In simple terms "Choppers are another variation of the Cruiser/Custom style "
so yes they belong to cruiser category

My 2 Paisa: International Street Motorcycle categories



>> Bikes like the Suzuki Hayabusa and Kawasaki ZX-14 could be categorized as "Hyper Sports' category (but I can think of only 2 of these models in this category)

>> Half Faired bikes are mosty promoted as Sports Touring models and the same Naked variant as Street model (Eg: The Half Faired Yamaha FZ1 Fazer and the Naked FZ1)

>> Street Fighters were originally Super Sport bikes stripped of their full fairings and clip ons replaced with straight handle bars. Currently it's the term loosely used to describe an Aggressive, Naked Sports bike.



Super Sports: R1, R6; CBR600RR, CBR1000RR, Ninja ZX-6R, Ninja ZX-10R etc
Sports Tourer: Yamaha FJR1300, Honda VFR
Sports Naked: Ducati Streetfighter, MV Agusta Brutale, Kawasaki Z1000, Yamaha FZ1

Street Naked: Honda CB Super Four, Yamaha XJR 1300
Retro: Triumph Bonneville, Ducati Sport Classic

Supermoto: Aprilia Dorsoduro, KTM 690 Supermoto, Kawasaki KLX 250SF
Adventure Tourer: BMW GS1200, KTM Adventure, Honda Varadero

Classic American Cruiser: Harley Davidson Cruiser Models and its Japanese copies
Dragsters: Yamaha V-Max, MT-01, Harley Davidson V-Rod, Triumph Rocket


Inputs fom other members agreeing/disagreeing with me are most welcome.

Payeng: You've put up a pretty comprehensive chart up there.

The four primary classes in Payeng's post fairly well cover the entire gamut of motorcycle design. Actually, the birthplace of most sub-categories lies more in the need to sell them vis-a-vis straddling adjacent classes of form and function becomes a strong USP. Also, a certain new design, mixing the abilities of two different types, makes its developer a pioneer of sorts. And needless to say, this 'multi-ability' expands the potential customer base.

But this 'swiss knife syndrome' does carry one demerit though. It prods the user to at times unwittingly cross beyond the performance envelope of the motorcycle. For eg, a heavily laden 'sports-tourer' being ridden 2-up is no longer a close relative of the 'sportsbike' that its name suggests. But the connotation of a sleek n slick 'sportsbike' lurking inside the fairing has led many to push things beyond recovery.

As a humorous side-note, the multi-fuction thing can be taken to grotesque proportions as witnessed by the image of the ultimate 'swiss-knife' below



Thats a Wenger Giant Swiss Knife. 84 tools that can perform 141 different functions. Weighs about a kilo and costs some $1400!!

Lets hope bike designers, in their urge to merge the capabilities of more and more classes of bikes into one design, don't end up giving us such a monster to ride .

^^^ Very funny

The bike manufacturers are trying everyday to mix and match different styles!
As illustrated aptly by Oldfox sir!

With the limitless imagination, I cannot imagine the manufacturers bringing in a dirt cruiser even in my nightmares

^Lol!
There have been some instances where Enfield Thunderbirds were used for dirt racing!!!!

But anyways, the Thunderbird is a mod based a streetbike frame!

Now there is something called as Sensorial design. It is basically how a machine will act while operating and how it will present itself.

For eg: How should the engine sound while riding?Or while decelerating. Or in case of cars, what noise should a door make while shutting. Or how should the mechanical movements sound?

Would flame graphics look good on Vespa or Vrod?
How would a lime green R1 look?
Wow would a lemon yellow VMax look?

Before we move on to headlights,this will help you all know design better.
Cheers.

Hello guys!
I was very busy since last post. Can post only now.

Sex and violence are the most intensive human feelings.

So the next point that i wanted to share was the design of headlights. A lot of emotion is attached with the headlights. We associate them with human eyes. A recent study by Car styling magazine revealed that the most desirable emotion for a headlight design was aggressive angered eyes. Lets discuss sportsbike headlights.
So there we have it. Two of the mainstream headlight designs. Stacked and side by side lights.
In the beginning there was a simple round headlight. It evolved into a square. Then it split into two round ones. Then two squares and then the latest angry eyes design. What we see here is the evolution of design. There was a rising need for making the bikes more emotive. More emotion it shows, better it will appear.
The Japanese anime culture is huge.Also the Japanese architecture is edgy. They can safely make sharp edgy designs. These designs are well appreciated world over. It is shows their art culture. Sharp and pointy lines.
On the other hand. The European culture is more about castles and cathedrals. Non aggressive lines in the architecture are carried over to all other forms. Hence you will see that the European designs are mostly non aggressive.

Imagine this, a cool sunday morning. You and your friends meet at a cafe outside city in the twisties. You are enjoying a nice coffee or tea. The designs which will blend in this environment are the kind which will make you feel relaxed. Hence the culture of Cafe racers. This is gentleman style. A refined taste that is acquired over years. Hence a MV Agusta makes so much sense in this place.
The stacked headlights.



Now, a futuristic techno metropolis. Saturday night meeting. And trying to stand out from the rest. An aggressive pair of lights will enhance the emotion. It will show aggression and anger. An intention of a street race. To prove who is the best. An R1 makes so much sense here.
The eyes design.


The two side by side headlight setup is more aggressive than the stacked haedlights. The stacked lights have a little less potential to show aggression than the other ones. Moreover the less angry or neutral feeling headlights will appeal for a longer time. Because one cannot live with angry emotions for a long period of time.

Thus we see that the P220 with it's stacked headlights does not feel as aggressive as the Fazer. More on that later.

We will discuss the headlights of Pulsar 220 and Fazer 150.

Pulsar 220:
It has a stacked design. This is an emotionless design without any eyebrows.[Emulating the Ducati 999] To make it little aggressive, they have added a set of pilot lights [whatever they are]. This creates a clash between neutral and aggressive feeling. In the entirety it does not give the bike any particular character. Moreover it solves only one problem. It has one powerful high beam and low beam due to this arrangement. They call it wolf eye design.



The Fazer 150:
This is the Yamaha style of angry eyes. Due to this layout, the battery can't power both lights with enough intensity. Hence only one light for one beam. But this layout is favoured by many people. And as a result they are buying this.



Bajaj has possibly decided to go with the european way of design. Making the emotionless and neutral styled designs.
What would you guys prefer?
Comments are welcome.

Bumping up this thread - Satya, keep writing more, there're few out there waiting

^ Ok!
Will do it soon. Not many people are interested it seems.

Do you need comments from noobs like me who have subcribed to this thread to learn from this? Especially knowing well that there is probably no value that I could add to this thread!

I am interested and waiting.

So sorry to keep you waiting! I have sent u a pm.

I was freed yesterday from my work. I have some time free. I will post some more about the design things that i know.

Cheers!