The question of what exactly defines the species of the Streetfighter motorcycle is one that will be debated, disputed, and dashed with “back in my days” and dogmatic parts lists.  The quarrel of the ultimate question is one that will not likely be agreed upon by the community as a whole, but I’m working on that.  The beauty of the argument, regardless of opinion, is that Streetfighters push the envelope.  Streetfighters are the evolution of the chopper doctrine.  Grown from the minimalist idealisms of old G.I.’s stripping their motorcycles down to the bare essentials and building it with performance and aesthetics in mind.

Now, one may ask themselves this question.  Who in their right mind would take a perfectly good, faired sports bike and throw the plastics away?  I don’t claim to be an expert in psychology, but I will attempt to define the thought processes behind the fighter ethos.

Having been part of this community for a time has helped me identify the kind of individual that would, in the eyes of the purist, desecrate the engineered genius that is modern super sports.   We tend to be non-conformist social outcasts, thrill seeking, and speed obsessed, compulsive moto-modifying visionaries.  A mix of punk rock and pistons, we deviate from the normal behavior of your average motorcyclist. We are horsepower hungry hooligans, who, if given the resources, would turn a motorcycle from factory to fantastical.

So, say what you want about our style of bikes.  You can claim to have a “definition” of what a Streetfighter is, but regardless of opinion, fighterers are a brotherhood of man, metal and machine. We are bound by speed and the thirst to make our bikes our own.

-Al Musacchia

8 Responses to “The Fighterer’s Archetype by thaOrleanyte”