3rd Year Special Annual Double Issue Vol 4 Issue 1 & 2 Jan - Apr 2 3rd Year Special Annual Double Issue Vol 4 Issue | Page 77

ADVENTURE & WILDLIFE
ridership saw a resurgence. Sales of motor-
cycles and scooters declined 43.2% in 2009,
and continued to decrease in the first quarter of
2010, with scooter sales doing worst, down 13.3%
compared to a 4.6% drop for all two-wheelers.
Other types of small motorcycles include the
monkey bike, Welbike, and minibike.
Off-Road
There are various types of off-road motorcycles,
also known as dirt bikes, specially designed for
off-road events. The term off-road refers to driving
surfaces that are not conventionally paved. These
are rough surfaces, often created naturally, such
as sand, gravel, a river, mud or snow. These types
of terrain can sometimes only be travelled on with
vehicles designed for off-road driving (such as
SUVs, ATVs, snowmobiles and mountain bikes) or
vehicles that have off-road equipment. Compared
to road-going motorcycles, off-road machines are
simpler and lighter, having long suspension travel,
high ground clearance, and rugged construction
with little bodywork and no fairings for less
damage in spills. Wheels (usually 21” front, 18”
rear) have knobby tires, often clamped to the rim
with a rim lock.
There are specialized motorcycles for a variety of
off-road motorcycle sports:
• Motocross — Such bikes are raced on
short, closed off-road tracks with a variety of
Vol 4 | Issue 2 |Mar - Apr 2019
obstacles. The motorcycles have a small fuel
tank for lightness and compactness. Long-travel
suspension allows riders to take jumps at high
speed. Motocross engines are usually single-
cylinder two-stroke or four-stroke units, which
vary in size from 50cc up to about 650cc.
Motocross sidecar outfits have bigger engines,
usually four-stroke and often twin-cylinder.
Motocross bikes are also used in freestyle moto-
cross.
• Enduro — A modified and road-legal moto-
cross bike, having the addition of a horn, lights,
effective silencing and a number plate. Enduro
riders compete over a longer course (which may
include roads); and an enduro event may last
between one day and six days (such as the
International Six Days Enduro). Some enduro
events (known as “multi-lappers”) are held on
rather shorter circuits, not unlike scramble tracks.
“Multilappers” are especially popular with novice
riders.
• Rally raid, or “rallies” — A special type of enduro
bike with a significantly larger fuel tank for very
long distance racing, typically through deserts
(e.g. Paris-Dakar rally). Engine capacities tend to
be larger, usually between 450 cc and 750 cc.
• Trail — A trail bike is a dual-purpose bike, made
for on-road and recreational off-road riding. A trail
bike may resemble an enduro bike, but since a trail
bike is not intended to be used for competition,
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