The different types of motorcycles – a guide

Scooters

Light, efficient, easy to ride, and practical – scooters weren’t always the twist-and-go marvels they are today. Those of us who have ridden LML Vespas and Bajaj Chetaks remember the procedure required to start it up. Main stand, kick a few times, and remember to neither stall it nor give it too much gas or pop the clutch as you set off, else you risked stalling it in traffic and repeating the procedure in the middle of the street. Or even popping an inadvertent wheelie. Scooters today have electric starters, underseat storage, storage in the front apron, USB charging ports, LED headlamps, digital displays... they don’t lack on the features front. If you move to the premium scooters, you’ll get funky styling as well, and Bluetooth connectivity has debuted already. 

If you want convenience and don’t want to bother with changing gears, or just simply have a lot of things to carry around on your two wheeler and don’t want to bother with bungee cords, then a scooter is the perfect choice for you. Just make sure that you’re not going to take any long rides on them. 

Scooters on sale in India range from electric ones like the Hero Electric Flash to premium lifestyle statements like the Vespa Elegante 150. 

Street/naked bikes

By far the most popular segment in the market, street (or ‘naked’, for lack of a fairing) motorcycles typically have no wind protection and sometimes expose their frames as a part of the design. These make for really good beginner motorcycles because there is minimal bodywork, meaning if you drop them there isn’t much to break or repair. They also make for great hooligan machines, because their engines are tuned for more torque rather than outright power, and their upright riding position allows for greater ease of pulling wheelies. They’re most popular in the Indian market because they’re the most economical to produce and run, and it will remain the case in segments where practicality outweighs everything else. This is also the bodystyle in which commuter motorcycles are included. 

This segment includes models as diverse as the Bajaj CT100 and the Triumph Street Triple RS.

Sport bikes

The quickest way from point A to point B on tarmac with two wheels is a sportbike. They give up everything in the pursuit of speed – there is back-breaking ride and sitting posture, lots of heat from the engine, the engine itself has power concentrated at the top of the rev range, so they don’t like traffic... The fairing is derived from road racing, where aerodynamics play a large part. If you want a thrill a minute and want to go screaming around corners, consider a fully-faired sportbike. Right from a Yamaha YZF-R15 right up to a BMW S1000RR, if it’s got a fairing, it’s a sportbike!

Cruisers

Part of the American Dream, cruisers are designed for, well, cruising off into the sunset on arrow-straight, smooth roads. Cruisers are stable in a straight line and typically have engines that are relaxed and that put out a lot of torque. If you’re looking at exploring off the beaten track, a cruiser won’t be the optimal choice. For that you require an adventure tourer.

Cruisers in India range from the Suzuki Intruder, and go up to the likes of the Harley-Davidson CVO Limited.

Adventure tourers

These are tall machines that have massive ground clearance and long-travel suspension. If it sounds like they’re SUVs, that’s because that’s exactly what they are, but on two wheels. They’ll often have variants that are geared either towards touring on tarmac or others that are more focused towards off-road touring. You’ll need a little skill to ride one of these, because of the relatively high seat, and riding them on dirt will require quite a bit of practice, so these might not be one of the best choices for a first motorcycle. Once you’re used to one, however, the breadth of their capabilities will quite literally take your breath away. 

Examples of adventurer tourers include the BMW G310GS and Honda Africa Twin.

Dirt bikes

This is currently a very small segment in the Indian market, but it will certainly grow in the future. Dirt bikes are like adventure tourers because they have long-travel suspension and can handle dirt, but they are stripped down to almost nothing in the pursuit of less kerb weight. They have knobby tyres, and small fuel tanks. Most of the time there isn’t a provision for lamps of any kind, so they might not even be road-legal. They’re fantastic for a day out on dirt, but don’t make for such a good experience on tarmac. They are recreational bikes with high price tags and as such haven’t got a lot of customers yet in our market. 

Dirt bikes sold in India include the Kawasaki KLX110 and Kawasaki KLX450R.