Motorcycles, Ranked

The best-selling motor vehicle in history, with over 100 million produced since 1958 across more than 160 countries. It put the entire planet on two wheels and is still in production today.

The 1969 CB750 introduced an inline-four, front disc brake, and electric start at a mass-market price, coining the term 'superbike' and forcing the entire industry to catch up.

Massimo Tamburini's 1994 design is displayed in museums as an industrial-design landmark, and it won multiple World Superbike titles. It remains a benchmark for how a motorcycle should look.

On its 1999 launch it was the fastest production motorcycle, hitting roughly 312 km/h and effectively triggering the unofficial 300 km/h gentleman's agreement among manufacturers.

The 1998 R1 stacked its gearbox to shorten the engine and sharpen handling, redefining the 1000cc sportbike; the 2009 crossplane-crank version brought MotoGP firing-order tech to the street.

The boxer-twin GS has been one of BMW's best-selling models for years and is widely credited with defining the adventure-touring category; the R1200GS Adventure starred in Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman's Long Way Down.

The only mass-produced supercharged motorcycle, with the track-only H2R making around 300 horsepower. It is a genuine engineering flex from Kawasaki's aerospace division.

Named after Triumph's speed-record runs at the Bonneville Salt Flats, it became the definitive 1960s parallel-twin and one of the most enduring motorcycle names ever, revived successfully in 2001.

The gold standard of luxury touring since 1975. The original GL1000 was a flat-four; today's Gold Wing carries a smooth flat-six (introduced with the 1988 GL1500), plus reverse gear and an airbag option. Unbeatable for crossing continents, if not for carving canyons.

Founded in 1903, Harley is the most culturally iconic motorcycle brand on earth and even tried to trademark its V-twin exhaust note. Heritage carries it; the engineering rarely leads.

The 1972 Z1 answered the CB750 with a 903cc DOHC four and was the fastest, most powerful Japanese production bike of its day, cementing Kawasaki's muscle-bike reputation.

Indian was the oldest American motorcycle brand, and the Scout of the 1920s built its reputation with the slogan 'You can't wear out an Indian Scout.' A worthy rival to Harley's heritage.

Piaggio's 1946 scooter put post-war Italy on wheels and became a global style icon featured in films like Roman Holiday. Not fast, but few machines are more beloved.

A revered 600cc supersport that revs past 16,000 rpm and dominated club racing, but tightening emissions rules ended street sales in 2020, leaving it a track-only relic.

Holds the record as the longest continuously produced motorcycle model, running since 1932. Charming and cheap, but its old thumper design was long outpaced by rivals.

The 2001 V-Rod used a liquid-cooled 'Revolution' engine developed with Porsche, a bold move that alienated traditionalists and was discontinued in 2017. Ambitious but a hard sell.

A three-wheeled 'reverse trike' with two wheels up front, it sidesteps the balance and lean that define motorcycling. Stable and easy, but purists refuse to count it.

Suzuki's mid-1970s Wankel rotary-engined bike was heavy, complex, thirsty, and ran hot, becoming a costly commercial failure that nearly hurt the company. A famous cautionary tale.

Harley's cheap entry-level Street 500/750, partly built in India, was widely panned for cheap finish and weak performance and was quietly discontinued by 2021 after failing to win new riders.