{"id":8750,"date":"2015-09-25T18:00:30","date_gmt":"2015-09-25T16:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mbike.com\/news\/?p=8750"},"modified":"2015-09-25T13:37:48","modified_gmt":"2015-09-25T11:37:48","slug":"top-20-of-biggest-motorcycle-flops-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.mbike.com\/news\/2015\/09\/top-20-of-biggest-motorcycle-flops-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 20 of biggest motorcycle flops \u2013 part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anyone who has ridden for at least ten years can tell you about the worst motorcycle they have ever ridden. Most bikes on the market are just fine but every once in a while the CEOs make some bad decisions and the result is a big flop. It\u2019s worth noting that not all of these bikes are \u201ebad\u201d motorcycles, some of them actually rides well. It\u2019s just that most customers hated them. We pulled twenty of the biggest flops in the motorcycle industry, here is the first part.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Kawasaki

1972 Kawasaki Triple 750 H2<\/p><\/div>\n

20. 1972 Kawasaki 750 Triple 1V and H2 aka The Widow Maker<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just to make it clear, they didn\u2019t just nickname this bike \u2018the widow maker\u2019 for nothing. The Kawasaki Triples were a range of 250 to 750cc motorcycles from 1968 to 1980. When the most powerful version, the H2 Mach IV 750 was introduced in 1972, Kawasaki said of the bike, “It’s so quick it demands the razor-sharp reactions of an experienced rider.\u201d. Well, they weren\u2019t wrong. The 748cc engine delivered 74hp \u2013 0-100 mph (161 km\/h) took 13 seconds, with a 0 to 60 mph time of 4.3 seconds. But there were several problems with the bike: the lighweight tubular frame was simply incapable of containing the vicious performance of the engine; brakes were weak; it\u2019s cornering capabilities were miserable and it weaved horribly on uneven roads. In 1974, Kawasaki made some technical changes but the H2 was still a dangerous bike. The last H2 was built in 1975.<\/p>\n

\"1987

1987 Norton P43 Classic<\/p><\/div>\n

19. 1987 Norton P43 Classic<\/strong><\/p>\n

We love rotary engines in cars because they are unique, love to rev but here\u2019s the thing: rotary engines don\u2019t look cool. The Norton P43 Classic<\/a> was a collector\u2019s item, a limited edition run of just 100 motorcycles in 1987 following a change of ownership of Norton Motors. The bike itself was a well-engineered machine with a low center of gravity and nice handling but there were many problems with the engine \u2013 corrosion, for example. Norton didn\u2019t stop the development and the water-cooled Classic MK2 was revealed at the Birmingham Show in 1989 but since the manufacturer was in deep financial trouble, and the show did not bring in any orders that would justify a production run, that was it.<\/p>\n

\"1979

1979 Honda NR500 race version<\/p><\/div>\n

18. 1979 Honda NR500<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two-stroke engines were the standard in racing in the seventies, but Honda decided to compete using four-stroke technology. Since four-stroke is not as powerful as two-stroke, Honda designed a 32 valve V8 with a monocoque body which helped reduce weight. The bike also used 16-inch wheels (instead of 18-inch in that era) to diminish wind resistance. This then evolved into an innovative V4 engine with four oval-shaped cylinders. The V4 produced over 100hp at 16,000 rpm (!) but unfortunately, it was not very reliable or fast enough. Releasing a street version was a poor decision as it turned out to be a huge flop – it was too expensive especially as cheaper, more regular bikes were faster. But, the NR500 remains a legend.<\/p>\n

\"1994

1994 MZ Skorpion<\/p><\/div>\n

17. 1994 MZ Skorpion<\/strong><\/p>\n

When the MZ Skorpion<\/a> was released back in 1994, the first reviews were mostly positive. It was a light and affordable all-rounder with good handling. The model was the result of an international collaboration \u2013 German frame, Japanese (Yamaha) engine, British design. MZ built four versions: Sport, Tourer, Traveller and Cup. The bike was popular among racers \u2013 the Skorpion Cup got its own MuZ-Cup racing series in several countries at the end of the 1990s but sales numbers were miserable. The Sport was discontinued in 2002, the others finishing in 2004.<\/p>\n

\"1974

1974 Suzuki RE5<\/p><\/div>\n

16. 1974 Suzuki RE5<\/strong><\/p>\n

The other huge flop of the rotary engine in a motorcycle. The RE5<\/a> was built by Suzuki from 1974 to 1976. Apart from its unique engine layout, the RE5 is a normal roadster. A hideous roadster, we must add. At the heart of the RE5 was a 497cc rotary engine that was capable of delivering 62hp but this amount of power was just not enough for the weight (wet: 255kg or 563 lbs). Apart from this, the RE5 had decent handlig and good fuel economy (especially for a rotary and for this weight) but it was over-complicated, underpowered and expensive. Putting this bike into serial production was a huge failure and the RE5 was scooped off the production line faster than it\u2019s 0-60 time.<\/p>\n

\"1995

1995 Aprilia 6.5<\/p><\/div>\n

Slipstreamer Motorcycle Windshield<\/a>\"\"<\/p>\n

15. 1995 Aprilia 6.5<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Aprilia 6.5<\/a> was not just a horrible failure but it was also ugly as hell. It was supposed to be a chic bike for city conditions but it just looks weird. In addition to that, it was slow, the build quality was average at best, and unreliable. The model was deleted after just two years and that says it all.<\/p>\n

\"2002

2002 Gilroy Indian Scout<\/p><\/div>\n

14. 2002 Gilroy Indian Scout<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Indian Motorcycle Company of America began manufacturing motorcycles in 1999 at the former CMC’s facilities in Gilroy, California \u2013 that\u2019s why these bikes are called Gilroy Indians. Their first model was the Chief, a decent cruiser powered by a reliable S&S V-Twin. Sadly, the company decided to develop a brand new 100-cubic-inch (1,600cc) V-Twin called Powerplus. It went not good. The Indian Motorcycle Corporation went into bankruptcy and ceased all production operations in Gilroy on September 19, 2003.<\/p>\n

\"2005

2005 Buell XB12X Ulysses<\/p><\/div>\n

13. 2005 Buell XB12X Ulysses<\/strong><\/p>\n

So that\u2019s what Americans think about the Dual-Sport-slash-Adventure category. The bike went into serial production in 2005 and was set to go head-to-head with BMW\u2019s R1200GS. The XB12X<\/a> had an individual character with a couple of clever ideas like the innovative three-position tail system or two 12-volt power outlets but it\u2019s price tag was top-heavy and it\u2019s archaic air-cooled engine was not powerful enough for the bike\u2019s weight. The Ulysses failed to find an audience, and helped end the Buell company all-together.<\/p>\n

\"2000

2000 Sachs Roadster 800<\/p><\/div>\n

12. 2000 Sachs Roadster 800<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Roadster <\/a>was a 800cc naked bike from Sachs, one of the oldest motorcycle manufacturers in Germany. The model was revealed in 2000 and it was a conventional steel framed, spoke-wheeled naked bike with a Suzuki engine pinched from their current cruiser range. The bike was no racer with its 58hp but it felt like a quality product. Oh, and it had shaft final drive and was pretty expensive. I guess nobody wanted an underpowered naked with an antient Japanese engine.<\/p>\n

\"1981

1981 Harley-Davidson XLH1000 Sportster<\/p><\/div>\n

11. 1981 Harley-Davidson XLH1000 Sportster<\/strong><\/p>\n

Harley produces the Sportster line since 1957 so they must know something about building cruisers. Well, they wanted to come up with something new to compete with Japan in the early eighties. They thought the new Sportster would compete. They should have stuck with what they know. The 1981 Sportster<\/a> was not just a bike with bad handling \u2013 it was a bike with dangerous handling. Long forks with a steep angle, high center of gravity, heavy engine, poor suspension \u2013 the combination of all this resulted in the worst low-speed\u00a0maneuverability\u00a0ever seen before or after on a Harley-Davidson bike. Big, big flop.<\/p>\n

Le Pera Bare Bones Solo Vinyl Seat for 1982-2003 Harley Davidson Sportster Mode – HD XLH1000 1982-1985<\/a>\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anyone who has ridden for at least ten years can tell you about the worst motorcycle they have ever ridden. Most bikes on the market are just fine but every once in a while the CEOs make some bad decisions and the result is a big flop. It\u2019s worth noting that not all of these bikes are \u201ebad\u201d motorcycles, some of them actually rides well. It\u2019s just that most customers hated them. We pulled twenty of the biggest flops in the motorcycle industry, here is the first part. Read the full article »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[5898,5903,5901,5907,5900,5899,5902,5904,5906,5905,5912,5911,5909,5910,5908],"class_list":["post-8750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-motorcycle","tag-1972-kawasaki-750-triple-1v-and-h2","tag-1974-suzuki-re5","tag-1979-honda-nr500","tag-1981-harley-davidson-xlh1000-sportster","tag-1987-norton-classic","tag-1987-norton-p43-classic","tag-1994-mz-skorpion","tag-1995-aprilia-6-5","tag-2000-sachs-roadster-800","tag-2002-indian-scout","tag-most-unsuccesful-motorcycles-ever-made","tag-top-10-biggest-motorcycle-flops","tag-top-20-biggest-motorcycle-flops","tag-worst-motorcycle-flops-of-all-time","tag-worst-motorcycles"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mbike.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mbike.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mbike.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mbike.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mbike.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8750"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.mbike.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8750\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8761,"href":"http:\/\/www.mbike.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8750\/revisions\/8761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mbike.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mbike.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mbike.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}