A motorcycle fork is the portion of a motorcycle that holds the front wheel and allows one to steer. For handling, the front fork is the most critical part of a motorcycle. The angle of rake determines how stable the motorcycle feels.

Almost all commercially available motorcycles are driven by conventional gasoline internal combustion engines, but some small scooter-type models use an electric motor, and a very small number of diesel models exist. The Displacement is defined as the total volume of air/fuel mixture an engine can draw in during one complete engine cycle. In a piston engine, this is the volume that is swept as the pistons are moved from top dead center to bottom dead center. To the layperson this is the "size" of the engine. Motorcycle engines range from 50 cc (cubic centimetres), commonly found in many small scooters, to 2294 cc, the largest production engine, currently made by Triumph for its Rocket III cruiser-style motorcycle.

Modern motorcycles normally have five or six forward gears. Only the largest touring motorcycles (most prominently, the Honda Goldwing) and a few models that are routinely used with a sidecar or converted to tricycle configuration are fitted with a reverse gear. On some, it is not really a reverse gear, but a feature of the starter motor which when reversed, performs the same function. These motorcycles' weight (in the region of 300 kg) means they cannot effectively be pushed without the motor engaged.

The clutch is typically an arrangement of plates stacked in alternating fashion, one geared on the inside to the engine and the next geared on the outside to the transmission input shaft. Whether wet (rotating in engine oil) or dry, the plates are squeezed together by a spring, causing friction buildup between the plates until they rotate as a single unit, driving the transmission directly. A lever on the handlebar exploits mechanical advantage through a cable or hydraulic arrangement to release the clutch spring, allowing the engine to freewheel with respect to the transmission.

The wheel rims are usually steel or aluminum (generally with steel spokes and an aluminium hub) or 'mag' type cast or machined aluminum. At one time, motorcycles all used spoke wheels built up from separate components (see wheelbuilding), but, except for dirtbikes, one-piece wheels are more common now. Performance racing motorcycles often use carbon-fiber wheels, but the expense of these wheels is prohibitively high for general usage.

Motorcycles mainly use pneumatic tires. However, in some cases where punctures are common (some enduros), the tires are filled with a "mousse" which is unpunctureable. Both types of tires come in many configurations. The most important characteristic of any tire is the contact patch. That is the small area that is in contact with the road surface while riding. There are tires designed for dirtbikes, touring, sport and cruiser bikes.
Dirtbike tires have knobby, deep treads for maximum grip on loose dirt, mud, or gravel; such tires tend to be less stable on paved surfaces. Touring tires are usually made of harder rubber for greater durability. They may last longer, but they tend to provide less outright grip than sports tyres at optimal operating temperatures. The payoff is that touring tires typically offer more grip at lower temperatures, meaning they can be more suitable for riding in cold or winter conditions where a sport tire may never reach the optimal operating temperature. Sport/performance tires provide amazing grip but may last 1,000 miles (1,600 km) or less. Cruiser and "sport touring" tires try to find the best compromise between grip and durability. There is also a type of tire developed specifically for racing. These tires offer the highest of levels of grip for cornering. Due to the high temperatures at which these tires typically operate, use on the street is unsafe because the tires will typically not reach optimum temperature before a rider arrives, thus providing almost no grip en route. In racing situations, racing tires would normally be brought up to temperature in advance by the use of tire warmers.

There are generally two independent brakes on a motorcycle, one set on the front wheel and one on the rear. However, some models have "linked brakes" whereby both can be applied at the same time using only one control. Front brakes are generally much more powerful than rear brakes: roughly two thirds of stopping power comes from the front brake - mainly a result of weight transfer being much more pronounced compared to larger vehicles, due to the very short wheelbase . Brakes can either be drum or disc based, with disc brakes being more common on large, modern or expensive motorcycles for their far superior stopping power, particularly in wet conditions. There are many brake-performance-enhancing aftermarket parts available for most motorcycles including brake pads of varying compounds and steel braided brake lines.

In the 1980s, BMW introduced the antilock braking system (ABS) to the world of motorcycling. This life-saving advance has since been adopted for civilian motorcycles by some other manufacturers, including Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Ducati. Some larger scooters also offer ABS brakes.

Modern designs have the two wheels of a motorcycle connected to the chassis by a suspension arrangement, however 'chopper' style motorcycles often elect to forgo rear suspension, using a rigid frame.

The front suspension is usually built into the front fork and may consist of telescoping tubes called fork tubes which contain the suspension inside or some multibar linkage that incorporate the suspension externally.

The rear suspension supports the swingarm, which is attached via the swingarm pivot bolt to the frame and holds the axle of the rear wheel. The rear suspension can consist of several shock arrangements

With dirtbikes excluded, almost all motorcycles have a speedometer, an odometer and a tachometer. Fuel gauges are becoming more common, but traditionally a reserve tank arrangement is used with a petcock (petrol tap) on the side of the motorcycle allowing the rider to switch to a reserve fuel supply when the main fuel supply is exhausted. There is not actually a separate reserve tank: The intake for the petcock has two pipes, one extending higher into the fuel tank than the other. When fuel no longer covers the short pipe, the rider switches the petcock to the "reserve" setting, which accesses the shorter pipe. Riders whose bikes lack a fuel gauge (most machines prior to the past few years) usually learn how many miles/km they can go with a full tank of fuel, and then use a trip meter if available to judge when they must refill the tank.

Motorcycle fuel efficiency benefits from the relatively small mass of the vehicle, compared to its passengers and to other motor vehicles, and subsequent small engine displacement. However, poor aerodynamics of exposed passengers and engines designed for goals other than fuel economy can work to reduce these benefits.

Fuel effiency varies greatly with engine displacement from a low of 29 mpg U.S. (8.1 L/100km) reported by a Honda VTR1000F rider[1] to 107 mpg U.S. (2.2 L/100km) reported for the Verucci Nitro 50cc Scooter[2]. A specially designed Matzu Matsuzawa Honda XL125 achieved 470 mpg U.S. (0.5 L/100km) "on real highways - in real conditions.