What defines a big bike?

[fiveus]

Been having this diccusion with my dad.He thinks a big bike is one over a certain cc and weight.I see a big bike as one you don't need l's to ride..Please disscus

[Dazbo666]

When you put it like that, I suppose it depends on your perspective, but for me, it's probably anything from 500cc +
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[Poseidon]

A big bike is one that's bigger than a small bike. Somewhere in-between the two is medium sized bikes.

HTH
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1977 Honda CG125
2002 Ducati Monster S4 (currently restoring)

[nowhere.elysium]

I'd go with capacity. Anything over 350cc, really: 250s are still small bikes, just not learner legal.
'Small' is not necessarily a pejorative term, with regards to bikes.
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[SpannerMonkey]

Anythin over a 400 to me =)
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[Barker-CBR 600]

Depends on the conversation your having really.

Big = physically big then engine size not always a great guide. I had a Yamaha Dragstar 125 (tiny capacity) but was a massive bike when you tried to wheel it around.

Big = capacity - alot of sports bikes are pretty light and nimble. CBR6 felt smaller than the 125 for u turns/in the garage.


Generally if your talking 'big' bikes i'd say 600+ is big. 250-400's tend to be quite nimble and feel considerably smaller and then and <250 are usually small to tiny.

My two cents!
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[Teflon-Mike]

In Days of yore,
anything up to 225 cc was classed as a 'light weight'
anything from 225cc to 375cc was classed a 'middle weight
anything from 375 to 600 was classed as a 'heavyweight'
anything over 60cc was considered a 'car', as most 650's pulled side cars for a living!
More recently, at least in my life time;
anything up to 250 cc was classed as a 'light weight'
anything from 250cc to 650cc was classed a 'middle weight
anything from 650 up was classed as a 'Super Bike'
In the last twenty years, perceptions have changed once again, and the classes have clarified, as bikes have got more specialised and more often used purely for leisure. The 'capacity' classes still 'sort' of apply, but its more by power, I think:
anything up to 25bhp is a 'light weight'
anything from 25bhp to 60bhp is a 'middle weight
anything from 60bhp is a 'big bike'
Becouse bike capacities have grown, once 1000cc bikes were rare bohemouths, now they are common place, and the 'odd' bike over 1200cc, like the Harley Electra Glide or Kawasaki Z1300, have been eclypsed by ever bigger V twin, gargantuan fours and monster tripples, pushing the capacity ceiling for a 'Big Bike' to nearly double up around 2000cc!
And where back in the '60's, the 60bhp Triumph Bonnaville 650, was a 'Big' bike, possibly the R1 of its era, you couldn't call a Honda SLR650 single with its miserly 35bhp a 'Big' bike!
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[fiveus]

[fiveus]

[The Shaggy D.A.]

I think it's a generation/era thing, based around CCs. My idea of "big" is 750cc and above.
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[27cows]

Yep, 750 and up is a big bike.
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[hellkat]

Another vote for 750cc upwards.

When people ask me what bike I have, I say "Just a little GPZ500"

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[Shreddie]

Yup 750 plus is big, 400-750 is midrange.

[John933]

If you only have three group's. Of small medium and big. You have to lump a lot of bike's in them three. Small start's at 50cc and big end's at 2,200cc. So now it's cut the cake to size to fit. Big bike's should fit from 1,000 cc and above. Small should run out at 500cc. and the rest will fit in the middle.

John933
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[Poseidon]

[ex81]

[hellkat]

You're a tad biased
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[MinhDinh]

I would say 1000cc is big. A novice can maybe get on a 600 and rag it a tiny bit, but a 1000cc , I would imagine if you rag it, then it's just crazy because of the torque.
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[chris-red]

[Deano_44]

Anything above 250cc I'd say.

[ex81]

I think it's pretty much relative to your experience. I remember riding a CB250G5 Honda in 1977 and thinking that there could, surely, be nothing more powerful in the entire world - but I'd just stepped off of an SS50. The CB250 felt like a big bike because I knew no better.

My Triumph 650 twin was awesome until I bought my first CB750/4 - a real big bike . . . . . . until I got my Z1300 Kawasaki.

There is no real definition of what constitutes a 'big' bike. Obviously a 50 could never be classed as a big bike by anyone old enough to ride it, but a 250? I think so, especially with the power of modern 250's

[jimbothe]

If you're a 6'2" fat fucker like me then most 600 and 750's are considered small. I am currently restoring a 83 gsx 750 and when I pulled up at my mates house on it he asked me if I had something stuck up my arse

old skool cbr1000 or bandit 1200, fjr / xjr etc are what I consider to be 'big' bikes but as said before it's all relative...
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[dragstaar]

I agree, for me, a big bike depends on the rider as well.

General rule of thumb. If the back tyre is wider than your thigh, then you have yourself a big bike!

So for some, a 125 would be a Big bike, for others a 1000cc would still be a small bike!

[hellkat]

There is no tyre wider than my thigh, sir.
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[ms51ves3]