Right up until the '80s motorcycles were generally just considered motorcycles. Without any specific classes really dividing them up, other than the recently established “dirt bike” class.
Then Suzuki came out with a fully faired motorcycle that was pretty much their competition motorcycle, just with lights and a plate. It changed everything. Other manufacturers simply had to answer the call for a true track ready machine, and the rest is history.
Since then the Japanese and Italian brands all answered the call, not only for top-notch track bikes but also accessible small displacement sportbikes, too. Since then, several other classes have also emerged, but the sportbike still reigns supreme, and it's universally accepted as the flagship for any brand.
8 Suzuki GSX-R750
No original is perfectly original, or perfect. The first gixxer is neither perfectly original nor perfect. It was fast, raw and very, very special though.
It is widely heralded as the first sportbike; 4-cylinder, 4-stroke, fully faired, and above all else, fast. For a time, it was the fastest bike on track, but that didn’t last long at all.
7 Honda NR750
After struggling to get a competitive bike together, Honda brought out this technological marvel. A V4 with oval pistons; a pseudo V8 motorcycle.
Not only was it technologically advanced, but it also brought out the most incredible design. It boasted an under-tail exhaust and a single-sided swingarm to help accelerate rear wheel changes in endurance racing. It served as inspiration for all that followed.
6 Honda CBR900RR
As good as the NR750 was, it was a pure homologation special. It cost more to make than they could sell it for, and it still cost more than twice as much as the next most expensive bike at the time.
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The FireBlade was the opposite. Launched the same year, it was never designed to go racing, it was the first class-breaking motorcycle design for the street. It was only a shade heavier than the CBR600, yet more powerful than any 750, everyone else followed their lead.
5 Ducati 916
With the NR750 serving as his inspiration, Massimo Tamburini set to work on his masterpiece. This was the end result, arguably the most beautiful sportbike ever built.
It wasn’t just a pretty face either, on track it was virtually untouchable. Ducati were the benefactors of a rule allowing their V-twin a displacement of up to 1 liter, whereas other manufacturers running inline-4 bikes were limited to 750cc, all that was set to change though.
4 Yamaha R1
After Honda broke the prescribed mold with their class defying FireBlade, Yamaha went and changed the game with the R1. Although it looks pretty familiar now, it was an ultra-modern motorcycle back in the late '90s when it came out.
It took what Honda did to another level, not just breaking a class, but actually creating a new one. Up until then any liter bike was heavy and slow to turn in. The Yamaha was not, it was as agile as any 750 of the time, but significantly faster. The liter bike class as we know it was henceforth established.
3 Suzuki GSX-R1000
Although others came and went, the Yamaha got just enough updates to stay relevant right up until the K5 (2005) gixxer made its debut. Everything else became outdated overnight.
To put into perspective just how far ahead of its time it was, you can still buy a motorcycle from Suzuki with the same engine in it today, 17 years later. It is easy to pass that off and say Suzuki just has a lazy research and development department (which they do), but the GSX-S1000 GT is emissions compliant and one of the best touring bikes money can buy.
2 Aprilia RSV4
After making their first sportbike, the Millie, Aprilia wanted to take it to the next level and by all accounts they did just that in 2009 with the RSV4.
It was effectively the first truly modern looking sportbike, with design features we have now all come to expect from all the manufacturers, but it was still relatively raw underneath. With 180 horsepower and no electronic safety net, this is not for the faint of heart.
1 Ducati Panigale V4S
We won’t go as far as saying the latest is the greatest, but this incredible machine exhibits all the attributes of what a modern sportbike needs to be the fastest machine on two wheels.
It has lightweight materials, it is aerodynamic and can actually generate downforce with those winglets. It has every electronic aid you could ever wish for and an engine capable of producing over 200 horsepower. Not only that, but it is also objectively beautiful.