BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation.
Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom.
A chopper is a type of custom motorcycle which emerged in the US state of California in the late 1950s. A chopper employs modified steering angles and lengthened forks for a stretched-out appearance. They can be built from an original motorcycle which is modified ("chopped") or built from scratch. Some of the characteristic features of choppers are long front ends with extended forks often coupled with an increased rake angle, hardtail frames, very tall "ape hanger" or very short "drag" handlebars, lengthened or stretched frames, and larger than stock front wheel. To be considered a chopper a motorcycle frame must be cut and welded at some point. I.e. the name chopper. The "sissy bar", a set of tubes that connect the rear fender with the frame, and which are often extended several feet high, is a signature feature on many choppers.
The Honda Shadow refers to a family of cruiser-type motorcycles made by Honda since 1983. The Shadow line features motorcycles with a liquid-cooled 45 or 52-degree V-twin engine ranging from 125 to 1,100 cc engine displacement. The 250 cc Honda Rebel is associated with the Shadow line in certain markets.
A custom motorcycle is a motorcycle with stylistic and/or structural changes to the 'standard' mass-produced machine offered by major manufacturers. Custom motorcycles might be unique, or built in limited quantities. While individual motorcyclists have altered the appearance of their machines since the very first days of motorcycling, the first individualized motorcycles specifically labeled 'Custom' appeared in the late 1950s, around the same time as the term was applied to custom cars.
A streetfighter, muscle bike, or super naked is a motorcycle of high displacement and horsepower. It is typically a super bike with the fairings and windscreen removed. Beyond simply removing fairings, specific changes that exemplify the streetfighter look are a pair of large, round headlights, tall, upright handlebars such as those on a motocross bike, and short, loud, lightweight mufflers, and changes in the sprockets to increase torque and acceleration at lower speeds. Streetfighters is also the name of a UK motorcycle magazine.
Arlen Darryl Ness was an American motorcycle designer and entrepreneur best known for his custom motorcycles. Ness received acclaim for his designs, most of which are noted for their unique body style and paintwork.
Big Dog Motorcycles is a manufacturer of semi-custom, mid-priced motorcycles, based in Wichita, Kansas, United States. The company was founded in 1994, shut down in 2011, and recently reopened as Big Dog Is Back.
A bobber, originally called a 'bob-job' from the 1930s through 1990s, is a style of custom motorcycle. The typical construction includes stripping excess bodywork from a motorcycle; removing the front fender, and shortening the rear fender, which is "bobbed", and all superfluous parts removed to reduce weight.
Jerry Covington is a custom motorcycle builder and owner of Covingtons Customs.
The Harley-Davidson VRSC, or V-Rod, is a line of V-twin cruiser motorcycles made by Harley-Davidson from 1999 until 2017. They are often called muscle bikes for their relatively high power output. The V-Rods are the first street motorcycles made by Harley-Davidson with overhead camshafts and liquid cooling.
Benjamin F. Hardy (1921-1994) was an African-American custom motorcycle builder who made the Captain America and Billy choppers for the 1969 Peter Fonda road movie Easy Rider.
Roger Goldammer is a Canadian motorcycle builder most known for winning the World championship of bike building three times.
The following outline is provided as an overview of motorcycles and motorcycling:
Chrome Specialties was an American manufacturer and distributor of custom and replacement parts for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Founded in 1984 by brothers John A. Kuelbs and Gregory G. Kuelbs, Chrome Specialties grew into one of the largest aftermarket motorcycle parts distributors in the world, offering over 12,000 products from a 900-page catalog. Chrome Specialties brands and products were available at over 3,500 retailers worldwide by the time it was merged with Global Motorsports/Custom Chrome Inc. in 1997. Chrome Specialties' original brands, such as Motor Factory, Highway One and Jammer, continue to be available worldwide.
Thunderbike is a German motorcycle manufacturer, customizer, and official Harley-Davidson dealer.
European Bike Week is an annual motorcycle rally held at Lake Faak in Austria. Attendance in 2018 was 200,000 people, the largest rally in Europe and the third largest worldwide.
Biker Battleground Phoenix is a scripted reality television series developed for the History Channel. Narrated by Greg Berger, the series pits five rival bike-builders from Phoenix, Arizona, against each other to see who can design and build the best bike to put an end to their rivalry and smack talking. The first episode aired on Thursday, July 1, 2014, at 10:00 pm.
Zach Ness is a third-generation American motorcycle designer and entrepreneur. He is the grandson of motorcycle customizer Arlen Ness, and son of Cory Ness. In 2013 Zach teamed up with National Geographic Channel for the television series Let It Ride. The series followed Zach as he and the Ness crew built custom bikes for clients.
Iron Custom Motorcycles (ICM) — Ukrainian custom motorcycle workshop. The company was founded in Kharkiv in 2010 by Yaroslav Lutytskyi. ICM is the first Ukrainian custom-workshop, which introduced its country at the World and European championships on customizing. In 2016, ICM has become a winner of the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building in café racer class, with “Beckman” project. In 2017, the ICM team set a world speed record in the class 350APS-VG with the project "Inspirium" (within Bonneville Speed Week).