The naked class was also spurred on by models like the Ducati Monster, which took an existing sportbike frame (888) and engine (900SS) and built a markedly more “streetable” motorcycle around them. This type of bike became known as a “Street Fighter” (an example of which can be seen in the photo directly below, in which a Honda CBR1000RR has been transformed into a streetfighter).Īs Street Fighters became more and more prevalent in the motorcycle world, aftermarket companies began offering headlights, waspish, suspended tail sections, and other parts made specifically to serve the naked sportbike market. With thrashed bodywork, bent clip-ons, limited financial resources, and a continued desire to ride, a lot of the young owners of these bikes simply removed the damaged fairings entirely, mounted on a set of wide, MX-style bars, tacked on the cheapest available road-legal headlight, and got back on the road. Unsurprisingly, motorcycles capable of supercar performance metrics being piloted by teenagers resulted in a fair amount of wrecks. In the years following the release of the first modern sportbike in the mid-1980s (with Suzuki’s original GSX-R750), fully-faired, road-legal race replicas experienced a tremendous influx in popularity, especially with young, thrill-seeking riders. Just like with scramblers, cafe racers, and a host of other moto genres that have come before it, the naked bike class was essentially the result of manufacturers mimicking a popular customization trend. How Crashed Sport Bikes Birthed The Most Popular Moto Segment Offering the perfect blend of performance and utility, naked bikes are produced by practically every manufacture, so we’ve taken the time to pare down the abundance of available models within the segment to bring you this guide to the best naked motorcycles. Their clip-ons are replaced by single-piece handlebars that result in a more comfortable upright riding position, easily-damaged full fairings are shed and replaced with street-fighter-style items, and engines are retuned and gearing is lowered for better torque and acceleration at the cost of lower top speeds, which you’ll seldom if ever use on the street. Often stripped down and modified versions of existing fully-faired sports models, naked motorcycles retain the high-performance nature of sport and superbikes, while being more practical for the road. And while these elements make for a ridiculously fun motorcycle on the track, they’re far from conducive to street riding. These are unmistakably race-derived machines that have been engineered for the track, with full suites of aerodynamic bodywork, low-mounted clip-on handlebars, high-gearing, and powerbands that offer the majority of their oomph near redline. Modern sportbikes offer ultra-competent performance capabilities, rivaling that of six and seven-figure supercars in terms of acceleration, top-speeds, and cornering, while literally costing a small fraction of the price.
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