black rat bikes

The trend for dull or matt black motorcycles originated in “Rat Bikes” as a reaction against stock vehicles with bright colors and overblown fairings. For the purist a rat bike is never washed and ridden till it falls apart, a purely practical and functional idea that ends up creating a particular look.

Painting bikes matt black was originally part of this utilitarian idea but was appropriated by people who create “Survival bikes”. These have a deliberately designed post-apocalyptic look that traces back to things like the Max Max movie series. The line between rat bikes and survival bikes is sometimes blurred as people who consciously create the menacing, industrial look of survival bikes borrow from distressed and naturally aged rat bikes.

What made this list particularly interesting, from a design curation perspective, was how a simple trend such as type of paint has come full circle through various subcultures and into the mainstream. Some of the bikes here are genuine rat bikes, some are survival bikes and one is a production bike inspired by them.

We took several of the items from the same source: ratbike.org, which is a great place to investigate further.

The 2007 Triumph Speed Triple, shown here, is a production motorcycle that is available in matt black, with a look and feel inspired by rat bikes. It completes the design cycle where a reaction to something mainstream ends up becoming a mainstream fashion.