What is a streetfighter motorcycle?
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.
The style began in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when riders who had crashed or simply removed the bodywork from a sports bike found they preferred how the naked machine looked and rode. Rather than replace the fairing, they finished the job: wide bars in place of low clip-ons, a small round headlight, and the frame, radiator and engine left in full view. The result reads more muscular and upright than the sports bike it started from, while usually keeping most of the donor bike's performance underneath. It's since become its own category rather than a modified sports bike, with models built that way from new. Recognised by riders and by manufacturers, that is, not by any standards body: the types of motorcycle page explains how these names really get settled.
Our sportbike art page covers the performance end of this family, or send a photo of your own build through the Paint Shop. See also what is a superbike? for the fully-faired end of the spectrum.
Buying for the owner of one? Motorbike gift ideas is the honest starting point.
Written by Craig Fearn, Throttlefolio. Last updated .
Workshop notes
Questions, answered
Is a streetfighter the same as a naked bike?
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It is a sub-type of naked bike - specifically one built or converted from an aggressive sports bike, with the stance and attitude to match.
Are streetfighters as fast as the sports bikes they come from?
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Often close to it - the engine and chassis are usually shared, so most of the performance carries over even with the fairing gone.