Motorcycle

A motorcycle (also called a motorbike, bike, moto or cycle) is a two or three wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long distance travel, commuting, cruising, sport including racing, and off-road riding.

In 1894, Hildebrand & Wolfmüller became the first series production motorcycle, and the first to be called a motorcycle. In 2012, the three top motorcycle producers globally by volume were Honda, Bajaj Auto, and Hero MotoCorp.

In the developed world, motorcycles are mainly a luxury good, used mostly for recreation, as a lifestyle accessory, or a symbol of personal identity, while in developing countries motorcycles are overwhelmingly utilitarian due to lower prices and greater fuel economy. And as such most of the world's motorcycles, 58%, are in the developing countries of Southern and Eastern Asia, and the Asia Pacific, excluding Japan which is one of the world's major car users.

Motorcycles have a higher rate of fatal accidents than automobiles or trucks and buses. United States Department of Transportation data for 2005 from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System show that for passenger cars, 18.62 fatal crashes occur per 100,000 registered vehicles. For motorcycles this figure is higher at 75.19 per 100,000 registered vehicles – four times higher than for cars. The same data shows that the number of fatalities per vehicle mile travelled is 28 times higher for motorcycles than for cars (37 times higher in 2007).