{"id":17328,"date":"2021-06-09T16:25:31","date_gmt":"2021-06-09T16:25:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uship.com\/blog\/?p=17328"},"modified":"2025-09-03T14:53:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T14:53:28","slug":"motorcycles-styles-through-the-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/tips\/motorcycles-styles-through-the-decades\/","title":{"rendered":"Born to Be Wild: Motorcycle Styles Through the Decades"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Since the dawn of the 20th century, the motorcycle has evolved from super fast pedal bike to war-time sidekick to an art form in and of itself. Ask any motorcycle enthusiast and they can probably tell you their favorite motorcycle style faster than a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.beautifullife.info\/automotive-design\/10-worlds-fastest-motorcycles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kawasaki Ninja can reach 100mph<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Here we take a trip back in time to explore 100 years of iconic motorcycle styles that forever made their mark on history. Whether you love the early British and German styles that started it all or prefer the extravagant, custom builds of the 60s and 70s, there\u2019s no denying that these innovative motorbikes from yesterday became today\u2019s timeless, must-have rides.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Looking for a motorcycle for your next adventure? Find your dream ride on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.com\/b\/Motorcycles\/6024\/bn_1865434\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">eBay Motors<\/a> and have it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uship.com\/motorcycles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">shipped directly to your door<\/a> with uShip.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<h3>1920s: ROARING WHEELS<\/h3>\n<p>The 1920s was a boom time for most industries, including the motorcycle industry, which saw advancements in engineering and pushed the humble motorbike to new creative heights. The sidecar, like the fully restored one here, was so popular it even spurred the creation of an even more <a href=\"https:\/\/makemeacocktail.com\/blog\/the-history-of-the-sidecar-cocktail\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">popular cocktail<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>1930s: HARD TIMES<\/h3>\n<p>While the Great Depression and battered economy of the 1930s may have put the brakes on any major advancements in the moto industry, manufacturers of the time still managed to create iconic styles that live on today. Most notably, the Harley Davidson EL \u201cKnucklehead\u201d model \u2013 a bike so popular that it\u2019s believed to have pulled the American company through the depression.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>1940s: CRUISIN\u2019 ALONG<\/h3>\n<p>A decade that straddled both World War II and peace times, the 1940s saw a boom in motorcycle sales as droves of returning veterans wanted their own military cruisers to ride back home.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>1950s: REBELLIOUS YEARS<\/h3>\n<p>A motorcycle era defined by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motorcyclecruiser.com\/wild-one-marlon-brando\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Marlon Brando<\/a>, leather jackets, and the birth of rock and roll &#8211; the 1950s defined what it meant to be a biker. With a thriving postwar economy and lots of rebellious teens ready to hit the road, this decade put the motorcycle front and center of popular culture and solidified its place as an American icon.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>1960s: BORN TO BE WILD<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A transformative time for the moto industry, the 1960s saw the beginning of the end of British influence, a rise in Japanese builds, and a ton of American ingenuity &#8211; especially when it came to the custom chopper. Made even more popular by films like \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2014\/10\/11\/354875096\/behind-the-motorcycles-in-easy-rider-a-long-obscured-story\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Easy Rider<\/a>,\u201d the stretched out bike with high handlebars and an over-the-top paint job is still considered a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wnyc.org\/story\/behind-the-motorcycles-in-easy-rider-a-long-obscured-story\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">quintessentially American folk art form<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>1970s: LOW RIDER<\/h3>\n<p>While the 1970s oil crisis may have been devastating to the car industry, the opposite can be said for motorcycles which saw a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/cities\/2017\/jun\/16\/pedal-ins-patchouli-bikeology-americas-forgotten-1970s-cycle-boom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">huge surge in sales<\/a> due to their accessibility and great gas mileage. This decade also saw a rise in Japanese brands \u2013 like Honda, Kawasaki, and Suzuki \u2013 where the price point was right and the quality was even better.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>1980s: TAKING IT TO THE STREETS<\/h3>\n<p>Japanese brands continued to soar in the 1980s \u2013 a decade defined by big hair, big shoulder pads, and super fast, streamlined motorbikes, like this ever-popular Honda Cafe Racer.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>1990s: THE GRAND TOUR<\/h3>\n<p>While the 1990s was a great time for sportbike enthusiasts who put speed above all else, this decade was also an excellent time for riders looking for comfort on the road. Enter the Touring Motorcycle. While this big beauty may have been around years before the 90s in a variety of shapes and sizes, this decade saw a huge push in comfort, stability, and functionality.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3>2000s and Today: POWER MEETS THE PAST<\/h3>\n<p>Today\u2019s motorcycle enthusiasts don\u2019t have to choose between classic style and modern innovation \u2013 they can have the best of both worlds! With bike manufacturers and custom restorers bringing new life to old, vintage styles \u2013 bikers today can live in their favorite era without losing out on speed, reliability, or power.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Have you found the perfect motorcycle or are you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.com\/b\/Motorcycles\/6024\/bn_1865434\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">still shopping around<\/a>? uShip is here to help with all your motorcycle delivery needs. Learn how to find the best motorcycle hauling services at the most affordable rates and see why uShip is the easiest way to get your dream cruiser, chopper, or off-road bike delivered from anywhere in the country right to your door.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Since the dawn of the 20th century, the motorcycle has evolved from super fast pedal bike to war-time sidekick to an art form in and of itself. Ask any motorcycle enthusiast and they can probably tell you their favorite motorcycle style faster than a Kawasaki Ninja can reach 100mph. Here we take a trip back&#8230;<a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/tips\/motorcycles-styles-through-the-decades\/\"> Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":20714,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips"],"acf":{"blog_post_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"blog_post_entry_footer","blog_post_entry_footer_cta":[{"blog_post_entry_footer_cta_url":"https:\/\/www.uship.com\/motorcycles\/","blog_post_entry_footer_cta_text":"Get Your Free Quote","blog_post_entry_footer_onclick":""}]}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17328"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17328\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ushipblogsubd.wpengine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}