Scooter
The Scooter can be controversial amongst enthusiasts. There’s a lot of argument that it’s not a real bike. However, they provide essentially the same function as the naked bike or the standard bike. They can allow you to get around the city and are pretty useful in areas with non-highway speeds. They are petite in size and
offer a smaller fairing with limited storage for a few items.
While they are more popular among females than males in the Eastern part of Nigeria for instance, they aren’t seen as traditionally masculine or feminine modes of transport. They are also lightweight, limited on power, and only suitable for short trips.
Power Scooter
Popularly called a Vespa in this part of the country, Power Scooters are a burgeoning industry. The aesthetic and the design of the Power scooter are becoming ever more popular with electric vehicle companies.
Power scooters usually pack a little more power and energy than regular scooters and are built for better speed and sharper turns. They have step-through bodies and enclosed mechanical parts. This design aesthetic prevents the rider from staining or wrinkling their clothes. And it also allows for the scooter to have a lower center of gravity, allowing for better handling and lesser chances of accidents.
Enduro Bike
The Enduro Bike is built for the sport of Enduro. It’s an extended cross-country course that is meant to test the endurance of the athlete participating in it. The bike is primarily built for the world Enduro championship and is run on a time card. The number of stages is raced in a time trial against the clock.
The Enduro motorcycle is specifically designed with this is mind. They most closely resemble the motocross bike. In fact, they’re based on them. They have special features such as a very big gas tank, engines that are tuned for reliability, longevity and sump protectors.
The bikes have long travel suspension and are known to be durable over long distances. The engine of an Enduro bike is usually fitted with a single cylinder 2-stroke between 125 cubic centimeters or 360 cubic centimeters in volume. It can also be fitted with a 4-stroke 195-650 cubic centimeter cylinder.
The large engine is not always an advantage though, and the riders that usually race in the Enduro championships prefer small bikes that are light and easily maneuverable. However, in dry and dusty climates, heavier bikes are preferred over other types.
Motocross
Motocross bikes usually look very similar to Enduro motorcycles. The latter is based on the former. The bikes are made to compete in outdoor competitions that feature rough terrains and tight turns and jumps. They have heavily built suspensions and are designed for off-road surfaces. The Supercross riders compete in indoor arenas as well, which are specially built for these competitions.
The most famous Motocross bikes are made by Japanese manufacturers Kawasaki and Honda.
Naked Bike
The Naked Bike, or the standard roadster, is the simplest bike that you have seen. You get to see thousands of them zooming around the roads in the city of Lagos every day and they are built for navigation and standard travel. They are recognizable due to their upright riding position. This is midway between the reclining position of the sports bikes and the forward leaning position of most adventure or sport bikes.
Standard bikes usually don’t come with fairings or windscreens. They are usually small if they are featured at all. It is a general-purpose bike that is fine for any occasion within acceptable limits of speed and torque.
Touring
If you like touring long distances, the touring style motorcycle is right for you. It’s comfortable, smooth, stable and offers far more storage compartments than other bikes. The above example is the Honda Gold Wing, which is one of, if not the most popular touring motorcycles on the market.
Harley Davidson
While Harleys fall under the chopper-style bike, I’m listing it on its own because it’s such an iconic brand that’s still ridiculously popular with riders of all ages from all over the world.
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