Lunchtime debate: Your sexiest bike of all time?
We’ve spent the last few weeks debating what the 10 sexiest bikes of all time are for our supplement. which is yours, and why?
1969 Triumph Bonneville. Growing up in the 1960s, starting to take an interest in motorcycles and seeing someone as iconic as Steve McQueen riding something that I could aspire to made it a very desirable item. The 1969 Bonneville was the best Triumph ever. That was the peak of British motorcycling for many people.
AC
Agostini’s MV Agusta,1976. At the German GP, the old Nurburgring. I heard them start, couldn’t see them, but I could hear them. Every 13 minutes or so, the sound arrived just before the red and silver missile appeared through the trees. The sound was the howl of that MV Agusta. I think that was MV’s last GP win, maybe Ago’s as well. The MV looked good, but that sound...
Manofiran
Kawasaki’s monster Z1300. As a young lad delivering newspapers, I happened to notice this huge bike lent over at what looked like a ridiculous angle on the front cover of a bike magazine. I nicked the magazine, shoving it inside my news paper bag, and took it home to read cover to cover. I’m not all that sure, but I think the mag was Which Bike, and the tester John Nutting. What a brutish looking animal for the time.
John
MV F4 or the 916SP. Why? They’re both blindingly great looking! Both agressive and sleek at the same time.
Ninja83
Has to be my Honda MB50. I was 16 yrs old and it was the sexiest thing I had at the time, and the only thing I could get my leg-over.
Sidekick
I’ve always thought the very first incarnation of Triumph’s Speed Triple was one sexy bike. Just look at its purposeful, muscular pose and café racer inspired styling. Add to that the soundtrack of a grunty triple and it completes the package. At the time there was simply nothing else like it and it is still my favourite version of the iconic hooligan bike even today.
CanisMajor
My bike is the sexiest bike in the world. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. My eye beholds a GSX-R750 K6.
Ninjasquaddie
For me it was always the ZX-7R. Yes I know it’s a huge heavy tank, but it was always the bike I wanted to own. It looks how I like a bike to look. Aggressive, commanding and mean. Now there’s one in the garage though, I’ve changed my mind (female perogative) and ride a ZX-10R day to day.
bikerchick82
‘04-’06 R1. Sod the Italian stuff with its odd looks and tempremental attitude (though I do like the little 848 in white). The R1 has detail, the swing arm, the fairing, the exhausts, out the box sexy, based upon looks with performance to back it up.
The headlights are functional and also look the part, according to those who I ride with when I’m on a catch up mission the headlights make the R1 look predatory, it really has road presence.
_Simple_
I don’t think bike manufacturers thought about making bikes look ‘sexy’ untill the Italians got involved on the world stage. So love it or loathe it, my vote goes to the Ducati 916. I can still remember my first sighting of it lined up with other bikes, it had more of a lean angle on it’s side-stand than some of them had on the track.
davevmax
The truth is, nothing looks as good as an Italian bike. My Ducati 1098S has no shell suit colours or graphics and is beautiful from all angles. Basically, it’s sex on wheels. After years of riding Japanese 4s I’ve realised I’ve had a wasted life. Should have discovered Ducati years ago. And it goes as well as it looks, too...
kindofblue
Kawasaki’s old Z500. It was the first big bike I remember seeing/hearing and it left a huge impression on me. I wanted one so badly and if I hadn’t joined up I’d have done a criminal thing to get one
falcorob
The 2002 SP-2 in white for me. It had beautiful, flowing lines and looked as if it were ready to pounce on the racetrack from the dealer’s floor!
ugar-6
Ducati 916 for me everytime.
ministry
The Kawasaki GPz750 Turbo is the sexiest bike ever made. I wanted one the first time I laid eyes on one. Even had one, right up until I got banned.
Grumpyduck
Any bike with decades of use and a big collection of stickers from faraway countries is a lot sexier than the current driveway jewellery.
2H4
Result:
It’s a hugely mixed bag with plenty of great mentions, but the Ducati 916 gets three mentions and has to therefore be declared your sexiest bike of all time. Which we already knew. Don’t you just hate being right?