Sometimes, motorcycles are not as reliable as riders would hope they would be. The bikes may be uncomfortable or painful. Sometimes, the ride feels unstable. Parts can fit poorly, they can lock up, they can make loud noises, they can handle roughly, or they can go too fast. There are a number of defects motorcycles can have, and although companies do their best to make sure these defects are removed before hitting the sales floor, sometimes a few motorcycles have imperfections that slip under the radar.

In a few cases, motorcycles can have good quality with their latest and most current versions, but their earliest versions can have a bad reputation for falling apart. In even more unusual cases, bikes can be perfectly stable, smooth, and reliable, but their physical appearance can be ill-received by the public, making them think the bikes will fall apart. Therefore, they receive a bad reputation, even though they are fairly quality bikes with few to no issues.

Read on to find out about bikes that have a poor image, whether it was justified or not.

15 Husqvarna 250 MX, 1970

Husqvarna 250 MX, 1970
via Mecum Auctions

Although the 1970s Husqvarna 250 MX was fast in a straight line, had state-of-the-art brakes for its time, but also featured a weak swing arm with poor shocks. The slightest bump would cause the rear end of the bike to sway from side to side. Even worse was the crotch pad, which gave extreme pain to the rider as a side effect of stopping the rider from sliding up the gas tank under heavy braking.

14 Moto Guzzi

Moto Guzzi
via Moto Guzzi

In a failed attempt to stop vibrations from rubber-mounted engines reaching the rider and transmitting further, Moto Guzzi incorporated a rubber mounting for the handlebars on a few of their earlier models. However, because bikes fitted with high-rise handlebars were very unstable, movement in the mounting caused the steering to have a vagueness that felt like wandering, lacking any sort of accuracy or precision.

13 2017 Yamaha SCR950

2017 Yamaha SCR950
via Cycle World

The 2017 Yamaha SCR950 had its own fair share of problems. Yamaha’s Bolt cruiser was intended to be a Sportster for people with poor credit ratings. For the level of bike it was intended to be, it's a solid honest, reliable middleweight ride. That said, the Bolt cruiser was no Scrambler. Yamaha then decided that one of their heaviest and most underpowered bikes could be the template for cynical off-road tribute bike. The result was SCR950: something ugly, featuring a revised tank design, hodge-podge exhaust, and bucked-up rear shocks.

12 Greeves

Greeves
via YouTube

When it comes to Greeves' bikes, any of the leading link front fork models had the front rise up when the front brake was applied, leading to a glaring problem. Breaking would cause the front end to lose all suspension, which altered the steering geometry in the wrong direction, causing a cluster of problems in rapid succession.

11 Kawasaki 750 Triple 1V And H2

Kawasaki 750 Triple 1V and H2
via Mecum Auctions

The Kawasaki 750 Triple 1V and H2 from 1972 are infamous for the many problems they've caused, simply due to inferior brakes and handling. In fact, these bikes were so infamous that they became known as the widowmaker. While these 748 ​cc three-cylinder 2-strokes were the fastest street bikes of their time, the problems they made guaranteed a swift demise by 1976.

Related: Buying Any Of These 24 Motorcycles Is The Same As Burning Money

10 2008 Harley Davidson XR1200

2008 Harley Davidson XR1200
via TopSpeed

When Harley-Davidson desired to build a retro-styled Sportster with proper brakes, quality rubber, great suspension, and intriguing looks, the resulting bike, the XR750, would be likely to succeed. However, when the company introduced the XR1200, it was a full disappointment. It was massively overweight, moderately underpowered, and looked unfinished, merely a shadow of the XR750 that came before it.

9 Ariel Arrow

Ariel Arrow
via YouTube

The Ariel Arrow was produced from 1958 to 1965, It was a two-stroke twin with trailing link front forks and a steel pressed back-bone style frame/chassis. Despite its rather reasonable handling, the low mounted mufflers compromised the riding experience, as said mufflers greatly restricted the ground clearance. Riders would run out of the road when the mufflers stopped the bike from leaning over enough.

8 2017 Yamaha XSR900 Abarth

2017 Yamaha XSR900 Abarth
via TopSpeed

The 2017 Yamaha XSR900 Abarth crossover was a disaster from start to finish. It showcased unnecessary lightweight bodywork, back-crippling ergonomics, and a confusing and busy paint scheme. Further, it also featured a heavily branded exhaust system. It's a good thing only 695 of these were manufactured, as they were likely to sell poorly.

7 Kawasaki 500 H1

Kawasaki 500 H1
via YouTube

The Kawasaki 500 H1s were related to the larger and later Kawasaki 750s. When Kawasaki 500 H1 arrived in 1969, a rush of power overwhelmed the rider, given the bike's poor handling, very powerful, and inadequate brakes. It needed to stay under 4500 rpm to avoid the front wheel being elevated in the first three gears.

6 Harley Davidson Sportster, 1981

Harley Davidson Sportster, 1981
via Pinterest

The 1981 edition of the Harley Davidson Sportster did not fare well. With long forks set at a steep angle and a top heavyweight displacement, these bikes could ride well in a linear fashion but showed massive difficulties when cutting corners. Further, as a result of fork and steering geometry, low-speed maneuverability was severely impaired.

Related: Ranking The 10 Best Motorcycles Of 2018 (And The 10 Worst)

5 2005 Ducati Sport Classics

2005 Ducati Sport Classics
via Wikiwand

It's a sad sign when 2005 Ducati Sport Classics sell for the same price now as they did upon their mid-2000s release. They didn't attract much attention at the shows, either. They looked incredibly shoddy, and despite their reliable riding, their appearance suggested disassembly. Although it wasn't the bikes' fault they were overlooked, as Ducati’s timing was off. Had they released their collection of Sports Classics just five years later they would have had a hit on their hands. It took a few extra years for the public to appreciate the style and intrigue of these twin-shocked, air-cooled designs.

4 Honda C50, 70, 90, 110

Honda C50, 70, 90, 110
via Wikipedia

Although the Honda C50 (and subsequent models 70, 90, 110) sold very well since first offered in 1958, the earlier versions lacked quality. The three-speed automatic transmission would often lock the rear wheel if the rider changed down too quickly. Further, they also featured overly soft suspension with poor damping resulting in a pogo stick effect on long, bumpy corners. Despite this, later models overcame these defects, and more than 60 million Honda Cubs have been sold.

3 2008 Harley Davidson Rocker C

2008 Harley Davidson Rocker C
via Cycle Trader

Harley-Davidson's Rocker C in 2008 was intended to be a tribute to the chopper scene. More than that, the Rocker C was an attempt by Milwaulkee to cash in on the muscle-top-wearing, mouth-breathing, room-temperature-IQ crowd of the late 2000’s custom V-twin scene. Unfortunately, the company released the bike too late, as a shift in the economy and in popular taste resulted in the bikes looking embarrassing and unreliable.

2 Suzuki GT380/550/750

Suzuki GT380
via Wikipedia

Suzuki's GT series was known for numerous problems in its run from 1972 to 1980. First of all, their poor ground clearance was prominent due to the muffler location and engine width. Secondly, the later front disc brakes had poor performance and a very flexible swing arm. Third, soft damping from the shocks made riding the bike feel like riding a pogo stick. Worst of all, the front end would wildly oscillate from side to side under acceleration.

1 Honda CX 500

Honda CX 500
via Wikipedia

The Honda CX 500 had a top-heavy design, leading to low-speed maneuverability problems. Produced from 1978 to 1983, the later versions were popular favorites with riders, while the earlier versions had a major manufacturing fault: the crankshaft main bearing specifications were incorrect, leading to a major recall. Should the throttle was close quickly in an emergency, then the bike would lean to the right. The rear wheel also had an unfortunate tendency to easily lock.

Sources: liveabout.com, returnofthecaferacers.com

Next: The Story Behind Suzuki’s Rise To Motorcycle Greatness