Visordown readers' top 10 classic sportsbikes
We've had a look at your reviews and ratings, and then we've done the maths. Here are your top 10 most highly-rated classic sportsbikes
HERE are your top most highly-rated classic sportsbikes, as voted for by you.
We've taken all the classic sportsbikes from our huge database with two reviews or more, then averaged out owners' detailed ratings on the engine, brakes, handling, comfort and build to bring you the consumer's top 10. The higher the score, the more highly rated the bike.
Remember, this list is created using your reviews and ratings.
=9. Kawasaki KR-1S: 3.83 out of 5
With horror stories of the KR-1S being extremely fragile and using enough oil to drink Saudi Arabia dry, many riders opted to go with the two-stroke offerings from Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, and Aprilia. With a dry weight of 131kg, the 65hp KR-1S was proven to be the fastest of all production 250cc two-strokes at Bonneville Speedway, reaching 139mph on test.
=9. Suzuki TL1000S: 3.83 out of 5
The 'Widow Maker' they called it, but these days, it's not even capable of causing a domestic. It's got a fantastic engine, a proper grunty, meaty v-twin, that doesn't rev out as fast as modern engines, like on the 999 or RSV-F, but it's got instant reserves of torque which make punching through the middle gears a real scream. If you like your engines medium-rare, this is one for you. If you accept you're not on this planet to wring the very last bhp from your motor, or fight physics to extract the maximum possible angle of lean and you just want a big bike that's capable of commuting, Sunday blasts and making a noise that's capable of emptying your adrenal gland in seconds, then the TL deserves your attention.
8. Kawasaki ZXR400: 3.86 out of 5
How can you not love the ZXR400? It’s an iconic silhouette and a perfect scaled-down replica of a bike that shaped a generation. Where some of the 400s, like the NC30, had a hint of style over function, the ZXR400 was none of that. This was a genuine race replica 400 that can still be found leading club events all over the UK. From 8,000rpm up to the 14,000rpm redline the ZXR goes mental and howls with proper Ninja aggression. It’s a hoot to keep on the boil and will handle the bends without issue either, thanks to fully adjustable suspension at both ends.
7. Suzuki GSXR-750 SRAD: 3.94 out of 5
Just when the world and his wife had written off the 750 class for good and declared 1000s as the way forward, Suzuki gave us the GSX-R750WT. The shock comes when you hit 10,000rpm and the bike rips you towards the horizon on a cataclysmic surge of top end power that runs right up to the 13,500rpmm redline. In every gear. Exciting? You betcha. And with handling and brakes to match, the GSX-R750 was well and truly back in the frame, not only as King 750, but also as a viable alternative to a 'Blade if you were crazed enough to cane it hard enough.
=4. Suzuki TL1000R: 4 out of 5
Suzuki's answer to the Ducati 916, the R ended up being a flop mostly due to bad timing. When prices dropped and people saw the R for what it was, they became more popular. The huge tail unit and heli-pad sized front end still divides opinion but most owners appreciate the styling abnormalities. The R is thirsty and has a short 100-mile tank range but on the plus side, it gives you a perfectly good reason to show off that 135hp booming V-twin on the petrol station forecourt. The R's brother, the TLS, was nicknamed the Widow Maker, and that can only be cool, right?
=4. Suzuki GSX-R1100: 4 out of 5
The popular GSX-R1100 was finally discontinued in 1998 after a length 12-year production run. At 220kg it's a heavy machine but that only adds to the excitement. Its 1074cc inline-four engine makes 156hp and has proven itself to be nothing short of bulletproof. It's one of those bikes that should be at home cleaning it's dentures and making microwave meals, but instead it's out on the road embarrassing far newer machines.
=4. Ducati 888: 4 out of 5
The Italian tradition of rule-bending began and the 851 grew to 888cc to ensure that Ducati wouldn’t have to try too hard to win, they took 17 out of possible 26 wins and walked away with it in 1992 too. The racing was good and the fact that, finances permitting, you could stroll into your local dealer with a massive hangover and put £500 down on a World Superbike motorcycle with some extra wiring in it was unbearably exciting for so many of us. With 118hp and weighing 185kg it won't be embarrassing modern superbikes any time soon, but the 888 is so much more than just a sheet of numbers.
=2. Honda VFR400 NC30: 4.3 out of 5
Thanks to the hugely tall first gear, launching the VFR400 requires a hefty dose of clutch slip and sometimes even a little paddle of the feet to get it going, but once on the go none of this matters and the little V4 engine is still a charmer. As well as its super-trick looks the NC30 always commanded a premium due to its V4 engine. This intricate powerplant is a masterpiece of design, completely bulletproof, yet hideously complex to work on should the need arise. Something most owners simply prayed wouldn’t. Compared to the almost two-stroke power characteristics of the ZXR and GSX-R, the NC30’s welly is delivered in a relaxed and constant flow. The exhaust note is evocative of great times, but the engine, especially with its tall first gear, isn’t as thrilling as it should be.
=2. Honda CBR900RR Fireblade: 4.3 out of 5
Though the twin-round-headlight original designed by Tadeo Baba has become an icon and a cult bike, this month’s top-ten list sees the second-generation ‘Blade take the podium spot. With around 128hp on tap, the Blade’s still plenty powerful enough; the handling is light and precise; it’s roomy and comfortable for a sportsbike, and, being from the analog era, easy to work on if you're mechanically inclined. However if you absolutely had to nitpick, it’s deemed bulky by modern standards, the brakes can be found wanting, and that 16-inch front wheel does restrict choice if you need new rubber.
1. Ducati 916: 4.75 out of 5
Every once in a while a true classic comes along: James Joyce's Ulysses, The Beatles' Revolver, Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs. Greats one-and-all, to be seen, owned or understood by the discerning and devoted. To the list of timeless classics, we can add Massimo Tamburini's Ducati 916. Never had a motorcycle provoked such feelings of pure lust or been so coveted. Here was sex made metal, a Sophia Loren in cro-mo steel and alloy. Slim and curvy, the 916 took the breath away from any angle and redefined how a motorcycle could, and should, look. And it wasn't just skin deep. The four valves per cylinder desmodromic V-twin measured 916cc and produced 114 crankshaft horsepower, with torque from tickover. A serious power hike came in at 6,000rpm and the peak was at 9,000rpm, pushing the 187kg bike to a top speed around 160mph. At the time of its launch that made it the world's fastest road-going twin, and it's certainly no slouch even by today's exacting standards.
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