Lately the age old question has been asked more and more. What defines a fighter? Well, depending on how many people you ask, you will usually get so many different answers. We’ll get the obvious out of the way. Sport-oriented motorcycle eliminated from everything unnecessary for its function. Typically stripped of most bodywork, outfitted with taller handlebars, smaller, lighter parts to cut weight, and as many performance modifications as available to make it faster. So now that we have the basic idea in mind, I would like to expand on this vision of how fighters are perceived around the world.

Let’s start with the homeland of Streetfighters. The great old UK home to Big Ben, Fish and Chips, teatime and the Queen Mother. Some will say that it started in the 1950s with the Café racer. Some say that the real fighters start in the early ’80s with bike messengers battling London traffic and messing up their fairings. Bicycle messengers don’t exactly earn big salaries, so instead of replacing their war-torn bodies, they just had them taken away.

The basic style has remained constant for decades. Remove the fairings, add flat bars, secure the dual-focus headlights, and raise the tail. For the most part, the style has been kept somewhat reserved. Swap the tail section for a more attractive OEM unit from another model. Some tricks paint and polish. Maybe upgrade the undercarriage for the latest and greatest in fast hardware. To top it off, we either crank the engine and built a monster that puffed on octane or replaced it all together to get the fastest, biggest bulge that would fit.

Some things never change. Lately there have been some gender crossovers. Longer low bikes are starting to get more popular. Not exactly slamming, but set up for better launch control. Also, Paint has gotten more detailed with large murals and wild colors. The drag racing scene has likely brought you this new trend. But we also see a return to the old school with some retro-style Café fighters. Embrace history in a very positive way.

We then crossed the canal to Germany. Fast luxury cars, cold beer, hot sausages, and lederhosen, huh? Okay, the last one is probably not that prominent, but it made you laugh, right? Now here’s a cutscene that pulls out all the stops. Crazy amounts of polish and chrome, extreme amounts of custom Billet parts, Big Horsepower engines, almost demonic savage bodywork, Fat Rubber and paint that leaps off the sheet metal.

Going into a wrestling show here looks like a candy-colored horror movie. Maybe Rob Zombie should take a look at this.

Perhaps not the creators, but definitely innovative.

And here we can definitely begin to dissect the genre. Here we can see many unique ideas that started in this area, but there is also some inspiration from Euro Cruiser / Chopper. Fork tube caps are increasingly present. These covers generally smooth out the front to make more of a seamless tube from top to bottom. Some have even gone as far as machining grooves and designs to add a little extra flare to the front of the bike. More influence from the custom scene is found in dressing the cables with bright braided lines, cleaner and brighter engine covers, streamlined ticket grips, hidden axle covers, risers and integrated handlebar clamps. The list is endless.

Their big claim to fame is greatly exaggerated tail heights, compounded by short tail lengths. And the insane looking bodywork that has made the wrestling world want more. Very sculpted and aggressive appearance. And along with the motorcycle sculpture are some of the tank modifications that look like they were taken from scenes from a Friday the 13th movie.

Tire sizes seem to be getting wider all over the world, but instead of focusing solely on the rear tire, they pay equal attention to the front. Front wheel widening to less than rear wheel widths 180 and 190 section tires combined with 240 and larger rear. Bringing a whole new look to the fat tire game.

If we head north we meet the Nordic fighters. The land of the long night brings in some very bad bikes when the ice melts. With less than 6 months of daylight and much less favorable riding weather, this leaves plenty of time for shed play.

These New Age Vikings like to go FAST!

Turbos are not uncommon when you start building fighters. And with the endurance racing scene building steadily growing in the warmer months, the long and low goes hand in hand with fast and petty theory.

The good thing are some of the paint schemes that come with these bikes. Lean a bit towards the American Hot Rods of yesteryear. Flames are the most notable. Although, they are not necessarily the traditional llamas. Some choose to lick tribal or put them in the form of caramel and scales.

But the other scene that is gaining ground is Stunt riding. MX bars, cages, 12 bars, handbrakes strapped to naked bikes and decked out with all the sponsors and flashy paint they can get.

The Land Down Under is stepping up the game with some very clean and tasty fighters. They have some of the very well designed and eye-catching fighters I have ever seen. Adopting a global fighter style, but also giving it an Australian touch. Very unique ideas and adaptations are occurring. It is a good combination of English and extreme German cleanliness. Powerful bikes are definitely plentiful along with a healthy dash of sparkle and shine.

Here in good old America and our friends to the north, Canada, the wrestling scene emerged through the world of stunts. Once again the form function continued as the plastic broke learning all the crazy tricks and combos.

Some felt they had more maneuverability and control on a bare stunner than on a fully faired bike. Soon more and more naked bicycles began to appear.

Some saw a resemblance to the helicopter crowd, but liked the power and handling of a sports bike compared to the heavy sled of a cruiser machine.

Others grew up on the pegs of a dirt bike and felt the natural change to big bars and high seats.

Others remember the heyday of the Japanese invasion and wanted to recreate the classics CB, GS ‘and KZ’. Some just felt the need to stand out from the crowd and build something different.

We are also taking snippets from around the world and creating our own style.

From caged and barred stunners to lean and mean hooligan machines, to full customs that rival any large bank account helicopter.

Looking around the world, we see many different styles that share a key piece of their culture, but we also see a mix of cultures seeping through to create new and interesting ideas. What’s still rolling from garages, sheds, and workshops around the world? Only time will tell. With our global world, the possibilities are limitless. What will you create to set the Fighter world on fire?