The seven best motorbikes of the noughties

1999 – Suzuki Hayabusa

Suzuki’s GSX1300R Hayabusa is stuff of legend. Upon launch in 1999, it took the title of world's fastest production motorcycle, with a top speed of between 188 to 194mph. Unfortunately, common sense prevailed, and before long an informal top speed limitation was agreed between European and Japanese manufacturers, with the 2000 Hayabusa only achieving 186mph – ‘only’.

Nonetheless, with its inline-four putting out more than 170hp, and 135Nm of torque available at just shy of 10,000rpm it was a bonafide beast, and well earnt its ‘widowmaker’ moniker.

While its performance was undeniable, the looks were controversial, with its long chassis and bulbous design a departure from the norm of the day. But in fact, the dragon-esque fairings were incredibly aerodynamic and designed to reduce drag and turbulence.

It was designed by Koji Yoshirua, who later admitted that the intent was “to create a somewhat grotesque design and create a strong initial impact... The mission was to create a total new styling that will not be out of date within few years, and a styling that will be the 'Face' of Suzuki.”

Interestingly, ‘Hayabusa’ means ‘peregrine falcon’ in Japanese – which has the fastest hunting dive of any bird, at 180mph to 202mph. It was a statement of intent by Suzuki, for the peregrine falcon preys on blackbirds, and Suzuki planned to prey on the Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird and take its title of the world's fastest production motorcycle

The second-gen ‘Busa arrived in 2007, with updated bodywork and minor tweaks to the engine reaping a large reward, pushing power to 197hp, and torque to 138.7Nm at a lower 7,600rpm.

1999 – Suzuki SV650

In a quiet corner of the motorcycling world sits the Suzuki SV650. It hasn’t broken any speed records or won any design awards, but what it does possess is the nation’s admiration, for its unflappable nature and breadth of capability.

Launched in 1999 as a budget introduction to the naked and sportsbike markets, the SV650 defined the decade as the go-to machine for both youngsters on power-restricted licences, and the older generation, for whom sportsbikes had become physically unfeasible.

There were naked and sport variants – the latter featuring lower handlebars, higher foot pegs, a bikini fairing and windscreen – and the model saw a comprehensive chassis and electronics overhaul in 2003. From 1999 until 2006, however, the 645cc V-twin remained unchanged, until twin spark plugs per cylinder and an O2 sensor for improved emissions were added in 2007. Power crept up from 64.2hp in the first generation, to 73.4hp in the mid-00s, and 74.9hp in the most recent version, which was launched in 2017 after a five-year model hiatus.

Thanks to its low cost, great handling a peppy little V-Twin, the SV650 became a favourite for lightweight twin race series. Even today, you can guarantee to see a swarm of them at any race or trackday.

1999 – BMW R1150GS

It’s often shared around a campfire – the story of how in 2003 KTM shot itself in the foot by turning down the opportunity to provide Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman with two 950 Adventures to go gallivanting up, down and around the world. An opportunity that BMW Motorrad seized with both handlebars, and the resulting success of the GS. Although rumour has it that the bikes weren’t quite as bulletproof as we were led to believe, with the pair reportedly having to swap them for new models on a couple of occasions…

That the Gelände/Straße models would have made its own fame is likely, but you can’t help but wonder if KTM had taken up the intrepid duo’s offer whether all those Chelsea tractors would today be orange and Austrian.

But speculation aside, the R1150GS was undeniably excellent. Launched in 1999 and produced through until 2004, it was the second air and oil-cooled BMW boxer, after its predecessor the R1100GS. Making 85hp and 102Nm at 5,250rpm, the 1,130cc boxer was paired to a new six-speed gearbox and alongside its high level of standard equipment – no other manufacturer specced their bikes so highly – featured an optional ABS system. Weighing 229kg dry, it was no dainty dirt bike, but the R1150GS was there to finish what the 1100 had started, and that was to convert sportsbike riders in their droves. With its dive-free Telelever wishbone front suspension, grunty engine and high riding position, it was unlike anything many had experienced.

But boy did it succeed. Over the five years that it was produced, 58,023 R1150GS models were built. An Adventure variant was produced from 2001 until 2005, with taller suspension, a larger screen, lower first gear and conventional sixth in place of the standard overdrive gear, plus the ability to run on lower quality fuel. A further 17,828 of these Adventure were produced.

The launch of the R1200GS, which is more akin to the model we know today, in 2004 marked the end of the curvy 1150. However, they still prove incredibly popular with seasoned adventurers, and it’s not unusual to see one with mileage in the hundreds-of-thousands.

2002 – KTM 950 Adventure

KTM needs no introduction when it comes to off-roaders, with the Austrian manufacturer dominating Dakar for the past 18 years, winning every event since 2001 and locking out the podium for seven consecutive years, from 2001 to 2007 (and again in 2013, 2017 and 2019).
While the LC4 660R was the most prolific KTM Dakar machine during the noughties, winning five editions and taking six second places and five thirds, it’s the LC8 950R that has found its way on to our list – for the excellent manner in which it crossed from a Dakar-winning prototype to a successful road-going continent-crosser.

While the 950 Adventure is better known for KTM marketing’s aforementioned faux pas (see R1150GS), the previous year, a prototype 950 had made its Dakar debut in the hands of rally legend Fabrizio Meoni and won the event. He had also taken the title at the Rallye des Pharaons in 2001 aboard the machine.

These impressive rally credentials were enough to pique the public’s interest, and before long a mass production 950 arrived. Comprising two LC4 engines stuck together in a V-configuration, the LC8 950 made around 102hp and 97Nm at 6,000rpm.

Despite radical designs on the drawing board, the 950 Adventure was far more conventional than BMW’s GS, with top-spec WP suspension and a chain drive. It proved popular with serious off-road adventurers, particularly in the ‘S’ – sport – guise.

The 950 Adventure was replaced in 2006 by the 990, which boasted the same LC8, albeit with more capacity, power and fuel injectors replacing the carburettors. While the new model went on to prove popular too, the 950 is still favoured for its Dakar credentials, bulletproof engine and ease of maintenance when off the beaten track.

2003 – Dodge Tomahawk

Don’t shoot the messenger, but this one has earnt its spot on our list for just how utterly ridiculous it is.  Admittedly, it was never a production bike, and only nine models were built between 2003 and 2006, but with 500hp coursing from its 8.3-litre V10, this is a hard bike to ignore.

Unveiled by Dodge at the 2003 North American International Auto Show, the Viper-engine-powered motorcycle was designed in house, with the motorcycle built around the car engine, and it took the team just six months to build a running prototype.

It in fact featured two pairs of wheels, closely-coupled however sprung independently, to allow it to lean into corners and countersteer. Top speed was debateable, with Dodge claiming anything between 300mph to 420mph, before admitting that it was never ridden above 100mph during testing. In fact, to get around the fact that it isn’t road legal, they called the Tomahawk a “rolling sculpture” rather than a motorcycle.

2005 – BMW HP2 Enduro

A lesser-known motorcycle in the grand scheme of things, but a seriously cool offering from 2005, the HP2 bridged the gap between a lightweight enduro and BMW’s full-blown adventure tourer.

BMW effectively handed its designers carte blanche, and the HP – High Performance – range was the result. The HP2 Enduro was the first to arrive (later followed by the HP2 Megamoto and HP2 Sport), and went down a storm in the right crowd.

Powered by the same 1,170cc thumping boxer engine as the GS of its time (sans balancer shaft for weight-saving), with a Dakar-inspired chassis, long travel forks and a unique air/spring shock, the 175kg, 105bhp HP2 was as revolutionary as it was rare.

Unfortunately, a high price tag of £11,000, lack of wind protection and its extreme off-road focus meant that few HP2s actually left dealerships with even fewer actually even being ridden off-road in anger. Unsurprisingly they’re rare as rocking horse poo nowadays, and are priced accordingly…

2006 – Aprilia RS50

Arguably the poster boy of my angsty pre-teen years, the Aprilia RS50 combined the looks of a superbike with a peppy 50cc two-stroke engine and the stench of teenage rebellion.

Originally launched in the late ‘90s, the RS50 really came into its own in the thousands, when Aprilia tried – and failed – to upgrade its entire range to four-strokes engines. The RS50 proved the rebel without a premix, and before long the Italian manufacturer reverted it back to the trusty old two-stroke.

The 2006 model, which arrived when I was 11 years old, had 49cc, 8.4bhp and a 200-mile range – nothing to write home about in the grand scheme of things, but enough to get you from A to B in fine, yobbish style…

Budget tyres, simple spec and forgiving brakes made this the ideal first bike, but its naughty-sporty nature meant that it was predisposed to be thrashed, and finding a decent second-hand model was harder than finding a needle in a haystack.

If you’re into noughties motorcycles, maybe you’ll interested in the ten best noughties supercars, too?