Define a "streetfighter" for me... 56K beware

[podunkian]

I mean, besides falling down and wrecking all your plastics. Is this gonna be the next big thing? Thanks.

[ThAzKat]

IMO it is the jullopy of todays bikes.

[TemtnF8]

It already is the next big thing in europe, and is catching on quickly here. Street fighters are not just naked bikes. Any heavily modified sport-type bike is considered a street fighter.

[The CyberPoet]

TemtnF8 is right, that the streetfighter thing got it's start in Europe. He's wrong in the concept that it's a new movement -- it's been going on for a good 15 years, although the popularity is increasing. In the US, a lot of people do it because they demolished their fairings and are trying to avoid buying more... In Europe, it's usually a purpose-driven concept (holligan bike - stunts, handling, power at the sake of everything else), with the following general rules:
Pipes go up the center or very high-mount, to ensure that they don't interfere with clearance. Best examples keep the pipes shorter than the rear wheel to keep from having clearance issues when wheelies abound. I suspect the tendency for major manufacturers to now use undertail exhausts actually started with the European streetfighter craze (because I recall seeing it there in the mid-80's before I saw it on any race track, but I'll admit I didn't get into watching much pro-level MC racing at the time).
Anything unused on the bike gets removed to cut weight -- usually they start with the rear seat and support frame for it, full fairings, etc.
Swingarms are often shortened to increase the wheelie tendencies or to shorten the wheelbase in general (faster handling)
Lighting goes minimal or not at all... smaller is better.
Performance mods out the ying-yang. More power, especially more torque, is king.

Good examples:
(you can find more of these high-class examples here: http://nonamemc.dk/gallery/Streetfig...%20Party59.htm )

Reasonable example:


A poor example (probably wrecked and slashed, or really still a work in progress and not far along, and obviously an American -- that headlight assembly has got to go!):


Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[Waltari]

IMO it is the jullopy of todays bikes.

Jullopy? Better watch it Thom... True fighters areborn out of the caferacers tradition...bikes striped and built to go fast.

[Anonymous]

AAhhh Nosferatu...there you are!

[ThAzKat]

I guess I should have said Jullopies of the 50's and 60's auto's. They were awesomely fast light machines that were all about performance and not much beauty. what you guys have shown me are great machines as well.

[WildKat]

Streetfighters are a unique group of people with a definate talent and eye for the unusual. SF's like the ones shown above are as unique as they come.

[toobalicious]

one thing i notice that seems rather universal in streetfighters, especially with... ahem... "conversions" done from older machines is the tendency to have that cat-in-heat kind of chopped/raised rear end... some of them are truly hot machines, with the performance stuff cyber was typing of... some of them are sheer atrocities that i would be embarrassed to ride and that need to be put out of their poor misery...
this is one from a CB1100F, a desirable bike that was only available in the states for one year (1983)... wrong on so many levels

not sure what that cock&balls thing is on the seat cowl

a

[Waltari]

The extremely high raised tails is actually a german thing. Most UK streetfighters dont have the high rise tails but unfortunately, the trend has been spreading

[Black_peter]

Good posts Y'all.
I think the "streetfighter" idea was born more out of the cheap-fix-after-a-crash mentality.
The classic being the GSXR with driving lights
no fairings and just a seat on a cut down subframe.
I love to study motorcycle culture.

The streetfighter look may make some inroads here in the states but it is unlikely.
One reason being that major makers offer them off the shelf. (Buell, Kawi 1000, Honda 919, KTM Duke)
But I think numbers are the main reason.
Consider this: more CBR900RRs (Fireblades in the EU) were sold in the UK then in the US. Consider the population differences and that is a lot of CBRs per capita. Follow that out and you will see that the UK has a lot more riders then the US.
Therefore "cultural" groups like Caferacers, Streetfighters and Japanese brand choppers are more likely to grow. Japan is another example.
I have a copy of a Japanese motorcycle magazine from the early 90's that shows bikes like CB750Fs and Kawi two strokes with huge USD forks and Olins mono shock upgrades. (USDs on a bike nick named "the hinge"??)

Only the chopper has firmly taken root in the US. Because it was started here, all the rest of the cultural styles of motorcycling just never took off.

Another thing is that in the US "artistic expression" is generally (these days) limited to buy it and bolt it.

You may not agree with the final result but I have seen some amazing examples of backyard "rolling sculpture".
It predates Jesse James and the like.

I could yak about this for another 2000 words..
I better shut up now

[ThAzKat]

That was about what I was trying to say Black_Peter

[TemtnF8]

While I agree that major manufacturers are producing 'streetfighter style' bikes now (Hell, there's an '05 919 in my garage right now...) you can't really call the manufactured bikes they are puting out streetfighters. the 919 weights almost as much as my kat I think...

[The CyberPoet]

Consider the population differences and that is a lot of CBRs per capita. Follow that out and you will see that the UK has a lot more riders then the US.

Umm... a lot more riders per capita, not a lot more riders in general.
But I see what you are trying to get at...

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[zleviticus]

mmm i love the nosfratu