![]() | This is an
essay on
style. It contains the advice and/or opinions of one or more
WikiProjects on how to format and present article content within their area of interest.
This information is not a formal
Wikipedia policy or guideline, as it has not been
thoroughly vetted by the community. |
WikiProject Motorcycling follows these conventions for all motorcycle-related articles. Remember that Wikipedia:Five pillars and other core principles overrule any project guidelines or conventions. All of the conventions here are intended to be derived from these core policies, applying them in the context of motorcycling articles.
Not every model of motorcycle ever made should have a separate article, just as some manufacturers, and many, many motorcycle clubs or events, have not had sufficient coverage to merit articles of their own. Wikipedia's general notability guideline applies in all cases, although you should expect to see many articles created under the mistaken assumption that there should be one article per model. One of WikiProject Motorcycling's goals is to clean up, merge, or delete these hundreds of extraneous articles. See Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Yamaha FZ700 for some previous discussion of whether all models must have an article.
Models which have not been covered in independent sources may be mentioned in lists or in manufacturer pages. Consider what best serves the reader's needs as well. Many times two or more motorcycle models which could technically get separate articles would work better merged on a single article, in order to present the history of their development and product life cycle as a coherent narrative.
Motorcycle articles should generally be placed under a title named in a two-part format: <Make> <Model>. Example: Honda CBX1000. The make should be a short form of the maker's name, as would be commonly used (see: Wikipedia:Common name), unless disambiguation with other makes is required. The model name should be the basic name for that model.
Each article shall be titled with the model name used in the subject vehicle's home market, unless a single name other than the home-market name is used in English-speaking markets, and the home market is not English-speaking. In such cases, the article shall be titled with the model name used in English-speaking markets.
Definitions:
{{Reflist|30em}}
in the Notes (or References) section. Use of {{Reflist|2}}
to force columns is deprecated. See
Template:Reflist#ColumnsUse {{ Convert}} for units. Except for US-made motorcycles, we lead with metric, because unit order follows a vehicle's major market. Rest-of-world motorcycles will use kilowatts (kW) and metric horsepower. British motorcycles may use brake horsepower (bhp) and kilowatts (kW).
In almost all cases, do not specify a target unit. Only give the original unit and let the template pick the default conversion, e.g. {{convert|62|mph|abbr=on}}
not {convert|62|mph|kph|abbr=on}}
. Thousands of editors use {{
Convert}}, and the default settings represent a widespread Wikipedia consensus. If the consensus changes, the template will change with it without us having to change any articles. In a few cases the template will give an undesirable conversion and you have to force the target units.
General conventions for units:
750&nbѕp;cc
so that 750 cc will be displayed in the article).|order=flip
, e.g. Cycle World prints that a Ducati motorcycle has a 4.1 gallon fuel tank. We know they use US gallons, so we write {{convert|4.1|USgal|abbr=on|order=flip}}
.{{convert|100.2|kW|abbr=on}}
instead of {{convert|100.2|kW|abbr=on|0}}
Engine displacement should be expressed first in cubic centimeters, and converted with the template default. Cubic inches can be used first to express the displacement of engines originally engineered, designated, and marketed in cubic inches, such as typical American brands. When dealing with engines that were originally marketed using cubic inches, but later adopted metric designations, use {{
convert}} with the |order=flip
parameter.
Where conflict exists between the actual and advertised displacement of an engine, we treat the advertised displacement as a part of the engine's designation or name, writing it in italic. We also express the actual displacement. E.g. "...a 250 cc class motorcycle of 234 cc (14.3 cu in) displacement".
Power figures should usually be written in metric form with the imperial conversion in parentheses. SI measurements should be expressed in kilowatts (kW).
In some cases power figures should be written in imperial units first, with the metric conversion in parentheses. Imperial measurements should be expressed in horsepower (hp) or brake horsepower (bhp) for British and pre-1972 American vehicles. Cases where imperial units should be given precedence include vehicles produced by U.S.-based companies, or those produced by companies that used imperial units at the time of the vehicle's manufacture (such as in Australia prior to 1974).
Torque figures should be written in metric form with the imperial conversion in parentheses. Metric measurements should be expressed in newton meters (N·m).
In some cases torque figures should be written in imperial units first with the metric conversion in parentheses (see above for more details). Imperial measurements should be expressed in pound-feet (lb·ft) (not ft·lb or ft·lbf).
Care must be taken when including fuel consumption and performance figures. Always provide a footnote at the end of the sentence containing performance figures or weight, or at the line in a table or list. Performance figures and weight should only be given if a reliable third party test can be sourced, otherwise leave them out entirely. We usually delete unsourced performance figures in old articles, unless we are certain a good source is contained in the article. Then we tag with {{
Citation needed}}. Express acceleration and braking using the {{
Convert}} template: {{Convert|0|to|60|mph|abbr=on}}
time, {{Convert|0|to|1/4|mi|abbr=on}}
time and speed, {{Convert|60|to|0|mph|abbr=on}}
braking distance.
{{Infobox motorcycle |name = |image = |alt = |caption = |aka = |manufacturer = |parent_company = |production = |assembly = |predecessor = |successor = |class = |engine = |bore_stroke = |compression = |top_speed = |power = |torque = |ignition = |transmission = |frame = |suspension = |brakes = |tires = |rake_trail = |wheelbase = |length = |width = |height = |seat_height = |dry_weight = |wet_weight = |fuel_capacity = |oil_capacity = |fuel_consumption = |turning_radius = |related = |sp = }} |
The manufacturer field should list the company, division, or subsidiary responsible for the vehicle's development, for example:
The appropriate parent company may be used if applicable. For example, BMW Motorrad is the motorcycle division of BMW:
The production field of the automobile infobox should mention the date production started and ended. Dates should be expressed in years (for example, 2001–2006) or in months and years (for example, April 2001–November 2006). Full dates should not be included (for example, 7 April 2001–16 November 2006); these dates can be mentioned in the text of the article if they are known.
"2024–" is preferable to "2024–present" while we are still in 2024. Also, vehicles yet to enter production should state "2024 (to commence)". For all previous years, "since 2006", et cetera is the preferred style.
For vehicles sold in North America where the use of model years is widespread, the "model_years" field of the infobox may be used in addition to "production". Model years are a marketing concept and thus are restricted to full years only; no months or half-years.
The assembly field should state the country of manufacture first, followed by a colon, and then the exact location, such as the city or town followed by the state or province if applicable. If the manufacturing entity is separate from the entity responsible for the design and development of the vehicle, then this entity should be parenthesized after the location:
[[File:...|thumb|...]]
" is used for almost all horizontal images.[[File:...|thumb|upright|...]]
" for vertical images.[[File:...|thumb|upright=1.35|...]]
| image = [[File:...|frameless|upright=1.35|...]]
|caption= ......
Articles that use the model year format should clearly differentiate such years from calendar years.
In accordance with WP:CRYSTALBALL, articles about future or speculative vehicles that have not been officially announced by their manufacturer should not be created. If an article is created about a speculative vehicle, it is to be either deleted or redirected to an article whose subject is most relevant to the redirect's subject.
![]() | This is an
essay on
style. It contains the advice and/or opinions of one or more
WikiProjects on how to format and present article content within their area of interest.
This information is not a formal
Wikipedia policy or guideline, as it has not been
thoroughly vetted by the community. |
WikiProject Motorcycling follows these conventions for all motorcycle-related articles. Remember that Wikipedia:Five pillars and other core principles overrule any project guidelines or conventions. All of the conventions here are intended to be derived from these core policies, applying them in the context of motorcycling articles.
Not every model of motorcycle ever made should have a separate article, just as some manufacturers, and many, many motorcycle clubs or events, have not had sufficient coverage to merit articles of their own. Wikipedia's general notability guideline applies in all cases, although you should expect to see many articles created under the mistaken assumption that there should be one article per model. One of WikiProject Motorcycling's goals is to clean up, merge, or delete these hundreds of extraneous articles. See Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Yamaha FZ700 for some previous discussion of whether all models must have an article.
Models which have not been covered in independent sources may be mentioned in lists or in manufacturer pages. Consider what best serves the reader's needs as well. Many times two or more motorcycle models which could technically get separate articles would work better merged on a single article, in order to present the history of their development and product life cycle as a coherent narrative.
Motorcycle articles should generally be placed under a title named in a two-part format: <Make> <Model>. Example: Honda CBX1000. The make should be a short form of the maker's name, as would be commonly used (see: Wikipedia:Common name), unless disambiguation with other makes is required. The model name should be the basic name for that model.
Each article shall be titled with the model name used in the subject vehicle's home market, unless a single name other than the home-market name is used in English-speaking markets, and the home market is not English-speaking. In such cases, the article shall be titled with the model name used in English-speaking markets.
Definitions:
{{Reflist|30em}}
in the Notes (or References) section. Use of {{Reflist|2}}
to force columns is deprecated. See
Template:Reflist#ColumnsUse {{ Convert}} for units. Except for US-made motorcycles, we lead with metric, because unit order follows a vehicle's major market. Rest-of-world motorcycles will use kilowatts (kW) and metric horsepower. British motorcycles may use brake horsepower (bhp) and kilowatts (kW).
In almost all cases, do not specify a target unit. Only give the original unit and let the template pick the default conversion, e.g. {{convert|62|mph|abbr=on}}
not {convert|62|mph|kph|abbr=on}}
. Thousands of editors use {{
Convert}}, and the default settings represent a widespread Wikipedia consensus. If the consensus changes, the template will change with it without us having to change any articles. In a few cases the template will give an undesirable conversion and you have to force the target units.
General conventions for units:
750&nbѕp;cc
so that 750 cc will be displayed in the article).|order=flip
, e.g. Cycle World prints that a Ducati motorcycle has a 4.1 gallon fuel tank. We know they use US gallons, so we write {{convert|4.1|USgal|abbr=on|order=flip}}
.{{convert|100.2|kW|abbr=on}}
instead of {{convert|100.2|kW|abbr=on|0}}
Engine displacement should be expressed first in cubic centimeters, and converted with the template default. Cubic inches can be used first to express the displacement of engines originally engineered, designated, and marketed in cubic inches, such as typical American brands. When dealing with engines that were originally marketed using cubic inches, but later adopted metric designations, use {{
convert}} with the |order=flip
parameter.
Where conflict exists between the actual and advertised displacement of an engine, we treat the advertised displacement as a part of the engine's designation or name, writing it in italic. We also express the actual displacement. E.g. "...a 250 cc class motorcycle of 234 cc (14.3 cu in) displacement".
Power figures should usually be written in metric form with the imperial conversion in parentheses. SI measurements should be expressed in kilowatts (kW).
In some cases power figures should be written in imperial units first, with the metric conversion in parentheses. Imperial measurements should be expressed in horsepower (hp) or brake horsepower (bhp) for British and pre-1972 American vehicles. Cases where imperial units should be given precedence include vehicles produced by U.S.-based companies, or those produced by companies that used imperial units at the time of the vehicle's manufacture (such as in Australia prior to 1974).
Torque figures should be written in metric form with the imperial conversion in parentheses. Metric measurements should be expressed in newton meters (N·m).
In some cases torque figures should be written in imperial units first with the metric conversion in parentheses (see above for more details). Imperial measurements should be expressed in pound-feet (lb·ft) (not ft·lb or ft·lbf).
Care must be taken when including fuel consumption and performance figures. Always provide a footnote at the end of the sentence containing performance figures or weight, or at the line in a table or list. Performance figures and weight should only be given if a reliable third party test can be sourced, otherwise leave them out entirely. We usually delete unsourced performance figures in old articles, unless we are certain a good source is contained in the article. Then we tag with {{
Citation needed}}. Express acceleration and braking using the {{
Convert}} template: {{Convert|0|to|60|mph|abbr=on}}
time, {{Convert|0|to|1/4|mi|abbr=on}}
time and speed, {{Convert|60|to|0|mph|abbr=on}}
braking distance.
{{Infobox motorcycle |name = |image = |alt = |caption = |aka = |manufacturer = |parent_company = |production = |assembly = |predecessor = |successor = |class = |engine = |bore_stroke = |compression = |top_speed = |power = |torque = |ignition = |transmission = |frame = |suspension = |brakes = |tires = |rake_trail = |wheelbase = |length = |width = |height = |seat_height = |dry_weight = |wet_weight = |fuel_capacity = |oil_capacity = |fuel_consumption = |turning_radius = |related = |sp = }} |
The manufacturer field should list the company, division, or subsidiary responsible for the vehicle's development, for example:
The appropriate parent company may be used if applicable. For example, BMW Motorrad is the motorcycle division of BMW:
The production field of the automobile infobox should mention the date production started and ended. Dates should be expressed in years (for example, 2001–2006) or in months and years (for example, April 2001–November 2006). Full dates should not be included (for example, 7 April 2001–16 November 2006); these dates can be mentioned in the text of the article if they are known.
"2024–" is preferable to "2024–present" while we are still in 2024. Also, vehicles yet to enter production should state "2024 (to commence)". For all previous years, "since 2006", et cetera is the preferred style.
For vehicles sold in North America where the use of model years is widespread, the "model_years" field of the infobox may be used in addition to "production". Model years are a marketing concept and thus are restricted to full years only; no months or half-years.
The assembly field should state the country of manufacture first, followed by a colon, and then the exact location, such as the city or town followed by the state or province if applicable. If the manufacturing entity is separate from the entity responsible for the design and development of the vehicle, then this entity should be parenthesized after the location:
[[File:...|thumb|...]]
" is used for almost all horizontal images.[[File:...|thumb|upright|...]]
" for vertical images.[[File:...|thumb|upright=1.35|...]]
| image = [[File:...|frameless|upright=1.35|...]]
|caption= ......
Articles that use the model year format should clearly differentiate such years from calendar years.
In accordance with WP:CRYSTALBALL, articles about future or speculative vehicles that have not been officially announced by their manufacturer should not be created. If an article is created about a speculative vehicle, it is to be either deleted or redirected to an article whose subject is most relevant to the redirect's subject.