Shopping for your first street bike can be quite difficult if you have no idea of where to start. You may be familiar with a few different types of bikes, but you could shortchange yourself if you’re not considering models that you aren’t familiar with but that might be the most appropriate. Even if you have owned a street bike in the past, it may be difficult to keep track of all the makes and models currently on the market and to compare them in order to determine which specific motorcycle is right for you.

Whether you’re just considering buying a street bike or whether you’re ready to pull the trigger, you’ll need to do your homework to ensure you get the most for your money and maximize your consumer satisfaction. One of the best ways to start out is to research the most popular street bike makes and models on the market. The guide below will familiarize you with some well-known and not-so-well-known brands of motorcycles that offer street bike options to consumers like you.

After reading the brief descriptions offered below, narrow down your options to a few that interest you further. After you’ve come up with a list of viable options for yourself, research the motorcycle manufacturers further by visiting their Web sites, reading consumer reviews, comparing pricing and so on. Finally, decide whether you will purchase a used street bike or a new one and begin to shop around for a reasonable deal on the bike you want.

American Ironhorse

American Ironhorse is mostly known for producing choppers and customs. The Fort-Worth, Texas manufacturer has a reputation for being “high-end,” which is also reflected in the price range. American Ironhorse motorcycles cost anywhere from $25,000 to $40,000, though current financial turmoil could soon present the opportunity for negotiation and get you a better deal.

Aprilia

Aprilia has a much wider collection of models under various categories, including off-road and racing bikes. The Italian manufacturer is traditionally known for producing scooters, but has recently earned acclaim by winning sport bike races. Aprilia’s street bike collection is about as large as American Ironhorse’s, but the price is much lower.

Big Dog

Big Dog is known for it’s cruiser-style street bikes and wide range of customizing options. The Wichita, Kansas manufacturer produces five models. Big Dog’s street bikes run in the $25,000 range.

BMC

BMC is a smaller motorcycle manufacturer located in Bend, Oregon. The company has earned big attention through its focus on factory customs. Check them out for a DOT-approved street bike that looks totally unique.

BMW Motorrad

BMW Motorrad is the motorcycle division of the German automotive manufacturer BMW. BMW has been producing motorcycles since 1923. Though the company is traditionally known for their original engine configuration, the flat-twin boxer, today’s BMW motorcycles include a variety of engine and riding formats.

Bourget’s Bike Works

Bourget motorcycles, based in Phoenix, Arizona started out by producing one-of-a-kind bikes in Roger Bourget’s garage. The manufacturer is known for its signature oil-in frame/drop seat style chassis, which was actually patented in 1999. The bike maker is known for innovation in motorcycle design and also holds a patent for its jackshaft design.

Buell

Buell Motorcycles was founded by former Harley Davidson engineer Erik Buell. Most Buell bikes contain four-stroke air-cooled V-twin engines, originally built from XR1000 Sportster engines. Many upgrades and performance engineering initiatives have been implemented since then.

Ducati

The Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati is best known for high performance street bikes with large capacity four-stroke L-twin engines featuring a desmodromic valve design. Ducati also uses multiple dry clutches in many of their street bikes, which prevents power loss from oil viscosity drag on the engine.

Honda

The Japanese auto manufacturer Honda has been exporting motorcycles to the United States since the 1960′s. Today, Honda’s line of street motorcycles and scooters include touring bikes, sport-tourers, cruisers, standard street bikes, sport bikes, dual sports bikes, and scooters.

Indian

The Indian Motorcycle Manufacturing Company was once known as the largest producer of motorcycles in the world. This is perhaps the oldest motorcycle manufacturer in the United States, having been around since 1901. Today’s Indian Chief motorcycles are produced in limited quantities so the company can focus on quality, performance and exclusivity. The company, under new management, has growth plans through 2011.

Kawasaki

Kawasaki has been producing motorcycles since 1953. Today, the Japanese manufacturer produces a wide collection of street bikes in the following categories: sport, supersport, touring, supersport touring, cruisers, and dual purpose. Kawasaki is also known for off-road and motocross models. Kawasaki is not really in the custom market but produces a fine factory bike.

KTM

The Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM is most commonly known for its off-road and sport bikes. In recent years, however, it has expanded into production of street motorcycles as well.

Moto Guzzi

The Italian motorcycle manufacturer, also known simply as “Guzzi,” is known as the oldest European manufacturer in continuous motorcycle production. Notably, the Italian police and military and various US police departments (e.g. LAPD) have used Moto Guzzi bikes in their fleets. Guzzi currently offers about 9 different models including street bikes and sport bikes.

Suzuki

Suzuki, which is also the 12th largest automobile manufacturer in the world, started manufacturing bikes in 1952. Suzuki’s factory models include the legendary Hayabusa, the GSX-R1000, the GSX-R750, the GSX-R600 and the GSX-R650F (which is their newer sport touring model).

Swift

Swift Motorcycle Company is a newer manufacturer, also based in Phoenix, Arizona. The producer of street bikes focuses on custom entry level, mid range, and high-end choppers, bobbers and pro street models.

Yamaha

Though Yamaha produces mainly factory motorcycles, it is possible to get customs through this Japanese bike maker as well. Yamaha’s current lineup includes over 26 models priced anywhere between $6000 and $19,000.

Now that you have learned a little bit about the different manufacturers of street bikes, you can drill into the ones you’re interested in a bit further to help narrow down your search.

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BMX bike sales are growing faster than almost any other type of bicycle. BMX bikes can be seen on every street, sidewalk and even in their natural habitat, off-road. Even if you never leave your house you’ve certainly seen such bikes on TV. Sure, you probably know what a BMX bike is, but what you probably don’t know is what exactly differentiates a BMX bike from other bikes. We’ll tell you how they’re different.

Our journey starts with their origin and it’s actually quite simple. Bikes remained pretty much the same for many decades after they were invented, but the popularity of off-road motorcycle racing, or motocross, during the 60′s changed that. Kids saw the pros racing around on their dirt bikes and taking them off dirt ramps. They wanted to be like their heroes so kids imitated them on their bikes, which, at the time, weren’t made for such rough-housing. It didn’t take long for bike manufacturers to catch on and start manufacturing bikes made specifically for the rigors of racing and jumping off-road. Soon there were sanctioned bicycle motocross (BMX) all over the country. The BMX segment of the market grew and grew and continues to expand today. And of course most the kids (and adults) you see on these bikes don’t ever race and probably don’t jump them off anything more daring than a curb. Still though, BMX bikes are made to take a beating.

Moving on let us discuss the physical attributes of the BMX bike that makes it different from other bikes. The particular features can be narrowed down to the frame, the wheels/tires, the brakes, and the gears.

BMX bikes’ frames are designed to be very light so it can be easily maneuvered and very strong so it can withstand the stresses of jumping and racing. The light weight of a BMX frame is also important because a lighter bike can save you valuable seconds in a close-fought BMX race. Aluminum and chrome-moly steel are the two materials most favored by BMX’ers. Regular bikes are usually made from cheap grades of steel prone to rusting or even breaking when put under a lot of stress.

One more distinguishing element of the BMX bikes is their wheels and tires. Most BMX bikes have 20″ rims, of course they can also be purchased in other sizes. There is the 12″ size for young children just learning to ride. These days kids are learning to ride bikes before they learn to read! The next size up is the 16″ wheel. These bikes are mostly used by kids from the ages of 8 to 12. Once they enter the teen years, most kids ride the 20″ bikes. This is the size favored by many adults and pros, as well. There are BMX bikes with even larger wheels or in-between sizes but they aren’t as popular.

BMX bikes have tires that are different from conventional road bikes. They’re knobby to give them excellent traction on dirt trails and tracks. In fact, they’re very similar to mountain bike tires, just smaller.

Speaking of the devil, mountain bikes, they often have as many as 21 gears! Road bikes and beach cruisers typically don’t have that many but they do range from 3 to 18 speeds. BMX bikes, on the other hand, have just one gear. They have one sprocket up front and one on the back wheel. That’s it, they use just one gear because they’re made for all-out sprints and to have precise control for freestyle tricks.

Another element that makes BMX bikes different from conventional bikes are their brakes. BMX bikes often have just a rear brake. Having a front brake increases the likelihood of accidentally using just the front one and causing an accident. Plus, racers don’t need the extra braking power because they don’t want to slow down! A BMX bike made for doing tricks will have a front brake, though.

Usually, BMX bikes also come with pads to protect the rider during accidents and wrecks, which can happen a lot during races. Most racers don’t bother with pads, though, they’re too cool for that. If the bike does have pads, they’re usually on the top bar, handlebar clamp, and the handlebar crossbar.

Making and selling BMX bikes is a booming business, and their popularity has increased across almost all segments of the market. You can often see BMX riders on televised competitions and commercials. BMX bikes are being ridden by all sorts of people, from professional riders to five year olds just having fun, adults who never grew out of them, and everyone in between.

The availability of BMX bikes comes in a range of sizes to accommodate all types of riders and all ages. They also have many specialized features to suit a variety of uses. There are, of course, a wide range in prices, too. If you are considering buying a bike for yourself or someone else, your best source of information are the people at your local bike shop. There’s also tons of reliable information online. The two main issues you need to consider are how the bike is going to be used and how much you are willing to spend. From there it’s up to you. 

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Sales of BMX bikes are increasing faster than almost any other type of bicycle. BMX bikes can be seen on every street, sidewalk and even in their natural habitat, off-road. Even if you never leave your house you’ve certainly seen such bikes on TV. Sure, you probably know what a BMX bike is, but what you probably don’t know is what exactly differentiates a BMX bike from other bikes. We’ll tell you how they’re different.

We’ll start with their origin. It’s quite simple, really. Bikes remained pretty much the same for many decades after they were invented, but the popularity of off-road motorcycle racing, or motocross, during the 60′s changed that. Kids saw the pros racing around on their dirt bikes and taking them off dirt ramps. They wanted to be like their heroes so kids imitated them on their bikes, which, at the time, weren’t made for such rough-housing. It didn’t take long for bike manufacturers to catch on and start manufacturing bikes made specifically for the rigors of racing and jumping off-road. Soon there were sanctioned bicycle motocross (BMX) all over the country. The BMX segment of the market grew and grew and continues to expand today. And of course most the kids (and adults) you see on these bikes don’t ever race and probably don’t jump them off anything more daring than a curb. Still though, BMX bikes are made to take a beating.

Now, to discuss the physical attributes of the BMX bike which makes it different from other bikes. The particular features can be narrowed down to the frame, the wheels/tires, the brakes, and the gears.

The frame on BMX bikes is designed to be very light so it can be easily maneuvered and very strong so it can withstand the stresses of jumping and racing. The light weight of a BMX frame is also important because a lighter bike can save you valuable seconds in a close-fought BMX race. Aluminum and chrome-moly steel are the two materials most favored by BMX’ers. Regular bikes are usually made from cheap grades of steel prone to rusting or even breaking when put under a lot of stress.

Another distinguishing feature of BMX bikes are their wheels and tires. Most BMX bikes have 20″ rims, of course they can also be purchased in other sizes. There is the 12″ size for young children just learning to ride. These days kids are learning to ride bikes before they learn to read! The next size up is the 16″ wheel. These bikes are mostly used by kids from the ages of 8 to 12. Once they enter the teen years, most kids ride the 20″ bikes. This is the size favored by many adults and pros, as well. There are BMX bikes with even larger wheels or in-between sizes but they aren’t as popular.

The tires on BMX bikes are different from conventional road bikes. They’re knobby to give them excellent traction on dirt trails and tracks. In fact, they’re very similar to mountain bike tires, just smaller.

Speaking of mountain bikes, such rides often have as many as 21 gears! Road bikes and beach cruisers typically don’t have that many but they do range from 3 to 18 speeds. BMX bikes, on the other hand, have just one gear. They have one sprocket up front and one on the back wheel. That’s it, they use just one gear because they’re made for all-out sprints and to have precise control for freestyle tricks.

Another feature which differentiates BMX bikes from conventional bikes are their brakes. BMX bikes often have just a rear brake. Having a front brake increases the likelihood of accidentally using just the front one and causing an accident. Plus, racers don’t need the extra braking power because they don’t want to slow down! A BMX bike made for doing tricks will have a front brake, though.

BMX bikes also usually come with pads to protect the rider during accidents and wrecks, which can happen a lot during races. Most racers don’t bother with pads, though, they’re too cool for that. If the bike does have pads, they’re usually on the top bar, handlebar clamp, and the handlebar crossbar.

BMX bikes are a booming business, and their popularity has increased across almost all segments of the market. You can often see BMX riders on televised competitions and commercials. BMX bikes are being ridden by all sorts of people, from professional riders to five year olds just having fun, adults who never grew out of them, and everyone in between.

BMX bikes are available in a range of sizes to accommodate all types of riders and all ages. They also have many specialized features to suit a variety of uses. There are, of course, a wide range in prices, too. If you are considering buying a bike for yourself or someone else, your best source of information are the people at your local bike shop. There’s also tons of reliable information online. The two main issues you need to consider are how the bike is going to be used and how much you are willing to spend. From there it’s up to you.

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