What Is A Motorcycle
Monday, October 6th, 2008Have you asked yourself, “what is a motorcycle ?” Well read on for the answers. The Cambridge dictionary defines motorcycle as a vehicle with two wheels and a engine. Many different type of motorcycles which can carry one or two riders. have been produced. However the first and second world. wars produced a new version of the motorcycle with a side car attached at the frame with a wheel attached to the out side of the car. This allowed an additional person or cargo to be carried by the motorcycle.
Basically a motorcycle is a bicycle with some type of engine. One of the first motorcycles for sale made was powered by a steam engine that was attached to a ridged frame. Modern motorcycle frames are welded tubular pipes bent into various shapes to conform to the mechanical component placement in the motorcycle.
The frames of the past were very heavy because solid steel bars were needed to support the weight of the steel engine, as well as the weight of all other components of the motorcycle. It was found that the leather belt drives of the steam powered engines not only slipped but did not last very long. These leather belts were coupled directly to the rear wheel which was a direct drive from the engine.
This two wheel contraption was designed to make use of the old style bicycles. Some people tried to add power to the existing bicycles of the time but there were many failures. By adding power to the basic bike concept the motorcycle was born. The motorcycle made travel faster and required much less effort from the rider because you no longer had to peddle.
The stopping of the older motorcycle occurred the same way as stopping a bicycle with coaster type brakes which were located on the rear wheel hub. You applied the brakes by applying backward pressure on the pedals just as you do with a normal bicycle.
There are many different types available on the market these days. The touring motorcycle is larger bigger and heavy and comes with attached luggage cases for a long trips. The sport touring motorcycle are not as large and have less luggage cases but have better handling capability.
The true sport motorcycle is often called a crotch rocket because these smaller faster, lighter bikes go very fast. They are usually made of many plastic parts that help keep the weight done. They they are painted with shinny sporty paint that adds to the illusion of speed. These super fast lighter bikes are built for speed come with very sensitive handling. There’s a rider’s joke that says if one of these bikes senses your lack of skills it will try and kill you.
A standard or basic motorcycle is competent at everything and it doed not have a lot of plastic parts that can break should you drop your bike. They are very good beginner motorcycles. new or used Cruisers are have a long, low profile and look real cool, but they do tend to be bigger and heavy motorcycles.
The Enduro bikes have a good suspension system that can absorb big bumps and tires that can handle mud and gravel. They are an excellent bike for long cross country trips on and off dirt roads. However, since they have more height they can be difficult to handle in parking lots or in tight situations. These bikes usually are heavily built and can handle being dropped without to much damage.
Dual-sport motorcycles have large knobby tires, excellent suspension, and they can go anywhere a street bike can go as well. There bonus is they can also go most places off road that a dirt bike would go. These bikes are street legal so you get the best of both worlds.
Off-road motorcycles have adjustable suspensions, big knobby tires, and can climb like a mountain goat on trails. Their excellent suspension allows you to literally fly over small hills and bumps. However, these motorcycles are not allowed on the public road as they do not have headlights or turn singles.
No matter what your lifestyle is or where you want to ride, there is a motorcycle on the market to meet your needs. So if you’ve been thinking about buying a bike there may be no better time than right now. What are you waiting for?
