Streetfighter Motorcycles & Scooters

Everything You Need to Know About Streetfighter Bikes

Inspired by the Japanese motorcycles of the 1970s and 1980s, streetfighter bikes initially gained acceptance among the youth in the UK and other parts of Europe and have maintained that interest to the present day, especially once formal streetfighter-style bikes began to be officially produced in the 1990s. True to its rugged moniker, streetfighters first emerged when the aerodynamic fairing on sport bikes was removed to give them a more aggressive appearance. By now, however, streetfighters are no longer made only by motorcycle hobbyists, and you can buy a streetfighter bike of your own on eBay from many reputable manufacturers.

Just what is meant by the term "streetfighter bike," and what makes a streetfighter different from a typical sport bike? Beyond the already-mentioned fact that streetfighters have little or no fairing, there are some other distinguishing characteristics by which you can pick them out. First, streetfighters usually have large, round, prominent headlights. They have tall, upright handlebars similar to those found on a motocross bike, and they also usually have short, loud, and lightweight silencers.

In the 1980s, before manufacturers began to create streetfighters for commercial use, motorcycle hobbyists would put great effort and skill into modifying sportbike frames to make those bikes into better racers and to make them more aesthetically appealing.

The first streetfighter bike, formally manufactured in 1994, was the Triumph Speed Triple. Motorcycles in this line are still being manufactured, and you can buy them on eBay. Other affordable streetfighter bike models that you're likely to see on eBay include:

• Honda X11
• Ducati Streetfighter
• Models from the Honda CBR1000
• Models from the Suzuki GSF or GSX series
• Buell M2 Cyclone

Before you delve into the eBay listings to find the perfect streetfighter bike for you, here are a few things for you to keep in mind:

• The older the model year on the bike and the greater the mileage on it, the less expensive it will usually be.
• Modification and customisation is very common for streetfighters. The more modifications that have been made to some particular bike and the more new parts that it has, the more money that the vendor will likely demand for it.
• Early streetfighters from the 1980s, before the Triumph Speed Triple was released, will likely be considerably more expensive than any other kind of streetfighter bike. Such bikes will not often be found for sale. When they are, however, they are in extremely high demand.