Motorcycles come in all shapes and sizes. And for so many motorcycle enthusiasts out there, it’s pretty hard to say anything bad about motorbikes in general, as they are definitely great machines. Let’s face it, even the bad ones make our hearts flutter when they race past us or cruise by us on the road. After all, they’re motorcycles, the things that our mothers never wanted us to ride, the things that make us outlaws, our trusted steeds to take us out on that open road.

Myself, I’m always willing to give a bike a chance, especially cruisers and choppers. But there are a few bad bikes out there—as hard as that may be to admit, we’ve got to face the facts.

With all the great companies producing so many bikes a year, there’s bound to be a few that’ll either fail in the market or in the capable hands of riders everywhere. In fact, there have been more than a few. Even the top manufacturers of motorcycles have slipped up every now and again, and you’ll probably be surprised to find out who has made some big mistakes.

In this article, we take you through some of the bikes—built by the biggest names out there—that just seemed to miss the mark, either because of shoddy mechanics or even sometimes just because of style. These bikes have had their owners slapping their collective foreheads, cursing the day they decided to purchase such a lousy piece of machinery. So get your helmet on and hop into the sidecar as we take a look at some pretty disappointing motorbikes.

25 ARIEL ARROW

The Ariel Motorcycles company was founded in 1902 in the UK. They started by making bicycles then slowly graduated to motorbikes like the one pictured here. Believe it or not, the company also made cars, but that didn't last long at all,  with their last car being produced all the way back in 1925. The company closed its doors altogether in 1970.

Now, many have claimed that their bike, The Arrow, was in fact a nice looking bike—and we'd have to agree—but there were a few glaring problems that upset consumers at the time, as well as collectors that find one of these nowadays. Mostly, it's the fact that the mufflers were built too low to the ground. This can present a problem, especially when turning, as many expert riders will know.

24 HONDA C50

The Honda C50 or as it's also known, The Super Cub, is a rather simple single-cylinder motorbike. It's quaint and it doesn't really make that much noise or offer that much trouble, really. It's been produced since 1958 and sells pretty well.

So we figure right about now, you're asking "Well, what's the problem?"

Well, the problem lies in the earlier models. The issue was in the gears. If the biker would change from one gear to another too fast, then the mechanism would lock up, causing ultimate amounts of frustration. Now, you don't need that on  a ride, do you?

23 DUCATI 900SS

Ducati is without a doubt a manufacturer of quality motorcycles, and like many of the manufacturers on this list, they have been known to make quite a few excellent bikes over their long and storied history. However, that doesn't apply to this particular model. Generally, a bike like this is supposed to be fast, super fast. But this one here falls short in that department. But that's not the only issue with this bad boy. Further issues include: problems with maintenance (as it breaks down often), the springs make a lot of racket, and issues with the clutch have also been reported.

22 KAWASAKI 750 H2

Kawasaki, the company responsible for plenty of ATVs, jet skis, and other types of watercraft, as well as motorcycles, has been producing decent bikes for quite some time. In fact, some of their makes and models have been considered the best in the business, especially when looking at some of their sports bikes.

But the 750 H2, pictured here, is definitely one of their worst.

Many who have purchased the bike have regretted it and primarily because of one glaring reason: bad brakes and unpredictable handling, which are very two very important reasons to hate a bike. The biker would lose all control of the bike on turns and the brakes were consistently an issue for this model.

21 MOTO GUZZI CENTAURO

To look at this bike, you'd think it was pretty fantastic. At the end of the day, it looks like it's got everything a motorcycle enthusiast could want. The engine looks sick, the style is on par with anything expected of a cruiser, so what's the problem? It is indeed a monster, and weighing in at 500 pounds, it definitely cannot be called sleek. It's rather boxy, actually, and as such, handling is an issue. Furthermore, the engine has been known to vibrate and overheat under even moderate load.

20 SUZUKI GT380

On the surface, the Suzuki GT380 looks great. In fact, as far as style was concerned, the bike won over quite a few aficionados from more classic makes and models, like say Triumphs, or even older Hondas that sold decently and performed well. But this bike was like a Monet painting, as it looked good from afar but the imperfections could clearly be seen once you got close enough. The bike had problems with clearance, and it was all because of the muffler. It also had problems with the brakes, especially on damp surfaces, and meanwhile, the swing arm was way too loose and flexible.

19 GREEVES

This bike looked like a miniature monster on two wheels. If you're looking to purchase a bike based on looks alone, this bike would win most people over in an instant. Just take a look at that solid frame! The bike must weigh a ton.

But of course, if we bought all our vehicles based on how they looked, we might run into a few problems every now and again.

But perhaps the weight of it alone was what caused the greatest problem with this bike, which was the suspension. Suspension issues can cause quite a few other problems, as well, while making the bike hard to ride, and well, that's no fun at all.

18 DUCATI STREET FIGHTER 1098

Now, we know we've got a few Ducatis in this article, and for you fans of the make we do apologize. But at the same time, we can't lie about the facts. We need to point out the problems when we see them and in this case again, Ducati dropped the ball big time. For starters, look at the design. Something about the whole thing just doesn't scream Ducati, or at least not the good parts of Ducati. Look at the frame portion sticking out! It's just not right at all. This bike cannot be called sleek. In fact, it looks rather clumsy. To top it all off, it's rather expensive and in reality, you might as well put your money elsewhere.

17 KAWASAKI 500 H1

Here we go again, another Kawasaki on the list. But please bear with us, as there will be a few more, as well. Let's be honest, they don't have the greatest of reputations as far as great bikes are concerned.

But they do have some decent and even solidly excellent models.

We can't say that they missed the mark all the time, at least. But the H1 is a case of missing the mark, for sure. This was actually a very powerful bike. Above 4.500 rpm, this thing was an absolute beast, but all handling went out the window at such speeds and its brakes were not up to par.

16 HARLEY DAVIDSON SPORTSTER (1981-82)

This is a perfect example that even the masters of a trade, any trade, can miss the mark every now and again. Harley Davidson is one of the leading manufacturers of motorcycles on the planet. Hands down, top three for sure. But back in 1981 and 82, they dropped the ball when designing the Sportster of that era. Of course, the Sportster has since been perfected (we wouldn't have expected anything less from this company), but back then the issues were enough to turn riders off. The bike handled badly, was way too top-heavy, and in order to establish favorable driving conditions, riders needed to go slow. Now is that fitting on a bike named a "Sportster?"

15 SUZUKI GS500E

As far as affordable bikes goes, the Suzuki GS500E is definitely affordable, both at the get-go and when thinking about repair costs. That's not really where the problems lie, as the engine is simple enough.

The problems start a little deeper, and let's begin with the brakes.

They're pretty bad and many riders have reported having to replace the whole brake system on older models. That's no fun, especially when all you wanted was a good bike to go riding on. And what's more, the handling is rather bad—both at low and high speeds—so you can't really win with this one.

14 DAYUN

The Dayun Group was founded in 1987 and is based out of Yuncheng, Shanxi, China. They specialize in trucks, engines, and motorcycles. They definitely have a lot of products to their name and have built quite a few motorcycles, in fact. Unfortunately, their name isn't considered the best in the business, not by a mile, as their bikes seem to have a pretty bad reputation. Bad reviews include: ambient noises coming from the engine at top speeds, issues with the front suspension, and bad performance on hard and difficult road conditions. And this goes for more than one of Dayun's models!

13 SUZUKI HAYABUSA GSX1300R '99

Well, despite the fact that various servicemen use this bike while surveying state highways, overall, the bike is a disappointment. We wonder if the governments that ordered these bikes ever complain about repair costs and upkeep? Probably, considering this bad boy's got a plethora of issues.

Where do we start?

Believe it or not, this beast can reach 200 miles per hour, and while we understand that such speeds are great for chasing perpetrators on the highway, it is not ideal for novice riders. At the end of the day, it's a rather difficult bike to handle, and for beginners, it may even scare you and have you regretting your choice once you notice that this puppy doesn't have a speed limiter!

12 HUSQVARNA 250 MX (1970)

Here's another bike that looks great on the surface and it looks like it could handle itself on difficult terrain. In fact, it looks like it was built for rough terrain, and although it was, the off-road pathways ended up being a little too much for this bike to handle. However, even making the bike street-worthy wasn't particularly easy. It, too, had major brake issues, huge problems with handling on turns and also, believe it or not, on extremely bumpy surfaces. And furthermore, the seat, which on the design-table was intended to make the ride smoother, actually had the opposite effect.  So what's left? All there is to do is look at it, marvel at the style of it, and wish you'd opted for something else.

11 BENELLI TRK 502 X

Benelli was founded in 1911, an incredible 107 years ago. Although they have some models that have done well over the long years, this model here, the TRK 502, definitely had its problems, and still does.

Issues include excessive vibration at high speeds—the vibration is so bad that it annoys the driver, especially on the freeway.

Keeping up with traffic is actually quite difficult at times. Another issue is the shape. Hey ... don't knock that complaint. A rider has got to love the way his bike looks and this bike's finish leaves a lot to be desired.

10 HONDA CX 500

As opposed to some of the other bikes in this article, this particular Honda model lost some of the handling at low speeds, not high speeds. Go figure. This could be attributed to the fat that the bike was definitely top-heavy, among other things, of course.

The bike was manufactured from 1978 to 1983 and there were some favorable things said of the later models, but the ones made early on are the ones that had the most issues. Issues included crankshaft bearings that were all wrong, leading to major rotation problems, and also, the rear wheel had a tendency to lock up.

9 MOTO GUZZI V7

This company, based out of Italy, definitely has got some classic and epic bikes to its name. They are the epitome of classy and well-designed machines and many of them perform quite well.

But like the Harley we mentioned earlier, even great designers can have a bad day at the shop. Case in point, the V7.

For this bike, they had all the right ideas, the problem was that the execution didn't go as planned. They put rubber mounts for the handlebars in order to put a stop to some vibration issues, but that didn't work. Instead, the handlebars were slightly higher and this made the bike hard to manage at high, or even low, speeds.

8 BUELL XB 12S

Now here's a bike that has seen its fair share of mixed reviews. It looks pretty much like a coin toss, but really, the favorable reviews come from riders who haven't ridden much else, or at least most seem to.

The Buell Motorcycle Company is rather young compared to other brands.

It started out in 1983 and when you look at it, 35 years is still pretty young. They haven't exactly mastered their designs nor their building capabilities, which I suppose is to be expected. But they need to step up their game if they want to compete with the top guys out there. This particular model suffers from mechanical fan issues and of course, handling, something that continually shows up as a negative on bad bikes.

7 ROYAL ENFIELD BULLET ELECTRA

This model is now discontinued, and by the end of this entry, you can decide if that's a good or bad thing. The company started making bikes at the turn of last century, in the year 1901. But the business closed its doors in 1978. Whatever their history, the legacy of a defunct company speaks for it long after its demise, and the words being spoken about this company and its bikes aren't all favorable, specifically with this model here. Specific issues include: speed below 60 km/hr, high prices for upkeep, too much gear shifting, noise problems, low ground clearance, and well, the list goes on.

6 CHANG JIANG (GENERAL)

Founded in 1934, The China Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation is famous for manufacturing aircraft specifically for the Chinese military. As it turns out, they also built some bikes for a period of time. The company no longer makes them but they can be found and collectors have been purchasing them since they dropped out of the market a few years back.

Essentially, the problem here—and what often frustrates people who purchase these used—is the fact that upkeep is an absolute nightmare.

Because the motorcycle portion of the company is defunct, parts are hard to find and some mechanics have no idea what the heck is going on with this thing mechanically. Japanese bikes are far easier to understand, but this one has stumped many mechanics, both recreational and professional.