenever you come across anything that says “Don’t try this at home”, there is a rush of thundered signals inside the brain. Nearly the same thing repeats when it comes to a hyperbike. The reason behind is the uttermost and paramount performance sportsbike called hyperbike. Hierarchy of performance bike begins with the bottom level occupied by a sportsbike in terms of engine capacity and performance which is 600-650cc. A next block above a sportsbike includes a superbike which is 700-1000cc. The top spot is occupied by a hyperbike which is 1000+cc. Not everyone could own one and not everyone could ride one. To swing the legs over this, one has to be professionally trained. Even riders with enough experience on a sportsbike have to go through training before riding this bike. This is because of the punishing performance of the bike which makes it abruptly difficult to handle. Fast, ferocious behaviour comes with the large engine displacement. It is strictly not allowed on public roads. At first look, a hyperbike looks meaner, impossible due to its unreal design. A pure piece of imagination and art gives rise to this unidentified riding object/URO. A fully faired bike with nearly everything sheerly induced whether it is aerodynamics, power, torque or performance. In simple words, it is the elder brother of every sportsbike. It holds the basics of a sportbike but with superior performance. Everything is similar to a sportsbike. It is just the design and material used for making the parts resulting in matured and purpose focused than a sportsbike. The breathtaking feature is the body which is so perfectly aerodynamic that even the laws of physics compel to bow in front of it. When running on the track, it is taken to the limits making it reach temperatures high enough to melt the parts. That’s why body panels like the fairing, side panels and rear panels are all made of carbon fibre, titanium etc to increase strength and lower the weight. A lighter bike rides faster, handles better and takes off quicker. It is perfectly a hand built bike and takes little longer time from the day all the parts arrive to the day it rolls out of factory. Each part is a piece of an art and takes longer period to develop. This is what makes a hyperbike an outclassed one. Parts like headlight, taillight, rear view mirrors, pillion seat, side stand and so on...are removed to further make it lighter. Those parts are actually useless on track. It is closely monitored by experts and each bike running on the track has to follow the track rules that make this bike absolutely safe without these parts. Rider remains connected via a wireless intercom microphone to the official crew present in the pit and she/he has to follow the orders accordingly unlike on street roads where the traffic is all on their own. The bike is ridden for several laps at different speeds including top speed runs. It has its own brain that records the data which could later be connected to a laptop and analyzed. All the parts used to build one are actually a prototype of what the company is going to use in the later years on a street legal model. In place of a headlight, the fairing had air-intake ducts to increase air induction which later is used by the engine to breathe. Introduction of winglets and gills in the fairing help to guide air more smoothly over and through the body making it next to perfect aerodynamic model. Rear and side body panels have razor sharp edges that give the bike a thunderbolt design and not to forget it completes the aerodynamics as well.  Body panels are mounted on the aluminium and steel chassis frame which is sturdy and reliable. Titanium and carbon fibre built engine is the heart of this monster. A 4-stroke, 1000cc, in-line 4 cylinder, liquid cooled, 6-speed transmission, chain driven engine that cranks out astonishing 270Hp of power and 170Nm of torque and could reach up a top speed of 400Km/h. Now, this makes a hyperbike a mighty beast and if still not then the next key feature would definitely force you to think so. The high performance feature is a supercharger. Yes, some hyperbike do have a supercharged engine that increase the power and torque to 300+Hp and 170+Nm resp. Top speed is basically more than 320 km/h. Kawasaki H2R holds a record top speed of 400km/h. Due to the massive engine, a hyperbike is heavier than a sportsbike and also makes it little less nimble when compared to the later. Everything in this bike is electronically controlled. There are more than 10 sensors on this bike with each given a specific task. Dry or slick tires are used which have no grips similar to a dragster tire. Broader in size, tires are 17 inches and made of a special rubber that starts sticking to the asphalt as soon as the temperature reaches a high point. Tires are designed in such a way that the bike could lean at greater angles than a regular bike i.e. about 62-70degrees. Riding position is much more aggressive than a sportsbike and looks much like a mother carrying her child on her back. It has no muffler raising the sound produced to higher decibels. Sometimes a rider even after wearing foam earplugs she/he face hearing problems. The above mentioned parts and their materials collectively are no ways cheap. A hyperbike could cost more than Rs70 lakhs which is more than a regular car, e.g. Kawasaki H2R, Dodge Tomahawk, Y2K etc.

 A MotoGP bike is generally built on a sportsbike platform and converted to a hyperbike. There is a team comprising a manager, head and engineers in specific fields, 2 riders and other crew members who all make a race possible. The bike is highly customized to give eminent performance but by keeping the bike in limits according to the rule book. Failing to which would result in disqualification of that specific team. There are several teams which work on their bikes, technologies, engines etc. Highly professional racers after series of competitions and tournaments qualify to this level and represent their teams. Team manager buys the best racer for their team. Each team has various sponsors that help them develop the bike. These bikes are a prototype of what the teams/brands would use in their future bikes. MotoGP is the best platform for them to test their creations to the limits. Definitely, any team who wins has undoubtedly the best technology and people who witness the race will go for the products under that team/brand. So it is a serious sport for both the spectators and the teams. Teams test the bikes for 100s of laps and riding for 1000s of kms for perfection. All the teams register for the long yearly tournament called a season. A season has 19 races. Each race is called a Grand Prix. Each team has their own unique combination of bike colors. Bikes are a full package of aerodynamics, speed, performance and technology. There is no system of sticking a logo of the brand and bike’s name but instead it is fully covered with brand and sponsor’s name that are stuck randomly all over. Every rider has his unique number which is displayed on the side of the bike by stickers. These bikes race on a closed circuit which is constructed to test each bike for its speed, turns, braking, and acceleration. Engine reaches 1800-2500 degrees which is enough to melt the piston head, cylinder wall etc of a normal street bike. Materials mentioned in the hyperbike class are used to avoid such problems. Racer could take a pit stop if case of any problem. To reach the pits, rider has to take a separate lane called pit lane where he has to strictly ride at 60km/h. Only after leaving this lane, a rider can resume his speed. Usually a MotoGP bike has a top speed of 320 km/h. A rider wears a pro suit which has an air bag that activates a.s.a he falls off. With this, there are slide zones on which a rider after falling slides and stops before getting smashed into the wall. This surface is not smooth but has a friction mud surface to stop the racer early. A racer with the highest points wins a season. The characteristic feature of a MotoGP bike engine is pneumatic valve system which makes the valve retract faster and reduces the possibility of piston-valve interference. Overall settings could be changed according to the conditions of the track, wind, climate etc. Wet tires have grips and could be fitted on the bike to race on a rainy day. Suspension height, seat height, handle height etc could be changes as well. High strength, light weight materials is used for the purpose of achieving greater speeds with nimble handling. The hierarchy of MotoGP has Moto 3, Moto2 and on the top is MotoGP. MotoE is another class where high performance electric bikes that look like a MotoGP with electric motor instead of a petrol engine are used to race. I'll share more details about MotoGP in my next article.             

 Tourer motorcycle – A bike specially designed for long distance rides or touring is a tourer. There are cruisers, sports tourers and many other bikes that do the job but nothing can beat a tourer when it comes to touring due to series of features which normally are not found on a conventional bike but on a car. This is the elder most member of the touring family. The extra large size of it makes the bike fit for tall(over 6ft) and bulky riders. This is due to the fully dressing assembled on it for maximum advantage. Large fairing with high wind resisting windshield is almost a common feature of a touring bike but here the size is incredibly massive and often feels like a front of a car. Climate is one big reason that ruins the schedule of a trip due to low visibility problems. That is why large room/space on the fairing consists of series of projector headlights combined with LED fog lamps which are enough to flare up the vision in any type of climatic conditions and help rider to continue without halts. From a distance, a tourer looks like a big sized sportsbike due to the aerodynamically designed body panels on it unlike a regular cruiser. Handlebar is high to align the hands parallel to the bike unlike ape handlebars which make the arms raised upwards. Highly equipped with car features with a big TFT touch screen instrument cluster with different settings like load setting, suspension height adjustment, seat height, handlebar height, damping setting, riding modes(sports, rain, eco, tour), seat heater, heated hand grips, GPS navigation, stereo system, satellite radio and many more that tailor the riding experience. The only bike equipped with an airbag system is another key feature of a car. The modes could be navigated through the controls located on the side screen and handlebar. There is a separate control panel with dials and buttons on the tank which again gives a feel of a car. On either side of the fairing are the turn signal rear view mirrors that look similar to the car mirrors. It is fully dressed leaving no exposed part. Rear portion is occupied by storage compartments. Hard pannier bags on both sides of the rear end and trunk tour pack on the top of the taillight region concludes the rear end. Due to the presence of panniers, more space for taillights is achieved and hence dual taillights are assembled similar to a car. Size of rear panel is so big that more than half portion of the rear wheel gets covered by the panniers. The rear is designed aerodynamically as well and works along the front fairing in providing a smooth air flow over the body. Car sized fuel tank is a must for a bike of this size that is 22litres and avoids frequent fuel fill ups. One of the best features is the car like seat which is a split one but is the most comfortable on a bike. Corbin seat looks like a step seat and has a separate backrest for the rider. It is the only bike where the pillion enjoys as much as a rider does in terms of comfort. Trunk box fixed at the top end section has a back rest on the other side which is used up by the pillion to rest his/er whole back as if sitting on a couch. To make it a more practical couch, two separate foldable hand rests are provided which could be opened and folded back according to the use. Seat equipped with a seat heater prevents soar hips on longer tours in cold climate. Forward located foot pegs, seat and handlebar together gives the rider an upright riding position. These are the actual problems faced by riders on long tour which all gets faded on a tourer. It is cranked by one of the most silent engines on a motorcycle that provides a low-end power. Instead of top speed and acceleration, the engine focuses on transferring most power when the bike is fully loaded with luggage and passengers on. It is made strictly for highway use only and not for unpaved surfaces. Low ground clearance with longer wheel base helps straight line run easier but of course limits the leaning angle to much extent. Well...no one wants to lean with such huge load. XL size of a tourer gives ample space for the manufacturers to assemble a large and heavy engine on it which is a 4-stroke, 1900cc boxer six cylinder, 6-speed with 1 reverse gear, liquid cooled with programmed fuel injection system engine enough to produce power of 125Hp and torque of 170Nm. Some tourers have 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission to make gear shifting even smoother. The specified power and torque is obtained at lower rpms that help rider bring the bike in motion with less twist of throttle. This type of engine occupies larger space due to the cylinder arrangement which is why it is not used in many bikes while a tourer is all about comfort and space whether it is for the rider or for the different mechanical parts. There is a gradual increase in the weight with increase of different features making the bike very heavy but riders does not mind the weight as the bike is balanced even after the weight. 6 into 3-2 dual slip-on exhaust on either side sits neatly under the panniers. This completely hides the real wheel and is visible if either the bike is at a distance or if anyone particularly kneels down and peeks. Everything on a bike depends on the frame. It also takes up all the different brutal forces due to the movement of various parts. To hold all these parts in place, no compromise is made in selecting the frame. Therefore, aluminium twin tube cradle frame designed specifically for a tourer is used. High strength aluminium alloy wheels with 16-18 inches diameter tires give a comfortable ride with electronically controlled automatic inflation system. Single ordinary brake cannot handle such huge force and bring the bike to a safe dead stop and hence 320mm dual rotor disc brakes on the front wheel and 315mm single rotor disc brake with ABS on the rear wheel are used to do the job safely and reduce braking distance. Overall it feels like a caravan on two wheels, e.g. Honda Goldwing Tour, BMW K1600 etc.

 Trail motorcycle – Trail means to move slowly and that is what this segment is all about. Trail bike is a specially built bike for a non-speed event in which a rider has to cross either man-made or natural obstacles without landing his feet down. Each landing is called prod and results in a penalty of 1 point. The course has various obstacles of different shape and size. The event happens either in a closed stadium or under the sky like forest or hilly region with boundary tapes that guide the rider to the finish line. Only when one rider crosses the finish line, the next one is given a green flag. This way the entire row of riders get the opportunity to perform and one with the least penalty points wins the event. A modified race of this event is the time trial where a rider has to finish in a pre-set time interval. Penalty is fined for each extra second taken to finish. The other event includes two riders starting side by side at the same time. They have to cover full course, take a U-turn and return to the starting line. Rider who crosses the finish line first wins. Trailing actually tests balance of a rider on his bike. For such hard beating, an ordinary bike cannot last even up to a single performance. This gives rise to a new segment of bike called trail motorcycle. It resembles a MotoX bike with high ground clearance and a more compressed looking body. The tank section along with seat line has a U shape progression unlike a Motocross bike which has a flat tank and seat line. This is done to increase the centre of gravity which by this design shifts somewhere near the engine area. Its unique feature is the lack of seat. Yes, you read it correct....”no seat”. The event requires perfect machine balancing on irregularly shaped obstacles which could be achieved only when standing. Rider remains in standing position during the race. To balance and climb to an obstacle, throttle is opened for some seconds and then closed making the engine to crank out torque and power. This is repeated again and again to crawl the bike. Simultaneously, the rider fixes his feet firmly on the specially designed foot pegs and pulls the handle bar upwards. This pops up a wheelie making the bike to climb or cross that obstacle. Different amount of force and speed helps to tackle different types of obstacle. That is actually the science behind this event. There is not much on this bike that needs body panel for covering. This is done to cut down weight and make it a light weight bike. During the event, rider makes the bike to hop which makes it easy to control the bike on obstacles with small surface area. This is the reason why this bike is small assembled with a small capacity engine and minimum parts. So, only the tank and seat line has light weight fibre body with integrated rear pointed fender. Twin spar diamond frame made of aluminium gives the bike the perfect rigidity with least weight. The bike has the lowest capacity fuel tank amongst others which is only 2 litres or even less in some models. A small 250cc torquey engine which is a single cylinder, 4-stroke, liquid cooled, 5 speed transmission, chain driven. However, higher gears are usually not useful in the race. Mode of starting the bike is a kick provided on the right of the bike near the foot pegs. Rider has to swing down the kick by applying certain force on it and this is how the engine could be cranked. A single exhaust header pipe travels just close enough to the engine and gets completed with a muffler that is right below the seat area. The reason behind this arrangement is to keep the gravity centralized. This exhaust system produces less sound. Swingarm of small dimension connects the thin rear spoked and knobby wheel of 18inches where as a small sized telescopic suspension system connects the front 21inches spoked wheel. Air pressure in the tires is kept low to increase its surface area and made to reach high temperatures faster which collectively increases grip on the surface. High handle bar serves the purpose of giving just the perfect wrist position while riding in standing position. Fender is fixed just above the wheel with some mm of gap in between unlike a MotoX bike which has high front fender to meet its purpose. This bike is designed to travel at slow speeds making use of small and single 190mm front disc brake with rear one even smaller i.e. 150mm that applies just enough brake force to stop it. Brake is actually a key factor that makes the bike stay in a particular place at the time of balancing. Weak brake won’t fix the wheel at that position resulting in losing the balance which would make the rider not to perform upto his potential. Trailing event tests brakes, suspension, frame, tires of the bike which in result shows how well a brand manufactures its parts. Like every racing bike lacks unnecessary parts like headlight, tail light, number plates, mirrors etc, a tail bike also lacks those parts. One of the lightest bikes on Earth with just 70kg dry weight, it feels like riding a cycle with no pedals. Years of training develops balance on the machine. This is a highly dangerous sport which sheds blood fracture bones, tear muscles etc due to the surface selected for the event, e.g. Honda Montesa Cota, Beta Rev 3 etc.

 Streamline motorcycle - A bike is said to be streamlined if it offers minimum air drag. Air drag could be reduced by making the body of bike aerodynamic which results in minimum drag coefficient. Henderson motorcycle brand was manufacturing fast 4-cylinder bikes since 1912 and believed to have laid the foundation stone of this segment. A large area is covered by body in a car so it is easy to achieve the aerodynamic results but in a bike, the story is totally different. A bike has an irregular shape due to the position and shape of the engine and various other parts. A fairing on the bike helps to minimize this air drag. A full dustbin fairing covers these parts and provides a smooth path to air. This design is called streamline design. Rider leans down on the tank and fixes himself properly to hide behind the fairing area. This prevents the rider from interrupting the free air flowing over the bike. Together the rider with streamline bike works to achieve higher top speeds. Riders who wish to set land speed records use such modifications. An open land known as speedway which is spread out several miles away is selected where a streamline bike is allowed to run. The event is photographed and shot on camera as well as timed carefully. Highly professional riders after months of practice and hard work get a chance to participate in the event. Winners name goes into the record books and is awarded in terms of fame and money, e.g. Silver Bird, Bub 7 Streamliner etc.

 Cabin motorcycle/scooter or forward feet – A typical motorcycle/scooter is open from the top making it unsuitable in bad weather unlike a car. A small cabin similar to a car would have given a good weather protection. Cabin scooter was specifically designed for this task having a hard roof on the top. Roof could be a full or semi-closed one. It is made of aluminium frame that travel from the front fairing to the rear portion. Fibre body watertight panels are assembled on this frame. Roof is integrated with the fairing. It is checked before getting installed for any water leaks. It is painted in the same colour matching the overall body colour code. Front part of the roof has a wind screen like a car so that the rider could have a clear view of the road. Wiper on the screen helps to wipe off water drops from the screen on a rainy day. The rear portion of the roof curves down to meet the rear fenders. Rear portion of the roof is used as a back rest by the rider. A cosy backrest which extends up till the head rest adds comfort to the ride and avoids back and neck problems. The two best features are air bag and seat belt and are provided due to enough room for the assembly. Large sized rear view mirrors help to improve visibility and safety and find their place on either sides of the front fairing. The rear section also has room for a pillion rider and so a seat is provided. But he/she does not get the benefits of roof as it does not extend till the extreme end. However, it looks odd to be a pillion rider on this bike due to the design and comfort as it is not that comfortable. This is why people use the bike for only solo commuting. Pillion space is used up by fixing an aerodynamic trunk box for storage purpose. Two trunk boxes placed one over the other increases the storing capacity. Sometimes there are stuffs that need to be kept separately to avoid blending so pannier mountings are provided on both the sides of the bike. These mountings are used to fit panniers to increase storage capacity and solve the problem. These were the characteristics of a cabin scooter/bike and rest is similar as mentioned in the scooter section. Cabin scooter is fun to ride because of its unique design and saves from getting wet in pouring condition or exhaust by the extreme heat on a hot sunny day, e.g. BMW C1, Honda Gyro Canopy etc.

  🚴Purpose   

 Ambulance motorcycle – It is a special bike used at the time of emergency. The need of ambulance motorcycle was felt when cities started facing traffic congestion and ambulance cars started taking time to reach the accident scenes. Many lives got endangered because of this reason. A bike that is lighter, smaller, faster, comfortable and also nimbler in handling could dodge such obstacles easily. WW1 witnessed the first ambulance bike service operated by countries like USA, England and France etc. A normal sports tourer bike is selected for this purpose due to its outright features. A bright colour code is chosen for easy spotting of this ambulance bike and the combination may be different in different countries. Mostly, white is chosen with red stripes having “AMBULANCE” written on the number plate and other remaining sides with the famous Red Cross. Several stickers are pasted on the bike showing a countries specific emergency number that helps people to remember it easily. There are two beacons....one on the front fenders and other high on the rear end behind the pannier. An extra set of flashing lights work in accordance with this beacon having bright blue, red, white lights which is a sign of warning. This is done to alert traffic about the emergency so that traffic gives a free way for it to pass. A loud siren is sounded which is located near the horn and makes the task even easier. Two panniers along with a small trunk store emergency first aid kit. Rider has to wear helmet and gears compulsorily for safety. A special uniform of bright fluorescent colour having light reflectors on the front as well on the back portion has the name of the purpose written on the back like ambulance in this case which help others to recognize him easily. In further sections, the name printed on the reflector is according to the respective purpose. An ambulance bike similar to a car ambulance transports important first-aid to the patient. In this manner, a paramedic responds to the situation asap. In worst situations, an ambulance bike with a sidecar responds and even could carry the patient to a nearest hospital. Side car is assembled with a canopy to save the patient from absolute climatic challenges. The bike is equipped with wireless intercom system that helps the rider to stay connected to the hospitals. When any emergency call arrives at the hospital, the operator sends the message to all the ambulance bikes present(if present) near the emergency scene otherwise(if not) a fresh paramedic departs from the hospital. Instrument cluster has a special live traffic analyst and route mapping and helps rider to take the shortest or least busy route. Ambulance bike has no doubt increased survival rates to great extent. 

 Blood motorcycle – A blood here is a service that provides transportation of important medical documents, samples, X-Ray, blood, drugs to either the emergency scene or between hospitals. Started back in 1962 in England, a blood bike proved to be a mandatory service. The bike is nearly similar to an ambulance bike with only difference in aesthetics. A blood bike has yellow base colour with mostly red check stickers and the word “BLOOD” written on all the sides. Emergency number displays a small, easy to remember national number on the bike that completes the sticker part. Rider gets dressed up in a similar fashion as done in the above section.

 Fire – In many countries, big fire trucks are used to fight fire situations. Traffic seems to be the biggest trouble when it comes to driving. Also there are many regions with narrow street where a fire trucks cannot enter. This called for a smaller vehicle and what better automobile it would have been than a motorcycle. A fire bike is similar to an ambulance bike in terms of class. However, some countries use a cruiser to serve the purpose. It is used only by the fire authorities to provide fire fighting service. Usually is painted in red and has “FIRE” sign on all the sides with yellow check stickers to highlight the bike for easy spotting. It also has emergency first-aid kit in the pannier. The other equipment includes fire extinguisher fixed prior to the panniers on either sides. The trunk space is occupied by a water tank. A hose which could be elongated by opening its length helps to jet out water to complex areas. It could even carry a patient to a hospital if needed to. Safety gears and helmet with a proper uniform are mandatory for the rider on duty.

 Police motorcycle – This is the only bike that everyone wants to avoid. If you see this bike in your rear view mirror, it means you may land into some serious trouble. You need to pull over asap if a police bike starts following you with its beacon and siren on accompanied by a loud call (name and vehicle number) on the loudspeaker. First country to start this service was USA in 1911. Police bikes move around the country round the clock on surveillance called patrolling. Their duty is to punish all law offenders. Bike is cheaper, nimbler, emits less emission, penetrate traffic and narrow streets easier than a car. Earlier cruisers including only baggers were used as a police motorcycle but later on sports tourer got a lot of attention because of its long list of impressive features. I did not mean that cruiser lost its job but sports tourers started sharing the job with cruisers. Generally, it is painted with base colour white. Paper wraps having blue, yellow checks are stuck all over the bike including “POLICE” on the either sides of the bike and on the wind shield as well. Every patrolling bike has its unique 4 digit number that is registered in the database with all the rider details. So just by knowing that number, the head station can seek all information they want in case. This number is also displayed on the visor. Police bike is a highly customized bike in terms of performance and equipments. Engine is configured to perform better than the stock version of the same bike to catch any law breaker effortlessly. There is a whole set of wireless intercom, walkie talkie, loud speaker system, high precision navigation unit, radio with secured frequency which is only be used by the police. These systems help to remain in contact with the head station. The station contacts the police by conveying message on the radio or by ordering the nearest rider either to reach the crime scene or chase the criminal. The bike has mountings just behind the rider’s leg for gun and baton which take enough space and cannot be carried elsewhere and ridden along. Offences like drink and drive, red light jump, hit and run, reckless driving all are liable to be punished and are caught on police bikes. The whole procedure is when a police gets the message on the radio about a crime, e.g. car which jumped a red light!!!.....officer would search for the vehicle and after locating it; she/he would follow it by turning the beacons as well as the loud siren on and order him to pull over on the loud speaker. Later that officer would ask for the necessary papers and interrogates the particular driver after getting pulled over. Police returns to the duty if he finds the suspect innocent otherwise he would ask him/er to come along to the police station. Uniform along with reflector vest, safety gear and helmet is mandatory for the officer on duty as it is a serious and dangerous job. Many times, an officer undergoes high speed chase on highways with speeds exceeding 200km/h. Crimes happen day in day out which always call for police. Whole planet would have been a total massacre without the police.

              

 Military motorcycle – Military has almost all types of automobiles including cycle, motorcycle, car, jeep, truck, bus, tank, missile carrier vehicles, ship, aircraft carrier, helicopter, plane, jet fighter and others if I have missed any. Safety comes first for any country with the known fact that a country becomes strong only if its military is build strong. War has no limitations whether it is human life or property loss. The above mentioned types of automobile are used by military due to different types of terrains and landscapes. In WW1 (1914-1918) countries like British, Germany etc replaced horses with mechanical horses known as motorcycle in many regions.  Let us focus on military motorcycle in this section. A military bike is typically a single seater bike painted in green or brown depending on the rank a soldier. It has two big stars on either side of the fuel tank signifying bravery. Fuel tank also has the name of the country for which it is serving e.g., “INDIAN ARMY” and also the regiment name. This is done to recognize it easily wherever it travels. The bike is equipped with leather saddle bag and pannier to increase luggage carrying capacity. Magnetic bag could be stuck on the tank along with saddle bag above front fender and even on the headlights. So many options to carry luggage is provided as often a solider gets transferred here and there all the time and because his country is the only house he has and not a private house like an ordinary civilian has. So after receiving the orders, he packs all his belongings, loads it on this rigid motorcycle and rides all the way to his next posting. Whole bike is welded with an extra steel frame that gives extra stiffness to the bike when loaded excessively. The bike is semi-armored with a strong aluminium sheet comprising a small visor that is fitted on the front portion near the headlight which saves the rider from getting hit in warzone. Riffle gun could be placed on the front fork mounting. This is actually perfect space management which helps to carry all the important things needed by a soldier. Often shaft driven bikes are selected which have a big advantage of not getting stuck in mud. Chain drives on the other hand after excessive exposure to the mud develops a huge chance of getting choked. A military bike is not for public use which is why every military vehicle is taken seriously by the population. These vehicles even have the right to break traffic rules in case of emergencies which is why aesthetics play an important role as due to the unique aesthetics, a military bike could be differentiated from other vehicles even from a distance. There is a strong rule that a civilian cannot use military livery on his vehicle. Military livery is to camouflage with the surrounding which helps in confusing the enemy who is trying to target it. Military cannot start painting the bikes the moment a war begins, that is why it has become an official colour. It is given by the authority in the same way it is given in the above mentioned purpose bikes. Normally the bike is used for daily commute and tour travelling. Military officer always wears his green/brown uniform all the time and wears the same while riding too. Safety gears like helmet, gloves, boots etc all are of the same colour. Military bike during war period helps in transporting necessary food, water, weapons, ammos, medic from the base to the post. Motorcycle classes like cruiser, SUMO, dual sports and sports tourer are used for the purpose due to their loaded features. A specific class of motorcycle is given its duty to serve the country on basis of the terrain where the action is going on. At the time of war, side cars are attached to the bikes. These sidecars carry first aid and medical equipments and tackle almost any type of terrain and provide medic to casualties. If a soldier needs a treatment then sidecar could be used to carry him to the hospital. It has a Stepney on the rear and a fuel tank which is filled with enough fuel to avoid flat tire problem and refuelling problems resp at the time of war as warzones do not have gas station options. It has enough space to carry ammunition in tight spaced warzone areas. Other way round, it is used as a war machine when the sidecar gets a machine gun assembled on it. Whole bike is armored with stainless steel shield on the front. This shield saves the rider with gun man on the side from getting shot in warzone. Gun man operates the machine gun and also guides the rider to ride in the direction where the gun man locates his next target. Military bike entered in WW1 and still plays an important role in wars as well as non-war conditions.

 🚴Final and Wheel drive

 Chain driven motorcycle – A chain driven bike uses an alloy steel roller chain as final drive. The power cranked out by the engine is transmitted to the rear wheel. Well, there should be something that connects the engine to the rear wheel. This is why the output shaft of the transmission has a fixed small toothed gear called sprocket which rotates with the rotation of the engine. Similarly, the rear wheel has a fixed sprocket but bigger in diameter which when moved, moves the rear wheel. The roller chain is designed in a way that each link gets fixed on to the teeth of the sprocket. This way a chain connects the two sprockets which together are known as final drive. When output transmission shaft moves, the sprocket fixed to it moves resulting in movement of the chain. As the chain is connected to the rear wheel sprocket hence it moves and finally makes the wheel to give the necessary rotation. The speed of wheel depends on the rotation speed of transmission sprocket. It is most commonly used system in bikes due to its low cost, weight, high efficiency and strength. However, regular maintenance is required to expand its lifespan. Also, regular use tends to heat exposure making the metal links to expand and also reduce lubrication on it. It is used in light weight daily commuter bikes, Bajaj Dominar, TVS Apache 310R etc.

 Belt driven/chainless motorcycle – To overcome the problems of a chain driven bike, a belt drive system was introduced. Belt driven bike is a bike that operates with a Kevlar or rubber composite V-belt as final drive. Concept of a belt drive is similar to a chain drive. Instead of a toothed sprocket, belt drive uses a special groove wheel called pulley. V shaped notches sit perfectly into these grooves and pushes the wheel when the belt is forced to move by the transmission output wheel. Its high strength and smooth operation gives it a permanent place in heavy cruisers and sports tourers. It neither requires lubrication nor does it expands under the influence of high temperature. However, it has a limited speed range, short service life and also certain power losses, e.g. Harley Davidson Roadster 1200, Buell Blast etc.

 Shaft driven motorcycle – Better than any other drive is a shaft drive. Shaft drive includes sets of bevel gears. Like sprockets are there in other drives, here crown wheel is fixed on output transmission shaft as well as on the rear wheel hub. A long drive spindle that fits perfectly in between the two crown gears has bevel gear on both the ends. It is meshed with the two crown gears. The axis of two crown gears with the bevel gear is at 90 degrees to each other. When the transmission crown gear moves, it forces the meshed drive spindle to rotate. Spindle which is meshed to the crown gear on the rear wheel rotates it as well. This results in the rotation of the rear wheel. The whole assembly comprising of two crown gears and drive spindle together are enclosed inside aluminium alloy housing. This housing is full of oil and whole assembly is dipped in oil for smooth working. Shaft drive is a life time maintenance free system apart from the fact that it requires an oil change but that too after ages I guess. But even after all this; the system is not perfect due to more weight, expense, complexes, e.g. BMW HP4 Enduro, Triumph Trophy etc.

        

 Rear wheel drive motorcycle – Most commonly used motorcycle on this planet is the rear wheel drive. Nearly all bikes have rear wheel drive system due to its simplicity in design and function. The drive train connects the transmission shaft to the rear wheel. This means that power from engine gets transmitted to the rear wheel. Shift the bike to 1^st gear; twist the throttle which will make the rear wheel to spin. Please refer to the chain drive section for more detailed information.

 

 Two wheel/All wheel drive(AWD) motorcycle – It is similar to a rear wheel drive system but here the front wheel along with the rear wheel gets the power from engine. Transmission sprocket has another sprocket splined with it. Power is transmitted to the rear wheel all the time. When the rear wheel loses traction, the power that was earlier transmitted to the rear wheel now gets diverted to the front wheel and this is how AWD gets activated. The moment rear wheel re-establishes traction, front wheel no longer gets power from the engine which means the system is now disengaged. Various linkages, crown gears and universal joint make this drive a smooth working system. This system is rare and till date very few brands have installed it in their models as it raises cost of that particular model as well as makes it complicated and heavy. This system is mostly seen in a dual sport due to the terrain(off-road) it is used to ride on, e.g. Christini motorcycles 450 Explorer, Suzuki XF5 etc.

 🚴Fuel

 Electric motorcycle/electric vehicle(EV) or zero emission vehicle – All the bikes mentioned above run on petrol which when burnt produces green house gases causing harm to the environment. A typical petrol bike produces sound as well as air pollution. With a tremendous spike in the number motorcycle sales, there is an absolute increase in the pollution level alarmingly. There was a need of an alternative energy that could run a motorcycle. Electric energy is a clean energy that gave rise to hybrid vehicles and pure electric bikes. An electric bike is one that uses electricity to rotate the wheels. Unlike conventional IC engines, an electric bike has electric motor or fuel cell. Absence of IC engine in an EV makes it super light and silent. Electric motor has way less moving parts than an IC engine making it a smooth bike. The average kms covered on a single charge is more making it economical too. So it is silent, smooth, emission free, economical and light making it the best alternative. This is achieved by the incredible motor. The basic profile is similar to a standard bike. Just the parts like engine, fuel tank, transmission, radiator, air filter etc are obsolete on an EV. EV is not a new invention. Indian motorcycle brand had already tested a prototype electric bike called Papoose in 1967. A superbike electric motor is assembled in the space where an engine is assembled on standard bike. Beneath the fuel tank fibre body lays the battery pack. A 380V 20Kwh Lithium-ion battery is a life giver of EV which lasts upto 300kms. Presence of an electric motor produces enormous torque which is why it produces 230Nm and is clearly way more than most of the high performance petrol bikes. Also the high power electric motor gives power output 200Hp. Last but not the least is the top speed which is insane 350km/h. So, it might have been a surprise for you but there is no doubt that an electric bike can perform equally or even better in some cases than a petrol bike. There is no transmission on this bike but direct drive. When the key is inserted and turned on, battery supplies current to the circuits which checks the whole system initially. It has indication lights on the instrument cluster and hardly takes 20secs to complete. Each component present on this bike is energized by current supplied by the battery. An inverter is fitted under the seat which converts DC supply from the battery to AC. When the accelerator is twisted, certain amount of AC power is supplied to the electric motor making the output shaft to rotate. An ECU(electronic control unit) is present which acts like a brain of EV. It is located just next to the motor. Signals are send to ECU which controls the AC frequency supplied by the inverter to the electric motor and control the wheel speed. The output shaft of the motor is connected to the rear wheel by a roller chain on the rear sprocket. Speed of the wheel is controlled by the degree of accelerator twist. Other way round when the brakes are applied, this inverter becomes a generator/alternator. Heat energy produced while braking is converted to electric current by the generator and is send to charge battery simultaneously. This is called Regenerative braking system where braking is used to charge the battery. With each covered mile, the battery slowly starts losing its charge. This is well indicated by a red flashing light on the cluster. When the battery gets drained completely, it could be recharged by a battery charger. It converts AC from the external electric supply to DC which gets stored in the battery while charging. It controls the voltage level by monitoring the charge supplied. A charging cable is plugged in to the external supply on one end and to the charging output located on the bike on the other. When the bike is plugged in for charging, the light on the cluster turns blue with a message stating “plugged in and charging”. When the battery is fully charged, this light turns green with a message stating “unplug and remove charger”. Generally, this battery takes 30mins to full charge with a fast charger and 2 hrs on a regular charger. The cap is closed after unplugging the cable. Whole system mentioned above may vary with different brands in terms of battery performance, parts location, dimensions, e.g. Lightning LS-218 etc.

  The other alternative is the hybrid electric vehicle or simply HEV. It has both IC engine and electric motor synchronized by a dual clutch transmission which results in output produced by both. A standard bike has engine in the cradle region of the chassis. It is similar here too but has an electric motor meshed to it. Both engine and electric motor work closely to give out the best performance with least emission output, e.g. Furion M1 hybrid etc.

 Concept bike – Some say that they have seen a U.F.O and some say they haven’t. The mystery still lies in its place and I know I haven’t seen one as well but I have seen something close to it. Wondering what and where? Well, it was a big closed busy hall with the name “Exhibition” on it followed by the year on the display board. Expos are always fun and worth going. This is a place where new bikes are launched and showcased. Amongst these launches are some vehicles with alien designs called Concept motorcycles. A concept bike is a pre-design of a bike that would go under production in the near future. Every bike we come across in our daily life was produced by its concept design. Concept bike looks very impractical and impossible and that is why it never gets a chance to hit the road. The unique and impractical design gains investors and media attention. This helps in marketing the vehicle that might affect the sales of this bike in the future. Live coverage, newspaper and magazine articles help share the design to the world. Walk around and complete specification gives a perfect idea of the design to the investors who may invest in the bike and profit the brand. Later on, designers share their future plans about the launch of the street legal model based on that specific concept bike design in a press release. The best expo in the world is the fabulous “Geneva Motor Show”. Almost all designers and investors keep an eye on this motor show. Designers and brand owners put in head to toe efforts to ready their concept motorcycle and production bike resp for this show. The launch consists of demo video, posters, models and last but the best which is to uncover the bike for first look. There are loud hootings, wows, cheers, clapping, camera clicks and champagne ceremony as soon as the bike is revealed. A must visit place for a life time experience of automobiles.

This concludes a brief information on my favourite m/c on this planet. Do let me know if I have missed any and also your favourite motorcycle in the comment section below. Thanks to all my dear readers for stopping by and giving this article your valuable time. If you find it helpful then don’t forget to share my work. Your support does motivate me to put in more efforts. GRACIOUS!!!