Topspeed names five forgotten sportsbikes that were ahead of their time

The selection included models from leading Japanese and European manufacturers, each of which introduced technologies that would become standard only years later.

The ranking opens with the 2012 BMW HP4, the world’s first production motorcycle with fully adaptive electronic suspension, Dynamic Damping Control (DDC), which analyzes riding style and road conditions in real time. Such a system is the norm on premium superbikes today, but BMW was the first to implement it.

Second place goes to the 2008 Ducati Desmosedici RR, the world’s first road bike designed as a replica of a MotoGP racing machine. Its 989 cc V4 developed 200 hp. s and spun up to 14 thousand rpm. A total of 1,500 copies were produced.

Third on the list is the 2000 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-12R, the world’s first production motorcycle with a monocoque frame, which Ducati didn’t make popular until a decade later. It also received small aerodynamic wings and a fuel tank that goes under the seat.

Fourth place went to the 1999 Yamaha YZF-R7, a circuit racing option. The motorcycle was equipped with a 749 cc inline four-cylinder engine with five valves per cylinder, titanium connecting rods and two injectors, which made it possible to produce up to 160 hp. With. The Ohlins suspension and Deltabox aluminum frame made it a true track tool.

Rounding out the top five is the legendary 1992 Honda NR750 – the company’s craziest project with oval pistons, the world’s first mass-produced electronic fuel injection system, 45 mm inverted fork, carbon body kit and magnesium wheels. This model became the company’s technical pinnacle, which no one else has repeated.

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