Bike
Bikes appear in theSuper Mario franchise as vehicles used mainly in theMario Kart series, alongsidekarts andATVs. They come in many different styles and have features that set them apart from normal karts.
During the development ofMario Kart: Double Dash!!,Hideki Konno presented the idea of putting bikes in the game.[1] The idea was rejected, because the concept ofMario riding a motorbike was doubtful, even though multiple characters including Mario were shown riding Motor Cross bicycles inThe Super Mario Bros. Super Show! episode "The Great BMX Race". However, whenMario Kart Wii came around, they decided to put bikes in and call itMario Kart X, a name that got changed becauseSuper Smash Bros. Brawl was calledDairantō Smash Brothers X in Japan.
History[edit]
Mario Kart series[edit]
Mario Kart DS[edit]
While bikes do not appear as a class of vehicles inMario Kart DS, one ofWaluigi's specialkarts, theZipper, is a tricycle. Also,R.O.B.'sROB-LGS has three wheels and therefore can also be considered a tricycle.
Mario Kart Wii[edit]
Bikes first appear inMario Kart Wii. The game is the firstSuper Mario racing game in which the characters could race in a non-kart vehicle.Peach,Daisy, andRosalina wear jumpsuits if riding a bike, as it would be difficult to ride a bike while wearing a dress like when they are driving karts without having their trains (loose, hanging parts forming the backs of their skirts) getting caught in the wheels.
The basic model of the bike for all characters is theStandard 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 theStandard Karts. These bikes appear to be based on the bikes inExcitebike.
The large bikes are given design differences, depending on which large-sized characters are using them. Except for the Standard Bike L, each large bike has three design differences.
- The default designs are used byWario,Waluigi,Donkey Kong,King Boo,Funky Kong, and the large-sizedMii.
- The second designs, which are depicted having lower positioned exhaust pipes and/or repositioned handles, are used byBowser andDry Bowser.
- The third designs, which are depicted having shorter handles, repositioned foot pedestals, and/or a thinner body, are used byRosalina.
Additionally, theBit Bike has a design difference that's only seen when the player is using a small-sized Mii; the Bit Bike's exhaust pipes are positioned lower for the small-sized Miis, than for the other small-sized characters.
All bikes differ from karts in many ways. While driving a bike, characters are able to performwheelies, which boost the player's speed temporarily. If a bike is rammed into while doing a wheelie, the player will lose speed and have to accelerate again. Also, bikes only emit blue sparks whendrifting and release a small mini-turbo, thus making them unable to emit yellow sparks for powerful mini-turbos. Statwise, bikes have slightly lower speed and much lower weight compared to karts, but excel in every other stat (acceleration, handling, drift, off-road and Mini-Turbo). Additionally, bikes have sixtrick variants while karts only have three.
In terms of gameplay, bikes are divided intodrift type (「ドリフトタイプ」) bikes,[2] that are able to drift and are commonly referred to as outside drifting bikes or outward drifting bikes, andhang-on type (「ハングオンタイプ」) bikes,[2] that commit to the turn instead of drifting and are commonly referred to as inside drifting bikes or inward drifting bikes due to their significantly different lines when they commit to the turn.
Mario Kart 8 /Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]
After their absence inMario Kart 7, Bikes return inMario Kart 8 andMario Kart 8 Deluxe with the ability to go underwater, use gliders, and utilize anti-gravity. Also, in this installment, just like the karts, bikes are able to perform aSuper Mini-Turbo and the bikers only perform wheelies during the boosts obtained via a Mushroom, aDash Panel, aTrick, or aRocket Start, unlike inMario Kart Wii. As with karts, the bikes in this game can be customized with different bodies, wheels and gliders. Both drift type bikes, now known asstandard bikes, and hang-on type bikes, now known assport bikes, return and they again respectively drift or commit to the turn when the player attempts to drift with them.[3] Peach, Daisy, and Rosalina retain their alternate jumpsuits fromMario Kart Wii.Pink Gold Peach,Pauline, andPeachette also wear jumpsuits while riding bikes.
A redShy Guy, performing awheelie on itsFlame Rider, inMario Kart 8
Mario Kart World[edit]
This section isreferring to a subject in an upcoming or recently released game. When the game is released, or more information about this subject is found, this section may need major rewriting.
This notice should be removed after a month has passed since the game was first released.
Bikes return in theMario Kart World for theNintendo Switch 2. Unlike previous games,Peach does not wear a jumpsuit when driving bikes.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie[edit]
InThe Super Mario Bros. Movie, Peach creates a bike resembling theMach Bike at theJungle Kingdom. She uses it to traverse thesecret passage and theRainbow Road. AfterMario andDonkey Kong are incapacitated by theKoopa General's explosion, she uses her bike to return to the Mushroom Kingdom and warn theToads ofBowser's arrival.
Gallery[edit]
Mario Kart Wii[edit]
Small bikes[edit]
Baby Mario'sBullet Bike
Baby Luigi's Bullet Bike
Baby Peach's Bullet Bike
Baby Daisy's Bullet Bike
Toad's Bullet Bike
Toadette's Bullet Bike
Koopa Troopa's Bullet Bike
Dry Bones' Bullet Bike
MaleMii's Bullet Bike
Baby Mario'sBit Bike/Nanobike
Baby Mario'sQuacker
Baby Mario'sMagikruiser
Baby Mario'sJet Bubble/Bubble Bike
Medium bikes[edit]
Mario tricking on hisStandard Bike M
Luigi tricking on his Standard Bike M
Bowser Jr.'s Standard Bike M
Princess Peach driving herMach Bike
Daisy's Mach Bike
Yoshi's Mach Bike
Birdo's Mach Bike
Diddy Kong's Mach Bike
Bowser Jr.'s Mach Bike
Mario'sSugarscoot/Bon Bon
Mario'sZip Zip/Rapide
Mario'sSneakster/Nitrocycle
Mario'sDolphin Dasher
Large bikes[edit]
Wario'sFlame Runner/Bowser Bike
Waluigi's Flame Runner/Bowser Bike
Donkey Kong's Flame Runner/Bowser Bike
King Boo's Flame Runner/Bowser Bike
Rosalina's Flame Runner/Bowser Bike
Funky Kong's Flame Runner/Bowser Bike
Dry Bowser's Flame Runner/Bowser Bike
Wario'sWario Bike
Wario'sShooting Star/Twinkle Star
Wario'sSpear/Torpedo
Wario'sPhantom
Battle Mode[edit]
Mario Kart 8 /Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]
Master Cycle Zero (Mario Kart 8 Deluxe only)
The Super Mario Bros. Movie[edit]
Names in other languages[edit]
Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Japanese | バイク[?] Baiku | Bike | |
Chinese (simplified) | 摩托车[?] Mótuōchē | Motorcycle | |
Spanish | Moto[?] | Bike |
References[edit]
- ^Iwata Asks - Mario Kart Wii.Nintendo of America (American English). Archived January 13, 2010, 03:10:58 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
- ^abPage 14 and 15 of the Nintendo Official Guidebook ofMario Kart Wii (PDF). Japanese. Retrieved April 27, 2018.[dead link]
- ^"There are actually two sub-categories of bike: standard and sport. Standard bikes drift similarly to every other body type. Sport bikes more or less commit to the turn during a drift, sharply cutting in the direction of the turn." – Musa, Alexander (May 30, 2014).Mario Kart 8 PRIMA Official Game Guide.Prima Games (American English). ISBN978-0-804-16328-6. Page 28.