The Many Faces of Motorcycles - Rat Bikes

Gritty, raw and ratty. Take away the polish, the shine and the chrome and you've got the essence of a bike that's been ridden till it's ugly. At least that's the idea behind rat bikes. Get the most out of the machine while spending as little as possible on it. That means cutting out the bike washes and using tin cans and scrap heap parts from long dead bikes to keep it running. It means flat back paint to cover up the rust growing after years of running through rain, shine and dirt without so much as a wipe down. It means stickers, signs and mismatched memorabilia added on from far off places held on by nothing but duct tape and zip ties.

Rat bikes have been a subculture of motorcycles since we first started slapping engines on bicycle frames. And while many people took their motorized pride and joy and turned it into the epitome of chrome, polish and thousand dollar parts, others did just what motorcycles were meant for: they rode them. To many, they're ugly and unkempt. To the owner, it's a story; a being all in itself.

Some people believe that rat bikes sprung up as a response to the bring paint jobs and blown out chrome of stock motorcycles. Riders wanted a minimalistic feel and replaced the pin striping and logo-donning with flat black spray paint and a coat of dirt. Some bikes got their rat makeover the second the title was signed from the dealer while others' just evolved the style over good ol' time and wear.