What is a naked bike?
A naked bike is a roadster motorcycle with little or no fairing, an exposed engine and an upright riding position built for everyday use rather than the racetrack.
Where a fully-faired sports bike wraps the engine and frame in plastic bodywork for aerodynamics, a naked bike leaves most of that mechanical detail on show. The rider sits more upright, the bars are usually wider and closer than a sports bike's clip-ons, and there is often little more than a small flyscreen up front. That upright stance makes naked bikes easier to live with day to day: better visibility, less strain commuting, and no fairing to crack in a low-speed tip-over. Many naked bikes share an engine and chassis with a faired sports model in the same range, stripped down and retuned for the road, not for outright top speed. Where naked stops and streetfighter starts isn't defined by anyone official, which the types of motorcycle page takes up properly.
Naked bike, streetfighter and sports bike side by side
| Sports bike | Naked bike | Streetfighter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bodywork | Fully faired | Little or no fairing, engine on show | No fairing, frame and radiator on show |
| Bars | Low clip-ons | Wider and closer, usually | Wide bars in place of clip-ons |
| Riding position | Leaned forward | More upright | Upright and muscular |
| Built for | Speed on the track | Everyday use on the road | Performance without the plastic |
No official body decides where one name stops and the next starts. Riders and manufacturers settle it.
Naked, standard or roadster
The three names describe the same kind of bike. Wikipedia's types of motorcycle entry describes standard motorcycles, also called naked bikes or roadsters, as street bikes with the engine on show and the fuel tank above it, sold with no fairing or windscreen from the factory, which is where the word naked comes from. The bars sit neither high nor low, and the footpegs sit neither forward nor rear-set, so the rider is upright, somewhere between the laid-back cruiser and the crouch of a sports bike. The seat, bars and pegs are placed so the rider sits in a comfortable, natural posture.
That middle position is why so many people learn on one. The same entry notes that new riders often start on standards for their comfort and easy control, and that many experienced riders stay with them. Streetfighters fed back into naked bikes, too: as riders stripped their sports bikes at home, makers answered by adapting their sports bike frames to build naked bikes in the factory.
Riders who like showing the mechanicals off tend to suit our biker gifts range, particularly the blueprint machine studies. If the stripped-down, aggressive end of naked bikes appeals more, what is a streetfighter motorcycle? covers that variant.
Buying for a rider? Motorbike gift ideas works through the options.
Written by Craig Fearn, Throttlefolio. Last updated .
Questions answered
Is a naked bike good for beginners?
Often recommended, yes - the upright position and exposed engine keep repair costs down if the bike is dropped, and the riding position suits learning.
What is the opposite of a naked bike?
A fully-faired bike, such as a sports bike or tourer, where bodywork covers the frame and engine instead of leaving them on show.
Why is it called a naked bike?
Because it comes from the factory with no fairing or windscreen, so the engine and frame are on show. Standard and roadster are other names for the same kind of bike.
Keep reading
- Next What is a streetfighter?
A streetfighter motorcycle is an aggressive naked bike, usually a sports bike stripped of its fairings and fitted with wide handlebars in place of clip-ons.