The aesthetics of modern sports bike attracts me a lot lately, so I chose to do some research about it. Many motorcycle manufactures make sports bikes, these manufactures include: Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Ducati, etc. Sports bike design prioritize speed and performance over comfort. This design priority, along with influences from competitive racing motorcycles, has given the sports bikes a unique look among all other kinds of motorcycles. This aesthetically pleasing style has encouraged many young men and women to learn and own motorcycles. For many motorcycle owners, sports bikes are a symbol of freedom and passion. In this post I will introduce the most noticeable features of this aesthetics with the following pictures of some of the most popular sports bikes today.
Picture 1 (powersports.honda.com)
Picture 1 is a product picture of a Honda CBR650R from powersports.honda.com. The most noticeable factor I believe is the aggressive body fairing. The fairing improves aero dynamics of the bike and gives it a sporty look. Bright paint color and decals gives the bike a racing vibe.
Picture 2 (powersports.honda.com)
Picture 2 is a product picture of the 2019 Honda CBR1000RR. In this picture we can see the a small wind screen. The wind screen allows the motorcyclist to see the road when leaning forward in order to reduce wind drag. The headlights also have a very angry design.
Picture 3 (www.cycleonline.com.au) Picture 4 (powersports.honda.com)
Picture 3 and Picture 4 are a side by side comparison of a sports bike (Picture 3) and a standard bike (Picture 4). The sports bike’s riding position is more aggressive. The naked bike doesn’t have the body fairing or the wind screen.
Picture 5 (www.motorcyclistonline.com)
Picture 5 shows the handle bar of a 2011 Kawasaki Ninja 1000. The unique clip on design of sports bikes helps reduce the height of the handle bar, allowing the rider to lean lower than a standard bike.
Picture 6 (www.motorcyclistonline.com)
Picture 6 shows the seat and the storage compartment of the 2011 Kawasaki Ninja 1000. Due to the weight saving purpose, storage compartments are usually very small on sports bikes. We can also see the rear tire. On sports bikes, the tires are relatively wider than normal bikes to allow better grip and cornering capability.
Citations:
powersports.honda.com
www.cycleonline.com.au
https://www.motorcyclistonline.com/reviews/2011-kawasaki-ninja-1000-first-ride
3 Comments. Leave new
[…] Aesthetic Exploration: Sports Bike […]
Cool post! I am an avid dual-sport rider and find the aesthetics of all motorcycles to be a great topic to explore. I love the look of dual sport bikes and after that sport bikes. I have never loved the look of larger Harley style bikes. I think it would be interesting to find out exactly why this is.
I really like this post and how you discussed each part of the sport bike’s aesthetic and explained why it is there. It would have been cool to see how the aesthetic of sports bikes have changed over the years. Do you think this aesthetic will ever drastically change?