Whether by luck, timing, or by signaling a watershed moment for the industry through a feat of engineering, some motorcycles are just destined for historical greatness. These are the motorcycles that are either significant to the industry, had an impact in pop culture, or are put on a pedestal because they have some sort of mystique surrounding them. They’re the bikes you name-drop in a conversation when you really want to look like you know what you’re talking about.
Ready? Let’s go.
1. Harley-Davidson EL
Launched in 1936, the EL featured what came to be known colloquially as the Knucklehead engine, and was Harley’s first motorcycle with an air-cooled overhead valve pushrod v-twin.
That’s significant because that engine configuration would come to define Harley and their engine designs to this very day.
It not only set up the trajectory of Harley’s engineering for the next 80-plus years, but also defined the aesthetics of the years to come by featuring elements like a wide teardrop-shaped gas tank with tank-mounted instruments, and fishtail mufflers, which have remained popular for custom bikes and choppers through the years.
Without the EL, the Motor Company we know and love; or love to hate, depending on your point of view; wouldn’t exist.
Sure, Harley has dipped their toes into the shark-infested waters of liquid cooling, dual overhead cams, and even adventure bikes…
And there’s the whole Buell thing…
But, like it or not, big cruisers with large displacement pushrod v-twin engines remain the keystone of their business, and aren’t likely to be going anywhere soon.
2. Vincent Black Shadow
Does anyone actually know anything about the Vincent Black Shadow, or do we all just nod along and pretend like we do?
I know I don’t know much about it other than it was considered fast, for the 1940’s, at least. It wasn’t until doing research for this post that I learned that the Black Shadow had some pretty cutting-edge features, like a frame that used its engine as a stressed member, and how sophisticated its suspension design was for the time.
The Black Shadow was made from 1948 until 1955 by British motorcycle manufacturer Vincent HRD. It had a big 998cc air-cooled, pushrod, overhead valve v-twin, that made a whopping 55 horsepower.
So…it had just a bit more power than a modern Evo Sportster 883. That’s actually not bad. It’s not good by modern metrics, but it’s not bad, either.
And this was the late 40’s, mind you. At the time, it was the fastest production motorcycle and was capable of speeds in excess of 120mph, which was an untouchable peak for street bikes until the Japanese super bikes of the 60’s and 70’s. Speaking from experience, I wouldn’t want to go that fast on an Evo Sportster.
Honestly, that’s absolutely brain-meltingly bonkers for 1948. I’m not always comfortable hitting those speeds today on my Kawasaki Z900RS, which is a tightly engineered, thoroughly modern motorcycle, where every component from the frame to the tires is designed for that sort of speed.
Plus my entire body is protected by layers of leather, Kevlar, and polymer armor pads, and a carbon fiber helmet. What did they have back in 1948? Well, there were leather jackets and pants, at least, and little half helmets made from leather, rubber, and cork.
Yes, cork. That squishy wood that wild-eyed wine moms use for decorative arts & crafts projects when they get bored. It’s actually fairly durable and capable of absorbing and redirecting the energy from an impact, but it’s nothing compared to EPS foam, fiberglass, carbon fiber, and viscoelastic polymers.
The maniacs pushing the Black Shadow to its limits were absolutely putting their lives into the hands of this machine. This was an era of complete lunacy, and I kind of love it.
The mystique of the Black Shadow was further cemented by one of my personal heroes, Hunter S. Thompson, who wrote “if you rode the Black Shadow at top speed for any length of time, you would almost certainly die. That is why there are not many life members of the Vincent Black Shadow Society.”
As we know, Hunter S. Thompson was never prone to hyperbole or exaggeration, so this must be wholly true, and the Black Shadow is probably the deadliest motorcycle in history.
The Vincent Black Shadow. Killing motorcyclists dead since 1948.
3. Triumph Bonneville
The Triumph Bonneville is so awesome that nearly 50 square miles of the state of Utah is named after it. No? It’s the other way around? Well, it shouldn’t be. The Bonneville is the very definition of what a cool motorcycle should be (and is way cooler than the whole state of Utah).
It’s been around since 1959, and has always been synonymous with rebellious cool. It’s so cool, that I’m not going to talk about its features, specs, engine layout, or any of that stuff. It doesn’t need me to. It’s fast, looks great, and it’s COOL.
Fun fact 1: Steve McQueen, the literal King of Cool, was never more than an arm’s length away from a Triumph Bonneville.
Even if you see him on some other motorcycle, driving a car, or just standing around with people, there’s always a Triumph Bonneville lurking mere feet away, just out of frame, idling and ready for McQueen to take off on a wild ride, popping wheelies every 50 feet or so.
Fun fact 2: When Steve McQueen died, he was cremated and his ashes were sealed inside a Bonneville gas tank before being launched into the sun on a rocket powered by a Bonneville engine. Since Steve McQueen is so cool, it is believed that his coolness reduced the core temperature of the sun by nearly 8,000,000ºF, and almost plunged us into another ice age. Luckily the sun got better, and life on Earth wasn’t snuffed out.
If all that isn’t cool enough, Marlon Brando rode a Bonnie in The Wild One, and the Fonz…well, Henry Winkler technically didn’t actually ride it, but at least sat on it and got pushed around some through Happy Days’ run. The shark jumping thing probably would’ve went over better if he did it on a Bonneville instead of skis.
But that’s why the Bonneville is so impressive. It is so cool, you don’t even have to actually ride it to be transformed into a cultural icon. It’s coolness through osmosis.
The Triumph company has changed hands, been shaken up, and seen both failure and success in good measure, and the Bonneville has always been there, evolving along the way into the the modern flagship motorbike of today.
It’s shed some of its bad boy attitude along the way, and is a bit more of a gentleman these days, but it’s still pretty damn cool.
4. Honda CB750
The CB750 certainly wasn’t the first motorcycle with an inline-four engine, but it was the first mass-produced motorcycle with an inline-four fit transversely across the frame.
This alignment of the engine allowed for the cylinders to be cooled equally by air flowing across them. Previous designs with the engine running longitudinally in the frame prevented the rearmost cylinders from being cooled. This would cause overheating, reliability issues, and ultimately, engine failure. All of those things are forbidden in Honda’s Big Book of How to Make Amazing Engines, so the layout had to be rethought.
Unleashed on the world in 1968, the CB750 was the first motorcycle to be called a “superbike” and it ignited a superbike war that kind of continues to this day, as manufacturers continue to push the performance envelope. It also basically set the standard for the whole UJM, or Universal Japanese Motorcycle, design.
It was, without a doubt, the most technologically advanced and sophisticated motorcycle of its time. This superbike, just like Superman, was fast, powerful, smooth, and basically indestructible. In an era of oil-spewing breakdownfests with unreliable electronics, the CB750 was unlike anything else. Over 50 years later, there are thousands of CB750s still on the road that continue to run great with little more than basic maintenance.
But, just like Superman, the CB750 has its Kryptonite. In the case of the CB750, that happens to be getting transformed into shitty-looking half-assed café racers.
5. Kawasaki Z1
While the motorcycle industry was reeling from Honda unleashing the superbike monster that was the CB750, Kawasaki, who was already feared the world over for their terrifying two-stroke triples, said “hold my beer…” and dropped the 900cc dual-overhead cam Z1 on the world.
When it arrived in 1972, the Z1 was hailed as “the world’s fastest production motorcycle.” Its massive 900cc dual overhead cam inline four engine made 82hp, and had a top speed over 130mph, which made the 68hp and 125mph output of the single cam CB750 positively quaint by comparison.
It seems virtually everyone who was motorcyclist in the 70’s has some sort of Z1 horror story where they or someone they knew almost died.
The Z1 cemented Kawasaki’s reputation in the industry. If you wanted to be nice, you bought a Honda, if you wanted to be feared and/or dead, you got a Kawasaki.
6. Honda Goldwing
Honda’s flagship tourer has always been a hotbed for technological advancement and motorcycling comfort. Hell, a 1988 Goldwing is surprisingly competitive compared to a 2023 Street Glide in terms of features, specs, and performance. A clapped out 30+ year-old tourer shouldn’t be, but that’s just how ahead of their time Goldwings tend to be.
Everything* from liquid cooling, ABS, cruise control, reverse gear, GPS navigation, fuel injection, an on-board air compressor, amphibious mode, integrated 10-person tent, cupholders, linked braking, adjustable fairings, hydraulic clutches, autopilot mode, keyless entry, throttle by wire, heating and air conditioning, built-in espresso machines, automatic transmissions, electronically adjustable suspension, airbags, built-in WiFi, stereo systems, heated seats and grips, and an actual kitchen sink (with Bamboo cutting board and J.A. Henckels/Honda knife set, so you can prep meals on the road), has made its way onto the Goldwing. Usually long before its competitors, if they see new tech and features at all.
The Goldwing is what you ride when you simultaneously do and don’t want to take a car/camper/literally a house on a motorcycle ride.
*some of these aren’t real, but most are.
7. Kawasaki Ninja
Sport bikes as we know them today popped up in the early 80’s, as an evolution of the Japanese superbikes from the late 60’s-70s. The goal was to make them lighter, faster, and more aerodynamic, with better handling.
Kawasaki certainly didn’t create the first modern sport bike, but the Kawasaki Ninja has become synonymous with the class, more than any other motorcycle.
It’s a result of brilliant marketing and branding, really. “Ninja” just has a better name than all of its competitors. GSXR (aka Gixxer), Katana, Hayabusa, Hornet, CBR, Nighthawk, Fireblade, VFR, Fazer, Radian, YZF, and all those other lame-ass sport bike names kind of suck, at least compared to Ninja.
Sure, they’re good bikes. They might even be better than the Ninja. But you know what? It doesn’t matter, because the names of none of those bikes conjure images of pizza-loving crime-fighting mutant turtles or the coolest guy from G.I. Joe.
And that’s what matters when selling motorcycles.
8. Honda Rebel
What? You heard me right. The Honda Rebel is an unsung icon, oft-maligned because it is “just a starter bike” and nobody really views so-called beginner bikes as important.
If you really think about it, though, starter bikes may be the most important bikes of all, since they’re the ones that get people riding in the first place. So to that point the old Rebel 250 is the best and longest-running starter bike ever made, and countless riders get their start on one in some fashion.
Sure, it’s slow and kind of boring, but it’s not without its charm and quirks. It’s just so good at not being intimidating or unapproachable, that it more than deserves a place on this list.
The new Rebel 300 and 500 took that easy to ride starter bike concept even further, with a modern sporty design and engine that actually has plenty of punch and is way more fun to ride.
Now you have a machine that won’t get boring after a couple year…mon…d…hours. They’re now starter bikes that you can actually live with for years to come.
Then the Rebel 1100 comes along, and essentially redefines the stalled-out and boring cruiser class for the modern age. It’s a significant and game-changing bike in its own right, and a worthy descendant of the Rebel name.
The Honda Rebel turns ordinary people into bikers, and that’s pretty rad.
9. BMW GS Series
It’s probably safe to say that the BMW GS series is the absolute epitome of adventure-touring motorcycles. They were catapulted into fame by Obi Wan Kenobi and the (also an actor) son of the guy who directed Deliverance riding them around the world.
If that’s not an endorsement for their go anywhere and do anything ruggedness, I don’t know what is.
Sure, there are plenty of other adventure and dual sport motorcycles out there, but these fine German machines excel in delivering performance, comfort, technology, and capability that is essentially unmatched by their competitors.
Turns out the best way for the Germans to actually conquer the world was to just make great adventure-touring motorcycles. Who knew?
10. Honda Grom
With their fourth appearance on this list, Honda has probably done more than any other manufacturer to continuously innovate and propel the sport and industry forward.
With the Grom, Honda took machines that were otherwise relegated to just being pit bikes or oddball novelties, and gave them street cred.
The diminutive Grom surprised everyone, and singlehandedly revitalized and redefined the minibike segment of the market to such an extent, that it basically created an entirely new class of motorcycles. Sporty mini street bikes are once again a thing for the first time in decades, thanks to Honda.
The Grom, among other things, is a great beginner-bike for first-time riders, and has found a home as a near ideal MSF training bike, usurping their own Rebel. It makes for a great tricked-out stunt machine, and is a phenomenally economic lightweight commuter.
Honda has gone so far as to parlay the success of the Grom into an entire market segment that they absolutely dominate. There’s literally no competition to be had. By re-introducing the Super Cub, Monkey, and Trail minibikes based on the Grom as a platform, Honda is delivering huge fun in tiny packages.
With the entire miniMoto line of bikes, Honda shows once again that they know how to make motorcycling interesting, exciting, and accessible to people in ways that no other motorcycle company does.
So there you have it. The bikes that I think have been the most important, iconic, and impactful. What do you think? Are there bikes that should have made the list but didn’t? Did I miss the mark on any of these and should have left them off the list? Let me know in the comments below.
