From wiki:
"The term "streetfighter" appears to have been originally coined by two drag racers, Odgie and Lil' Mark, whilst they worked at BSH (Back Street Heroes - a UK custom bike magazine) in the early 1990s. They applied the term to motorcycles which were modified to enhance their performance and handling, as opposed to the custom scene which preferred style over outright ability. (Can't take credit for this one, it was Steven Myatt who invented the term, to describe what the guys like Irish Stewart and Huffy were building at the time - late 1980s. They were kinda like what we used to call lowriders, only crossed with drag-strip styling, using big Jap Four motors, long low rigid frames, small tanks, nose cone fairings - nothing like the streetfighters of today - and still very much a custom styling thing, albeit with a performance twist. Odgie) The term has since been diluted somewhat, and is now regularly applied to any bike with motocross style handlebars, no fairings or other typical customizations. In recent years, the term has also come to be applied to motorcycles manufactured without fairings in this style, usually based on the same engine/frame combination as an equivalent fully-faired motorcycle in the manufacturer's product line-up.
It's unclear when and who built the first of the modern streetfighter. Though it has its roots in the Café racer culture of the 1950s and 1960s, there is a substantial gap between then and the modern streetfighter scene. The current trend in naked sportbikes seems to have started in Italy in the late 1980s, where owners of crashed superbikes started opting to leave off the damaged plastic as the plastic fairing is quite expensive to replace. This is what often gives streetfighters an unfinished or haphazard look.
Currently, (Race Replicas), like the Suzuki GSX-R Series and the Honda CBR series, that have been damaged in accidents or through hooliganism are generally the starting basis for a streetfighter. The GSX-R 750 was initially often favored, due to its light weight and flexible engine. A side effect of the use of the [1980]'s GSX-R was the retention of the dual headlights in the subsequent streetfighter. This feature is now a common trait in both custom bikes and factory streetfighters like the Triumph Speed Triple.
In 1993 Ducati introduced a new naked sportbike called the Monster. Since that time it has been a perennial favorite amongst streetfighter enthusiasts. In 1994 however, Triumph Motorcycles introduced the Speed Triple, based on its Daytona sportbike. This was an immediate success and rapidly eclipsed the Monster in sales. The Triumph is now the current favorite among factory streetfighters due to excellent performance, low ownership cost, and high reliability.
In the intervening years both bikes have been substantially improved, and have been joined by a rapidly growing group of other manufactures producing naked sportbikes. These include: Benelli, Aprilia, Bimota, BMW, Moto Guzzi, Moto Morini, MV Agusta, and Buell, a subsidiary of Harley Davidson. Even the "big four" Japanese motorcycle manufactures, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha, have tried to enter this market, but with limited success to date."
Even if you are not a streetfighter enthousiast, there are plenty of cool ideas and crafty work going into fighters, and I though this may be a good thread for everyone to enjoy.
I will be posting random pics of fighters I find on the web, so please feel free to post along if you come across something interesting!
:rockon:
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"The term "streetfighter" appears to have been originally coined by two drag racers, Odgie and Lil' Mark, whilst they worked at BSH (Back Street Heroes - a UK custom bike magazine) in the early 1990s. They applied the term to motorcycles which were modified to enhance their performance and handling, as opposed to the custom scene which preferred style over outright ability. (Can't take credit for this one, it was Steven Myatt who invented the term, to describe what the guys like Irish Stewart and Huffy were building at the time - late 1980s. They were kinda like what we used to call lowriders, only crossed with drag-strip styling, using big Jap Four motors, long low rigid frames, small tanks, nose cone fairings - nothing like the streetfighters of today - and still very much a custom styling thing, albeit with a performance twist. Odgie) The term has since been diluted somewhat, and is now regularly applied to any bike with motocross style handlebars, no fairings or other typical customizations. In recent years, the term has also come to be applied to motorcycles manufactured without fairings in this style, usually based on the same engine/frame combination as an equivalent fully-faired motorcycle in the manufacturer's product line-up.
It's unclear when and who built the first of the modern streetfighter. Though it has its roots in the Café racer culture of the 1950s and 1960s, there is a substantial gap between then and the modern streetfighter scene. The current trend in naked sportbikes seems to have started in Italy in the late 1980s, where owners of crashed superbikes started opting to leave off the damaged plastic as the plastic fairing is quite expensive to replace. This is what often gives streetfighters an unfinished or haphazard look.
Currently, (Race Replicas), like the Suzuki GSX-R Series and the Honda CBR series, that have been damaged in accidents or through hooliganism are generally the starting basis for a streetfighter. The GSX-R 750 was initially often favored, due to its light weight and flexible engine. A side effect of the use of the [1980]'s GSX-R was the retention of the dual headlights in the subsequent streetfighter. This feature is now a common trait in both custom bikes and factory streetfighters like the Triumph Speed Triple.
In 1993 Ducati introduced a new naked sportbike called the Monster. Since that time it has been a perennial favorite amongst streetfighter enthusiasts. In 1994 however, Triumph Motorcycles introduced the Speed Triple, based on its Daytona sportbike. This was an immediate success and rapidly eclipsed the Monster in sales. The Triumph is now the current favorite among factory streetfighters due to excellent performance, low ownership cost, and high reliability.
In the intervening years both bikes have been substantially improved, and have been joined by a rapidly growing group of other manufactures producing naked sportbikes. These include: Benelli, Aprilia, Bimota, BMW, Moto Guzzi, Moto Morini, MV Agusta, and Buell, a subsidiary of Harley Davidson. Even the "big four" Japanese motorcycle manufactures, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha, have tried to enter this market, but with limited success to date."
Even if you are not a streetfighter enthousiast, there are plenty of cool ideas and crafty work going into fighters, and I though this may be a good thread for everyone to enjoy.
I will be posting random pics of fighters I find on the web, so please feel free to post along if you come across something interesting!
:rockon:
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