The Top 10 Worst Motorcycles Ever Made

There are tons of fantastic motorcycles you hear about. For every top list though, there has to be a worst-of list to counteract. Here is that list- the top 10 worst motorcycles of all time.

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10. Ariel Arrow

This bike was made in both 1965 and before that in 1958. The bike offered a moderate level of handing, but the mufflers were built too low. Too low in fact to clear the ground during an everyday ride.

This proved to be a harrowing quality that bikers everywhere rejected…especially when they were making turns requiring leaning. The bike itself looked good but just didn’t perform well enough to make it off the list of worst bikes of all time.

9. Honda C50, 70, 90, 110

The earlier version of this bike had major problems, which is why it ended up on the list of worst bikes ever made. The problem was that if the rider switched gears too quickly, the weeks were prone to locking.

Obviously this is not something that riders wanted, or could manage with any consistent level of safety. Add to that the suspension that was just so-so and you have a true winner of a spot on the worst-ever list.

8. Kawasaki 750 Triple 1V

7. Suzuki GT380/550/750

This bike had multiple problems—it had horrible ground clearance because of the muffler, it also had a much too flexible swing arm and the front disc brakes didn’t work well on wet surfaces.

All three were unforgivable features of a bike and quickly established its place as one of the worst bikes. Though it was only available for less than a decade, it still left its mark—a mark that most riders wanted to forget.

6. Greeves

This was one of those bikes that was downright difficult to ride even for seasoned bikers. All of the leading link front fork models saw problems—from day one.

This one had it but it consistently made driving too much of a hassle to get the bike out of the “worst” list. Part of the problem was with suspension, which was all but completely lost during any braking—not the way to go for any motorbike.

5. Harley Davidson Sportster, 1981

Harley Davidson has a long list of high-quality bikes…however, this one isn’t one of them. The Sportster 1981 was clumsy in design and just never made the cut in terms of performance. It was built long forks and was very top heavy.

Though this played well to straight line maneuvers, it just never had the ability needed for turns or varied riding. It also had to be driven at a very low speed and that alone was enough to push it out of the top bike contention.

4. Husqvarna 250 MX, 1970

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These bikes were known to be fast, which for riders is normally a good thing. However, the bike also was known to have some difficult handling to go with. Again, it drove pretty well…if you were riding in a straight line, but if you had to divert, you didn’t fare so well. In fact, any bump in the road caused major issues.

With poor suspension, this was one of those bikes that just wasn’t comfortable to ride. Speaking of discomfort, the bike also featured an innovative seat that was meant to help the rider not slide upwards. It was a horrible failure though and ended up being more uncomfortable than anything out there.

3. Kawasaki 500 H1

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Again, Kawasaki is a heralded name in the world of bikes, and for good reason. The Kawasaki 500 H1 however, is a stand out and not in a good way. It was very powerful but that power was coupled with very poor handling and inadequate braking systems. Not a good combo!

Riders everywhere complained about its handling. When they realized that over 4500RPM the front wheel rose to unsafe driving, they were quick to reject the bike. Safety was always number one- and so it should be!

2. Moto Guzzi

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Moto Guzzi was built with great intentions—to minimize vibration transferred to the rider. They installed a rubber mount for the handlebars that were supposed to absorb vibration before the rider would ever feel it. Unfortunately this didn’t go as planned.

Rather, the handlebars ended up as a result being high-rise and unstable. Having a difficult-to-control feature was not something that most bike riders appreciated or wanted. That’s what put the Moto Guzzi on the list of top ten worse bikes ever.

1. Honda CX 500

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The Honda CX 500 suffered from the time of its initial introduction. The biggest problem was maneuverability at low speeds—not a good thing with bikes. Though the manufacturer is respectable and has a list of great products, this one was not a homerun by any means.

Although despite the issue, it still managed to sell surprisingly well. In the UK it saw more than a few faults though with the crankshafts, a feature that caused a major downfall of the Honda CX 500 throughout the entire market. [td_smart_list_end]

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