Motorcycles

NRG900-GTA4-F-front — NRG-900 from GTA IV

Motorcycles are two-wheeled motor vehicles that have appeared in all Grand Theft Auto games with the exception of Grand Theft Auto 2, Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto Advance. Other names and types associated to motorcycles in GTA include motorbicycle, motorbike, bike, crotch rocket, moped, and chopper. Quadbikes are included in this group, even though they have 4 wheels, instead of two. Motorcycles are smaller than most vehicles in the game. They are small and narrow enough to travel in places where larger vehicles normally cannot fit, and usually have much better handling and are very "nimble". Since Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, the player can perform a forward drive-by while on any motorcycle. The downside of riding motorcycles is that, without a protective cage, the player can be ejected from the motorcycle during collisions and is prone to damage from gunfire. Getting busted is much easier as the cops do not have to open a door. Reversing on a motorcycle requires the character to use their feet to reverse (except for the Quadbike).

In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the player can increase the Bike Skill of Carl Johnson, either through long rides on motorcycles or lessons in the Bike School. The higher the skill, the less chance Carl will fall off the motorcycle and the more responsive the motorcycle is.

In Grand Theft Auto IV, The Ballad of Gay Tony, and Grand Theft Auto V, the player character will automatically put on a helmet if given time to do so. Some mission-specific characters will wear unique helmets not seen anywhere else in the game.

GTA 1

GTA London 1969 & 1961

GTA Vice City

GTA San Andreas

GTA Liberty City Stories

GTA Vice City Stories

GTA IV

Added in The Lost and Damned

Added in The Ballad of Gay Tony

GTA Chinatown Wars

GTA V/Online

Added in The High Life Update

Thrust

Added in Independence Day Special

Sovereign

Added in Last Team Standing Update

Added in Heists Update

Added in Ill-Gotten Gains Part 2 Update

Vindicator

Added in GTA Online: Cunning Stunts

Trivia

One slight inaccuracy in the operation of motorcycles in GTA IV is that when the player answers his cell phone while driving the bike he uses his right hand which in reality would disable his ability to accelerate as the throttle is located on that side. Yet the player is somehow still able to operate and accelerate the bike while talking on the phone.
Another inaccuracy is that in real life, only touring motorcycles with a front fairing have built-in radio whereas in the Grand Theft Auto Series, all motorcycles do. Using this theory, the Wayfarer in GTA San Andreas and the WinterGreen in GTA Vice City Stories would be the only bikes that accurately has a radio.
In all GTA games up to GTA IV, the handlebars don't move when the player turns the front wheel. However, this is fixed in the Episodic Content.
In GTA: San Andreas, when the player has a recruited Grove Street Families gang member and gets on a motorcycle, sometimes the passenger will call out "Shotgun" to sit in the front seat, but he can only get on the back. This proves the same dialogue is used for both cars and motorcycles in the game.
According to the Liberty Tree themed instructions manual in Liberty City Stories, due to their dangerous nature bikes were being voted to be banned off the streets of Liberty City during the time LCS is set. This might be a story-wise explaination for the lack of bikes in Grand Theft Auto Advance and Grand Theft Auto III.
In Grand Theft Auto IV and V, the Police can easily ram the player off the motorcycle, making driving a motorcycle with a Wanted Level in either game very dangerous and risky. In Grand Theft Auto V, if the LSPD/Sheriffs knock the player off a motorbike, they will instantly be Wasted a good majority of the time.
Not one Grand Theft Auto game has had the accelerator move, it always stays in its place. This goes for cars to with the steering wheel not moving. The only latest Rockstar game that had the steering wheel move was LA Noire.
- This also applies to the clutch, brakes and gears.
- However, in the enhanced version of Grand Theft Auto V, the accelerator does move, which is most noticeable in first-person view. Also, everything on a vehicle, dashboards, gauges and meters all work.

GTA Wiki

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