Sport Bike

"Ahhh Bikes, now you're talking. Remember, bikes handle differently, you can use Weight Transfer to take corners sharper or pull back and do a wheelie. Be careful, they also take damage a lot easier."
- Karol, when the player uses a sports bike for the first time

The icon for Sport Bikes as seen in Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition

A sportbike, or sports bike, is a motorcycle optimized for speed, acceleration, braking, and cornering on paved roads, typically at the expense of comfort and fuel economy by comparison with other motorcycles.

Motorcycles are versatile and may be put to many uses as the rider sees fit. In the past there were few if any specialized types of motorcycles, but the number of types and sub-types has proliferated, particularly in the period since the 1950s. The introduction of the Honda CB750 in 1969 marked a dramatic increase in the power and speed of practical and affordable sport bikes available to the general public.

In the Midnight Club series

Sport Bikes were introduced in Midnight Club II. Since then, sport bikes have become a staple of the Midnight Club series, offering high performance at a lower cost in exchange for lower durability, being able to fall off, and taking longer to reset after despawning on a motorcycle, and in the case of II and 3: DUB Edition, reduced nitro capacity.

As in real life, owing to how light the sport bikes are, they have higher revs per minute, with the speedometer in Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition being the only vehicles to display a speedometer with RPM of up to 14,000, most cars' RPM is displayed up to 6,000 or 9,000 rpm.

Midnight Club II

Midnight Club II introduced motorcycles to the Midnight Club series, with three motorcycles available. All sport bikes represent each city featured in the game, and can be unlocked from a racer in each city.

Cohete (won from Mauro, Los Angeles)

Monsoni (won from Ian, Paris)

Nousagi (won from Zen, Tokyo)

Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition

Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition features 5 sports bikes (plus one with the REMIX edition). The sport bikes are used in the Original Riders bike club, which uses the ability Zone special ability which is unlocked after the 3rd race in the club, and the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-12R being the prize upon completing the said club.

The said club has two members, namely Vito, who grants the player the invitation to race in the Original Riders upon his defeat, as well as Kioshi, who represents the Club in the U.S. Championship Series.

As with Choppers, Sport Bikes only have the same Nitrous capacity as Class D cars. They also have the highest revs per minute, with the speedometer showing up to 14,000 RPM and are the only vehicles to do so.

Class B

Class B Sport Bikes are all manufactured by Ducati, and can be occasional opponents in City Races along with the Cadillac Cien, Gemballa F355, Lamborghini Diablo VT or Gemballa Turbo Coupe, typically reserved for the Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec (R34) or some Class B vehicles, though the Skyline does not encounters them in Tokyo City Races or the Asakusa Tournament.

Except for the Ducati Monster S4R, the Class B sport bikes, along with the 2006 Dodge Charger SRT-8 are the only vehicles that can be unlocked before unlocking Class B vehicles, as the Ducati SS1000 is won from the Hotlanta Tournament to start the player in the Original Riders bike club, as well as the Ducati Paul Smart 1000's tournament being playable as soon as the player gets a sport bike.

Ducati Monster S4R (Rear quarter view)

Ducati SS1000 (Prize; Hotlanta Tournament) (Rear quarter view)

Ducati Paul Smart 1000 (REMIX) (Prize; Original Riders Tournament) (Rear quarter view)

Class A

Class A Sport Bikes are also encountered in City Races or hookmen racers (if raced after the U.S. Championship Series) by the Lamborghini Murciélago Coupe, Saleen S7 (naturally aspirated), Pagani Zonda C-12 S, McLaren F1 LM, Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR or Chrysler ME Four-Twelve, which typically encounter each other.

Unlike the aforementioned exotics, the sport bikes themselves aren't encountered in Tokyo City Races (unless the player is riding any of them fully upgraded) or U.S. Championship Series (except for Kioshi's, as she represents their club; as well as any hookman who was not raced until during or after the U.S. Championship Series), although maxed Sport Bikes may also encounter Gemballa F355 or Lamborghini Diablo VT opponents, which the said exotics cannot encounter, although other exotics with 4 nitrous may encounter the A-Class Sport Bikes or the aforementioned REMIX-only exotics in the Tokyo City Races.

Also, the A-Class Sport Bikes are the only vehicles in the class that have dedicated performance upgrades, offering upgraded exhaust, engine and Jet Kits, as the Exotics are restricted to Nitrous upgrades (which cost the same as the Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec (R34)).

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-12R (Prize; Original Riders) (Rear quarter view)

Aprilia Mille Factory RSV1000 (Rear quarter view)

Ducati 999R (Rear quarter view)

Midnight Club: Los Angeles

In Midnight Club Los Angeles, there are 3 (plus one with DLC) sport bikes. Each group has one sport bike available, except Group 4, in which the Ducati 1098R is added through the second Vehicle Pack or the Complete Edition, along with the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 being part of the base game.

Sport Bikes offer higher acceleration and handling stats than the cars in their group, but with lower top speed compared to the higher-end cars of their group (eg. the Group 4 Sport Bikes when max upgraded only top out at 235 mph (378 km/h) compared to the higher-end exotic cars which top out at 245 mph (390 km/h)).

Bikes have different customization, with Tails, Tanks and Cowls being the bike equivalent of bumpers. On bikes, two Pirelli tires (Corsa and Supercorsa) are available, as well as several RC Components and Performance Machines rims. Also, nitrous and exhausts for bikes are manufactured by Muzzys, and Jet Kits replacing Electronics, and Bikes having different pre-set vinyl packages.

Any character who rides on a motorcycle wears a helmet, jacket and gloves to protect them for safety purposes when riding on any of the sport bikes, except for certain pink slip racers, who only wear a motorcycle helmet when racing to win back a sports bike.

The main protagonist would be depicted with his jacket if a cutscene is triggered while on a motorcycle.

Motorcycles only have three ranks, with Tails being unlocked at 18 races, Tanks being unlocked at 27 races and Cowls being unlocked at 36 races.

Oswaldo is the champion of the vehicle type, in which he rides a blue Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 and can be challenged after defeating Booke and having 35 wins on a motorcycle after reaching 50% completion or unlocking Group 4 vehicles. Defeating Oswaldo will reward the player the "Two Wheels of Fury" achievement/trophy.

The following sport bikes appear in Midnight Club: Los Angeles.

Ducati Monster S4RS (Group 2) (Rear quarter view)

Ducati 999R (Group 3) (Rear quarter view)

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 (Group 4) (Rear quarter view)

Ducati 1098R (Group 4, South Central Vehicle Pack 2) (Rear quarter view)

Differences from cars

Motorcycles have many differences that can be noticed compared to when driving cars.

• Characters using motorcycles wear a jacket, gloves and helmet when riding any of the motorcycles.
  • The player character can be depicted with his jacket during cutscenes if one were to be triggered while on a bike.
  • Certain Pink Slip racers can be depicted with a motorcycle helmet if they were to win a bike from the player, and when being raced back for the bike they lost.
• Motorcycles have an extremely low damage tolerance due to their extremely light weight, they take more damage a lot easier.
• Motorcycles have a shorter startup sound that can be heard after certain cutscenes.
• The motorcycles have faster acceleration and higher handling stats, likely to compensate for their lower durability and higher risks, that they can be fallen off from when crashing, and it takes longer to recover from a crash.
  • Also, despite the garage claiming their top speed rating is higher, in fact, it is equal to or lower than most high-end cars of their class (eg. the Group 4 sport bikes actually have a lower top speed than the Saleen S7 Twin Turbo, Lamborghini Murciélago Roadster or Ford Shelby Cobra Concept)
• Motorcycles have their own set of rims from RC Components and Performance Machines, along with two Pirelli tire compounds, as the rims for 4-wheeled cars cannot fit onto the bikes.
• Tails, Tanks and Cowls are the motorcycle equivalent of car bumper customization.
• Bikes only have three ranks, with Tails being unlocked at 18 completed races, Tanks being unlocked at 27 and Cowls unlocked at 36.
  • This would be equivalent to winning the races required to unlock the "Motorcycle Champ" mission.
• Motorcycles have different performance upgrades, with Exhausts and Nitrous made by Muzzys. Also, Electronics are renamed to Jet Kits for bikes.
• Motorcycles take more damage, and hitting a car at high speed knocks the rider off the bike.
• Motorcycles cannot equip Hydraulics/Air Bags, as it is impossible for two-wheeled vehicles to hydraulic/have airbags.
• Motorcycles have a different set of pre-set vinyl packages, as most vinyl packages can only fit into 4-wheeled cars.
• Wheelies replace Two-Wheel Driving when weight transferring.
• While the Ducati Monster S4RS and Ducati 999R's prices are at par with other cars from their group, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 and Ducati 1098R's prices are much lower than group 4 cars, despite their faster acceleration due to their lighter weight and their high grip, likely to compensate for their lower damage tolerance, their risks that they can be knocked off from, and their longer respawn duration.

Missions

The following missions require the use of a sport bike.

• Steel Horses - requires the player to win 6 races on a motorcycle after defeating Andrew in a B-Class vehicle.
• The Rivalry - After winning any 6 races on a motorcycle, Andrew challenges the Protagonist (MCLA) to a 1-on-1 motorcycle duel in the Hills. Unlocks Studio Hills in Arcade Mode and Goal Attack.
• Two Wheelin - After defeating Toshi in the Valley Carwash race series Squeaky Clean, Andrew challenges the protagonist once again to another motorcycle duel.
• Motorcycle Champ - After obtaining 35 motorcycle wins (post-Group 4 unlock), and becoming the City Champ, Oswaldo challenges the player to a motorcycle duel in the Hills.

Motorcycle outfits

The following characters are known to sport motorcycle gear when riding any of the motorcycles. These characters are available to use as Online Characters.

Protagonist (MCLA) (Rear quarter view)

Andre (Rear quarter view)

Andrew (Rear quarter view)

Dora (Rear quarter view)

Joe (Rear quarter view)

Julian (Rear quarter view)

Lester (Rear quarter view)

Oswaldo (Rear quarter view)

Achievments/Trophies

Three achievements require the player to ride a motorcycle and cannot be done by 4-wheeled cars.

• Winning with Less - requires the player to win 10 races while riding a motorcycle
• Unicycle - requires the player to perform a wheelie for a total of 50 miles (80.46 kilometers) on a motorcycle
• Two Wheels of Fury - requires the player to beat Oswaldo, the Motorcycle Champ, in a one-on-one duel in the Hills using a motorcycle.

Trivia

Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition

• In Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition REMIX, any of the fully upgraded Class A sport bikes can encounter the Lamborghini Diablo or Gemballa F355, despite those being grouped with the lower-end exotics.
  • This can be said the same for the other exotics except for the 6 ones that can only encounter each other.
• The Class A Sport Bikes have a very low, if not impossible chance of spawning in Tokyo City Races.

Midnight Club: Los Angeles

• All online characters except Dora use a Sports Bike at some point in the game.
  • Andre and Joe use a Ducati Monster S4RS.
  • Andrew and Julian use a Ducati 999R.
  • Lester and Oswaldo use a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14.
• Despite not using any sport bikes as an NPC, Dora has a motorcycle outfit. This is due to the possibility one user uses her as an online character and rides a motorcycle.
• Certain racers, such as Chung Hee, Pete, Jin and Pinky are known to wear a motorcycle helmet despite not riding any motorcycles as an NPC nor are an online character. This is due to the possibility of the player losing a motorcycle in a pink slip, in which, the aforementioned characters would wear their motorcycle helmet when riding on any of the motorcycles the player has lost.
• Despite having a higher speed rating, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 only maxes out at 235 mph (378 km/h) without nitrous or 255 mph (410 km/h) with nitrous, or the Ducati 1098R having 260 mph (418 km/h) with continuous nitrous, or 236 mph (380 km/h) without any.
  • This is likely due to having a shorter gearbox than most cars, which increases their acceleration at a lighter weight.
• Their higher stats have made many players buy them when having difficulty with a race.