Motorbikes were once just bicycles with engines. Then, what differentiated a standard motorcycle from a sporty one was basically the engine. Nowadays things got really complicated, the nomenclature is murky at best, and we had to find a way to separate different styles for our users to find what suits them, using our filters.
Here’s how we call them so far, based on what we see in the market, but taking some liberties:
- Adventure: the original idea was probably a big bike for long distances and every terrain. Today we have small capacity bikes that are not that capable but “long distance” can be a “country house” outside the city, where you have to use some dirt roads. So anything with a big front wheel, standard riding position and good ground clearance;
- Adventure sports: essentially adventure bikes with road tires and 17 inch wheels. Still for long rides, upright riding position, with some focus on sporty riding but also reasonable ground clearance;
- Classic: new bikes that resemble old bikes;
- Cruiser: low seat height, feet forward;
- Dual-sport: dirt bikes that can legally ride on the street;
- Naked: it appears this started as sport bikes that lost their fairings, which nowadays are identified more as street-fighters. Today any standard bike can be called a naked, mostly associated with modern design;
- Retro: it’s clearly modern but with elements of classic bikes;
- Scooter: scooter;
- Scrambler: a standard bike with some off-road capability. Classic looks are prevalent, but not always;
- Sport: motorcycles with aggressive body position, full fairings;
- Sport touring: sport bikes with more comfortable ergonomics for long rides and/or standard riding position with sport looks;
- Supermoto: dirt bikes with street tires;
- Touring: cruisers for long journeys. Wind protection and storage are part of the difference.
This will be updated with more details and examples of differences and similarities.
Here’s a good confusing example: the Honda CB750 Four is considered by many, the first superbike. For today’s standards, it’s more like and Adventure bike than a naked bike, with a 19″ front wheel and upright riding position:
