Over the last couple of decades, all the major motorcycle brands have been getting bolder and more creative. Technology in the motorcycle industry has come a long way, and sportbikes seem to always be improving.
The old cliché of Italian bikes being the most stylish is no longer a given. Other European makes have become bolder, challenging various design themes, the traditionally muted Japanese designs have also given way to some good-looking heritage editions and futuristic concepts. All this has forced Italian motorcycle manufacturers to improve in every respect, no longer purely relying on design for sales.
From the dawn of the sportbike era in the 80s, Italian manufacturers have led the way in terms of design, performance, and innovation, making some of the most incredible machines along the way.
10 Ducati Desmosedici RR
It was the first of its kind back when it was launched as a limited edition MotoGP machine for the street. This wasn’t just another fancy decal kit, this was the real deal.
It came out at the perfect time, too, as Ducati won their first (and only) MotoGP championship. So this was not only an opportunity to own a proper GP bike but the title-winning GP bike. Needless to say, they had no trouble shifting the 1,500 units, even though they were priced at around the $70,000 mark.
9 Aprilia RSV Mille
After making a couple of smaller displacement Rotax-powered machines, this was their biggest gamble. At the time, it was just such an unknown quantity (even for Aprilia) and didn’t sell as well as it should have.
20 years later, with the benefit of hindsight, we all know Aprilia can make a decent literbike, and this was their genesis. For now, it remains an underrated classic that packs a serious V-twin punch.
8 Ducati 999/749
Few motorcycles divided opinion like the 999 and 749. It was an unusual departure from what was by then an established and loved design language.
The passion for the previous generation ran so deep that it was just impossible to win everyone over. One thing that cannot be denied is the big step forward these bikes took, these were the first modern Ducati sportbikes and, for better or worse, they were a huge sales success.
7 MV Agusta F4 Senna
With Senna’s passing still fresh in the minds of family, friends, and fans alike, anything done in bad taste would have been lambasted.
As it happens this will go down in history as one of MV Agusta’s greatest hits, a decent little bump in power and Tamburini’s exclusive bodywork make it one of the most incredible (now borderline classic) sportsbikes.
6 Ducati 900 MHR
Mike Hailwood completed one of the most incredible comeback stories when he rode his 900 to victory at the 1978 edition of the Isle of Man TT, more than 11 years after his previous race there.
This would also mark the first time a Ducati machine could be considered a household name around the world. The air-cooled Desmo V-twin made around 80 horsepower, in a bike most people could buy and most importantly afford to race themselves.
5 Aprilia RSV4
Although the RSV4 has been around for quite some time now, the bike has hardly dated. With a couple of special editions here and there to keep it relevant, the 200-odd horsepower is more than enough to keep up with the newer liter bikes.
With sharp angles and a minimalist fairing not dissimilar to other manufacturers' half fairing options, there are very few better-looking bikes on the market today.
4 Ducati 916
Simply put; the 916 is the most beautiful sportbike ever made. Taste is subjective but few would disagree with the fact, even fewer would be willing to make any sort of believable argument for another bike.
Many modern sportbikes incorporate basic elements of this design language as the ultimate form of flattery. Not only does it have an exquisite design, but the performance was class-leading at the time too, it really is everything you would ever want from a sportbike.
3 Bimota SB2
All Bimota motorcycles, bar one shocking failure, use engines from other motorcycles. In the case of the SB2, it gets its inline-four lump from the Suzuki 750, it was an exclusive, if not necessarily a beautiful piece of performance machinery.
What set this bike apart from the growing crowd of sportbikes was its handling characteristics that no production machine could match at the time.
2 Ducati 900 SS
After the 750 SS endured a rocky start to its life, Cagiva (then parent company) quickly rectified things by stiffening the chassis and giving the bike the engine it so desperately needed; the famous Pantah 900.
It was a pivotal moment in the SS history as the bike started selling well, well enough for them to start expanding their model lineup. It paved the way for many other Ducati sportbikes and has since gone on to become a classic.
1 Bimota Tesi H2
Not necessarily the most beautiful, but without a doubt the most striking. With an exclusive price tag, this is not a machine you will likely see on the road, but it is certainly a landmark machine.
Bimota took the astonishing supercharged 230 horsepower Kawasaki H2 engine and gave it a home in an improved chassis that has hub steering. The weight added by the hub steering is offset by the lighter aluminum alloy chassis, it is quite simply an engineering marvel.