Bike
Bikes are vehicles utilized majorly in the Mario Kart series, alongside Karts. They are motorcycles of many different colors, and have features that differ from Karts. They first appeared in Mario Kart Wii.
History
Development
During the development of Mario Kart: Double Dash Hideki Konno presented the idea of putting bikes in the game.[1] The idea was rejected, cause the idea of Mario riding a Motor Bike was doubtful. However when the Mario Kart Wii came around they decided to put bikes in and call it Mario Kart X. However they decided not to call it Mario Kart X, because Super Smash Bros. Brawl was called Super Smash Bros. X in Japan.
Mario Kart DS
Bikes never appeared in Mario Kart DS but one of Waluigi's special karts, the Zipper, consists of a three-wheeled bike-like vehicle.
Mario Kart Wii
Bikes make a major appearance in Mario Kart Wii. This made the game the first Mario racing game where the characters could race in a non-kart vehicle.
The basic model of the bike for all characters is the Standard Bike, a motocross motorcycle showing the emblem of the character over the plate of the front and the sides of the rear. The color of a standard bike also changes, matching the character's custom color. These bikes are the only available to use in Battle modes along with the Standard Karts. These bikes appear to be based on the bikes in Excitebike.
Additionally, Standard Bikes come in three types regarding to certain character's size:
- Standard Bike S: A bike suited for small characters. This bike shows advantage on drifting, handling, mini-turbo and acceleration, while its disadvantage is its weight.
- Standard Bike M: A bike made for medium size characters. It shows well-rounded traits.
- Standard Bike L: Made for large characters, this bike has a higher weight than other standard bikes, and a good top speed as well.
It should also be noted that all standard bikes drift out.
All bikes differ from karts in many ways. Driving a bike, characters are able to perform wheelies, which boost the player's speed temporarily. Still, if rammed into while doing a wheelie, the player will slow down and have to accelerate again. Also, bikes only emit blue sparks when drifting and release a small mini-turbo then. Unlike karts, bikes cannot emit yellow sparks for powerful mini-turbos. Also, some bikes can drift in instead of drifting out.
Standard Bike Stats
Standard Bike S
| Speed | 39/80
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| Weight | 21/80
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| Acceleration | 51/80
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| Handling | 51/80
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| Drift | 54/80
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| Off-Road | 43/80
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| Mini-Turbo | 48/80
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Standard Bike M
| Speed | 43/80
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| Weight | 37/80
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| Acceleration | 43/80
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| Handling | 45/80
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| Drift | 48/80
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| Off-Road | 37/80
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| Mini-Turbo | 43/80
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Standard Bike L
| Speed | 46/80
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| Weight | 54/80
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| Acceleration | 40/80
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| Handling | 43/80
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| Drift | 43/80
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| Off-Road | 37/80
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| Mini-Turbo | 37/80
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Other Bikes
Names in parenthesis are North American variants.
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Trivia
- Only the large bikes are given design differences. With the exception of the Standard Bike L, each large bike has three design differences.
- The default designs are used by Wario, Waluigi, Donkey Kong, King Boo, and Funky Kong.
- The second designs, which are depicted having lower positioned exhaust pipes and/or repositioned handles, are used by Bowser and Dry Bowser.
- The third designs, which are depicted having shorter handles, repositioned foot pedestals, and/or a thinner body, are used by Rosalina.
References
1. http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/mariokart/vol1_page4.jsp
