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Main article: Types of motorcycles

Motorcycle design depends on the purpose for which they are used. The main types of motorcycle include:

• Street motorcycle – designed for being ridden on paved roads. Features smooth tires with a light tread pattern and an engine generally in the 125 cc (7.6 cu in) and over range.
  • Cruiser – mimic the style of American machines from the 1930s to the early 1960s, including those made by Harley-Davidson, Indian, Excelsior and Henderson. Models evocative of the early cruisers make up 60% of the U.S. market.
    • Bobber – usually has had the front fender removed, the rear fender "bobbed" or made smaller and all superfluous items removed to make it lighter.^[4]
    • Chopper – has a longer frame design accompanied by a stretched front end (or rake). To achieve a longer front end, while the frame is being designed, the fabricator tilts the neck of the frame at less of an incline and installs a longer fork.
  • Sport bike – optimised for speed, acceleration, braking, and cornering on paved roads,^[5][6][7][8]typically at the expense of comfort and fuel economy in comparison to less specialised motorcycles.^[9][10]
    • Café racer:

• Streetfighter – a sport bike that is customised by removing the fairing, with other changes that result in an overall more aggressive look.^[11][12]
• Touring motorcycle – designed for long-distance touring and heavy commuting. Although any motorcycle can be ridden to tour or commute, manufacturers provide specific models designed to address these particular needs.
  • Sport touring motorcycle – blends performance with long-distance capabilities while providing comfort and relative safety to the rider, and tend to include accessories, such as a trunk or saddlebags for storage, to enhance the touring experience.
• Standard motorcycle – versatile, general purpose street motorcycle,^[9] with an upright riding position.^[8]
  • Universal Japanese motorcycle – Japanese motorcycle with a transverse air-cooled four-cylinder engine in a conventional tube frame with a dual seat, mostly made in the 1970s and early 1980s.
• Custom motorcycle – unique or individually produced in a very limited quantity, as opposed to stock bikes which are mass produced. Is usually highly stylised or has an unusual frame geometry or engine design. Many styles including café racer, streetfighter, and chopper began as customized motorcycles before manufacturers mass produced bikes styled after popular custom machines.
• Dual-sport motorcycle – type of street-legal motorcycle designed for both on and off-road use.
  • Enduro motorcycle – motorcycle made specifically for the Enduro sport, with the long travel and medium-hard suspension of a motocross bike enhanced with motorcycle features such as a headlight and quiet muffler to make the bike street-legal for parts of the track.
  • Motocross motorcycle –
  • Supermoto motorcycle –
• Off-road motorcycle –
  • Motocross motorcycle –
  • Track racing motorcycle – customised for track racing, with no brakes and fueled with methanol.
  • Trials motorcycle – an extremely lightweight design, that lacks seating (designed to be ridden standing up) and that has suspension travel that is short, relative to a motocross or enduro motorcycle.
• Small class
  • Minibike – sometimes called a mini moto or pocketbike, it is a miniature motorcycle. Most traditional minibikes use a two stroke engine to turn the rear wheel via a chain.
  • Mini chopper – mini choppers are scaled-down versions of choppers and are generally constructed from 1" steel tubing or 3/4" steel black pipe. The tube or pipe is bent and then welded together to get the desired angles and shapes of the frame, which is usually custom made.
  • Moped – a type of low-powered motorcycle designed to provide economical and relatively safe transport with minimal licensing requirements.
  • Pit bike – a small off-road motorcycle originally used for riding around the pits or staging area of a motocross race. Since the early 2000s pit bike racing, a sport similar to motocross, has become popular in the United States, especially in Southern California.
  • Scooter – a step-through motorcycle with a seat, a floorboard, and small or low wheels. Most modern scooter designs have swingarm-mounted engines.
  • Underbone – a step-through motorcycle with a structural downtube and conventionally-sized wheels, but without a floorboard.
• Electric motorcycle – has an electric motor powered by one or more batteries or fuel cells.
  • Electric dragbike –
  • TTXGP race class –
  • TT Zero race class –
• Utility motorcycle
  • Motorcycle ambulance –
  • Auto rickshaw –
  • Fire bike –
  • Police motorcycle –
  • Motorcycle taxi –
• Other designs and variations
  • Derny – motorised bicycle for motor-paced cycling events
  • Feet forwards motorcycle – motorcycle on which the rider reclines with his feet positioned ahead of his body
  • Cabin cycle – vehicle with a hull that wraps around the basic bicycle or motorcycle design
  • Rat bike – motorcycle maintained for at little or no cost by employing kludge fixes
  • Motorised tricycle – motorcycle or scooter with three wheels

1. a type of motorcycle that has been modified for speed and good handling rather than comfort. Cafe racers' bodywork and control layout typically mimick the style of Grand Prix roadracers of the 50's or 60's, featuring an elongated fuel tank and small, rearward mounted, humped seat.
2. a type of motorcyclist for whom classic/vintage British, German, Italian, or Japanese motorbikes from the 50s-to late 1970s is his or her bike of choice. In the 50's and 60's the term referred to bike riders of the race track.