10 Most Overhyped Motorcycles

All bikes are not created equally, and these bikes blew a lot of smoke

Motorcycling offers one of the best experiences a person can ever have: the feeling of the wind rushing past you as you speed through open roads. Throughout history, some bikes have captured our hearts and imagination with how beautiful they look, others have won us over with sheer performance. Some even went on to become game changers, such as the Ducati Monster back in 1993.

However, some motorcycles proved to be more bark than bite, as they became overhyped machines that never met customer expectations or were simply a let-down from day one. With so many motorcycles to choose from, your money's better spent elsewhere than on these 10 bikes.

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Developed in collaboration with motorcycling legends Brough Superior, the Aston Martin AMB 001 aims to deliver a hyperbike experience with its 997cc V-twin engine that makes 180 horsepower, while the same engine makes 225 horsepower on the Pro variant.

The bike looks beautiful with its futuristic design and luxurious character, but there's just one problem: it LOOKS beautiful. The AMB 001 is a motorcycle that is better off displayed than actually ridden, as the design team appears to have focused more on aesthetics than ergonomics. Given the riding position that one has to get into, riders might be greeted with a disproportionate amount of time nursing their back pain after riding.

Arguably one of the most iconic Ducati motorcycles ever made, the 1973 Ducati 750 Super Sport is considered as the bike that saved Ducati, and the grandfather of Ducati's L-Twin sport bikes. Ducati even tried to revive the styling 30 years later with the release of the SportClassic motorcycles that were, unfortunately, ahead of their time in terms of the retro revival.

So if the 750SS was the bike that saved Ducati, what is it doing on this list? Well, its inflated reputation has overshadowed its glaring issues, most notably on the engine that came with stereotypical Italian quality (or lack thereof). The particular weak point for the early L-Twin Ducati engines were the bevels, wearing down faster than other parts in the bike.

The 1971 Kawasaki H2 Mach IV is a cult classic in the motorcycling world, not just in the two-stroke circles. The 750cc inline-three two-stroke engine was capable of making 74 horsepower, figures unheard of back in the 70s. The bike is a step up from its smaller triple sibling, the H1 Mach III, but both bikes suffered a serious problem.

The engine was too powerful for its chassis, causing the frame to constantly flex and warp under stress. The bike was so dangerous that it even earned the nickname "Widowmaker". The H2 Mach IV's four-stroke counterpart isn't exempt from this as well, as the Kawasaki Z1 was also notorious for its bad seating position and weak chassis.

There's nothing like the sound of a good engine, as exhaust notes can make an ordinary ride an exhilarating one. Talk to a motorcycle nut, and they might tell you that the best exhaust notes you’d hear will come from a very rare engine type: the inline-six. The Honda CBX 1000 carried a 1,047cc inline-six that made the bike sound like a performance car. The engine is reliable despite the added maintenance work an inline-six engine with six carburetors entails.

Like the aforementioned Ducati 750SS, the bike suffers from an overly-inflated reputation. The bike has crossed to collector's territory, with working, presentable models frequently fetching prices above $25,000 at auction.

Facing a lot of financial problems back in the 70s, Harley-Davidson was bought out by the American Machine Machine and Foundry (AMF) company, a business that specializes in recreational equipment, particularly the sport of Bowling.

So with a new captain at the helm that had zero experience in manufacturing and marketing motorcycles, Harley-Davidson pumped out underpowered and overweight motorcycles for the most part of the decade. Reliability wasn't even in the books, as the engines tend to self-disassemble.

The BMW GS line of motorcycles is best known around the world for its ability to provide a pleasant adventure experience. Tracing its roots back to the Dakar-winning 1980 R80G/S, BMW's current lineup of the R 1250 GS, R 1250 GS Adventure, F 850 GS, and F 750 GS are all market favorites when it comes to adventure riders.

Given that this is a German bike, one can already expect the amount of complexity that the bike carries, alongside a hefty price tag. For the price of around $17,995, owners can receive a bare-bones R 1250 GS, meaning all the stuff that makes it adventure-ready will cost extra. Even then, the bike struggles to perform well off-road due to its weight.

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The competition found in the middleweight sport bike segment is cutthroat, with almost all big brands chipping in with their own offering. Category favorites include the Suzuki GSX-R750, the Kawasaki ZX-6R, Honda CBR650R, and the new Yamaha R7. Before the Yamaha R7, the brand's contender was the famous R6.

The Yamaha R6 carried a 600cc inline-four engine that made around 120 horsepower. The engine was also one of the highest revving engines on the market, redlining at 16,000 to 17,000 RPM. Despite being popular, the bike remains overpriced compared to its more capable competitors.

Triumph makes beautiful motorcycles that carry on their classic retro styling onto the modern age. From café racers such as the Thruxton to streetfighters such as the Street Triple, the company makes motorcycles for almost everyone. Looking for an adventure? There's the Tiger 1200. Looking for a retro off-roader? They have a Scrambler.

Unfortunately, there is a bike that doesn't really check anything, and that's the Bonneville T100. The bike is like a bootleg version of the better T120, featuring only a single rotor disc at the front, a 900cc parallel-twin, and being only around 17 lbs lighter than the T120. The deal-breaker? The T100 only has a five-speed gearbox while the T120 holds a six-speed. For just around $2000 more, the T120 offers much better value for money.

We all see how manufacturers have been capitalizing on the retro craze with their café racer offerings and retro-styled motorcycles. Some are done beautifully, such as the Kawasaki Z900RS Café and their W800. However, some manufacturers have taken this a step further, but backwards.

Factory scramblers such as the Yamaha SCR950 and the Honda CL500 are the epitome of cash grabs turned to cash cows as the bikes are just re-wrapped versions of their existing motorcycles without offering anything new. At least the Triumph's Scrambler 1200 had the decency to provide basic off-roading capabilities that the Bonneville T120 simply doesn't have.

RELATED: 10 Reasons Why The Triumph Scrambler 900 Is Great For Beginners

Russian manufacturers aren't exactly lauded for their performance or reliability. If anything, the machines they produce are either rugged or crude, with no in-between. One prime example is the motorcycles that Ural pumps out.

First off, check the build quality. Each bike is essentially a one-off given how much the build quality differs from one bike to the other, so much so that tonneau covers had to be made to fit each sidecar, essentially turning it into an artisanal asset. Another point is the electronics, as the bare-bone electrical components such as the speedometer make suggestions rather than accurate readings.

A part-time writer and a full-time automotive enthusiast. If it has wheels and looks pretty, he's all over it.While he loves European cars more than other cars, nothing can match his love for motorcycles, especially the classic ones. You can find him parked in a café or shredding chicken strips around the twisties.