What is a rat bike?

The " RAT BIKE" is any bike that has been pieced together with various parts from other bikes, autos, and fabricated pieces. No self respecting woman would be caught dead on one. Color, style and brand have no barring. It is the overall look that makes a "Rat".

In the words of Timberwoof in his Motorcycle FAQ, a rat bike is a motorcycle "that has been spray-painted flat black and patched together with bondo, bailing wire, and a prayer."

See http://www.ratbike.org/ for more.

Answer

They were called a "bitsa" in the 1960s. Bitsa this, bitsa that.

My 2 cents...

I'd characterize a rat bike as a bike with no pretense to conventional aesthetics. It's not intended to look pretty, but merely to be simple and functional. It may have been built that way deliberately, or it may have ended up that way after accident damage proved too costly to repair. It could be a 1973 Harley-Davidson Sportster engine in a simple rigid frame with a primer brown peanut tank, or a 2007 Suzuki Hayabusa that has been liberated of it's bodywork. It could be an intermediate step or the final product.

First answer by ID1369410650. Last edit by Digitalsasquatch. Contributor trust: 7 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 132 [recommend question]