In recent times we have seen some incredible achievements when it comes to overall motorcycle technology, safety, and performance, especially when it comes to sportbikes. With each bike that has been produced over the last couple of decades, that tech has been refined and honed for public consumption.
Although there are certainly bikes that are best avoided, in their own way, those machines have contributed to the overall progress and development of all modern motorcycles. Although considered failures, they are still hard to ignore, machines that you might want to experience to understand anyway. These are the 5 bikes we would want to throw a leg over, and the 5 we think are best avoided for different reasons.
10 Throw A Leg Over: Ducati 916
Often credited as the best-looking bike of all time, it also happens to be one of the most exciting bikes to ride, on track it was dominant and on the street, a legend.
It is one of the best motorcycles ever made, let alone of the best Ducatis. Although popular, their latest bikes have earned an unenviable reliability record that detracts from their overall ability.
9 Avoid: Honda CBR500R
The antithesis of the Ducati has to be this rather lukewarm effort from Honda. It is an unusually heavy beginner bike, packed with modern features that make it safer, but slow.
Sadly, it is about as exciting as the average washing machine, with Honda successfully pulling off what many thought to be impossible; making a boring motorcycle.
8 Throw A Leg Over: MV Agusta F4 1000R
Much like its other Italian counterparts, it is in a fairly high state of tune, and gets some rather exclusive components bolted on. Although they may well not be the easiest or cheapest bikes to run, they do stir the soul.
It is a machine that can even put a smile on your face without moving an inch, it truly begs to be ridden. When you realize the same guy designed the 916, it all starts to make sense.
7 Avoid: Suzuki Hayabusa
It has been around for quite some time, but it is still one of the fastest production motorcycles. It is a larger than life kind of machine. Although it is still an affordable machine, even more affordable on the used and abused market, we would rather avoid this one.
It is planted and arguably fairly safe at highway speed, but if you dare venture into a city it will cook you alive and is the size of a small bus with similar levels of maneuverability.
6 Throw A Leg Over: Aprilia Tuono V4 X
It is clear that the overarching theme of this machine is more lightness. Even the tiny fairing is made of carbon fiber to save weight. This special edition also benefits from a titanium exhaust and high-flow air filter used by the MotoGP team, who also optimize the tune.
Although it doesn’t come cheap, it is still a relative bargain compared to the other Italian machinery, and arguably has them beat in every respect.
5 Avoid: Honda CBR900RR
It is undeniably one of the most ground-breaking motorcycles of its time, it weighed as much as a 600, and was faster than most liter-bikes in the early 90s. It is also one of the most dangerous, as it was made in a time before ABS was relevant to the motorcycle industry.
It really needs an experienced rider, many of the novices who tried taming this beast fell well short (literally). It isn’t even all that fast by today's standards, but it will struggle for grip in most gears, and now that it is a classic, breaking a fender will ruin the bike's value.
4 Throw A Leg Over: Suzuki GSX-R1000
Gixxers reached their peak by the mid-00s, with emissions really strangling the newer liter bikes. This K5 generation bike is regarded as one of the best sports bikes of all time and unlike most bikes in that conversation, it is still an accessible machine.
It might be accessible, but it is by no means the slowest. In the right state of tune (not necessarily modified), it will beat modern sports bikes around a track.
3 Avoid: Buell S1 Lightning
Although this was a genuinely fun machine, they were nowhere near their Japanese and Italian rivals in terms of performance. It was by some margin the fastest Harley-powered bike when it was in production, which didn’t exactly count for much as it only had a top speed of 120 mph.
Not exactly on par with sportbikes of that era, now it just seems awkward and heavy (although cool-looking).
2 Throw A Leg Over: Ducati Superleggera V4
It is a true homologation bike for the modern enthusiast, the big winglets sticking out the sides and more carbon fiber than some supercars.
It's quite simply impossible to ignore, equipped to take on any other bike on any track with over 200 horsepower and all the latest track-oriented tech. Buying one will set you back 6 figures, though... if you can even reserve one of the 500.
1 Avoid: BMW K1
It is possible that the K1 is the most 90s-looking bike in the world, and that is not a compliment. Questionable looks aside, it did achieve what BMW wanted, something that could safely travel over 100 mph on the Autobahn for an extended period.
The main problem with the bike was how awful (not unlike the Busa) it was in traffic. Most sportbikes are terrible when you are going slow, the K1 just took it that one step further. It weighed over 600 pounds, fanned hot air onto the rider, then if you had to turn around for some reason, you would need three lanes to do a u-turn.