The seven best motorbikes of the '90s

1993 – Honda CBR900RR

An undisputed icon, the Honda CBR900RR was the first of the illustrious ‘Fireblades’. And believe it or not, the now iconic name was actually an accident on the Honda’s part – a mistranslation from the Japanese for ‘lightning’…

Powered by an 893cc inline-four, it combined power – all 123.7PS (122hp) of it – with a then class-leading weight of 185kg. Originally designed to be a 750cc bike, Honda increased the stroke of the engine (and thus displacement) in order to match acceleration of competitors’ flagship sport bikes.

Honda kept the advanced bodywork of the original concept (which had been designed to beat the manufacturer’s own RVF750 on track) and so created the lightest and most compact bike in its class, and a legend that remains as revered today.

Subsequent second, third and fourth generations followed throughout the ‘90s (including the epic Urban Tiger), each time tweaking and improving on excellence. The original RR won countless races and reviewers’ hearts alike, until it was ultimately replaced by the CBR1000RR in 2004.

1990 – Suzuki DR650

Dakar fever had swept the globe throughout the ‘80s, and everyone wanted a piece of the action. The larger Africa Twins and DR Bigs had gone down a storm, but for those looking to really learn the ropes of rally raid, something a little lighter was required.

Enter the Suzuki DR650, launched in 1990 as a replacement for the boxy, big-bore DR600 that came before it. While the 600, launched in 1986, had been popular in its own right, it was the DR650 which really caught overlanders’ attention, as it still does to this day. Initially launched with a kickstart, which was swapped to an electric start within a year, it was powered by a 644cc, four-stroke, single cylinder.

An updated model, the DR650SE, debuted in 1996, with a 25kg weight loss and a redesigned engine with lower power but a smoother delivery. It is this model, with various updates, that remains in production today, although unfortunately emissions regs stopped Suzuki importing it into the UK a few years back.

1990 – BMW R100GS P-D

While the original R80G/S will certainly feature in our best bikes of the ‘80s, the R100GS P-D certainly deserves an honourable mention in here. Launched in 1990 to rave reviews, it was the first time that the German manufacturer had offered a Paris-Dakar replica.

While BMW had sold conversion kits for the R80GS and the R100GS, this was the real deal, with the model featuring a larger, 35-litre tank, a luggage rack in place of a pillion seat, a bash plate, crash bars, and extended fenders.

Combined with the capable 980cc air-cooled boxer engine (which made 61PS (60hp) at 6,500rpm and 76Nm at 3,750rpm), it was the adventure machine the world didn’t know it needed. And it looked absolutely epic. Nowadays these sell for upwards of £7,000, with as high a mileage as you would expect from a three-decade-old GS.

1993 – Ducati Monster

The year was 1992, and Ducati had hit financial hardship. Little did the Italian manufacturer know that its latest model, due to be unveiled at the 1992 Cologne Motorcycle Show, would change motorcycling as they knew it.

But, with ‘Il Mostro’ originally destined to be a Cagiva model and Ducati out of favour with its suppliers, it almost never happened…

The 1993 M900 Monster was designed by Miguel Galluzzi (also responsible for Aprilia’s RSV4), who had a simple concept in mind: “all a bike needs is a saddle, engine, two wheels, handlebars and a tank to fill with fuel”. When Ducati then-manager, Massimo Bordi, requested the bike resemble the Triumph from ‘The Wild One’, the Monster was born.

Powered by the 904cc air-cooled desmo V from the 900SS, placed inside the 888’s racey chassis, with inverted forks and Brembo brakes, the lightweight (185kg) Monster boasted agile, sportsbike handling, with 68PS (67hp) and 81Nm of torque at 6,000rpm.

While the initial price tag made riders baulk, the following year Ducati released the more affordable M600 Monster, which boasted a 584cc version of the V-twin, making 51.7PS (51hp). At £5,000, £2,500 less than the original Monster, it was the perfect proposition.

As well suited to the weekday commute as it was a weekend blast, the Monster soon cemented its position as the perfect ‘one-bike garage’. To date, it has been manufactured in almost 40 different guises, and by 2015, had sold over 300,000 units worldwide, with the Monster accounting for over half of Ducati's 2005 worldwide sales and for just over 40 per cent of Ducati’s total sales throughout the ‘90s.

1994 – Ducati 916

No one can debate this bike’s place on our list and in our hearts. Often called ‘the most beautiful motorcycle ever built’, it was a revolutionary model for Ducati, and captured the hearts of millions of motorcyclists and non-riders alike.

It was a synthesis of form and function, with an underseat exhaust for aerodynamics, a single-sided swingarm for faster wheel changes during races and a longer stroked version of the Ducati 888’s water-cooled 90-degree V-twin. A twin-spar trellis frame, USD forks, a firm seat and track-focussed bodywork with Dzus fastenerers completed its performance appeal.

Designed by Massimo Tamburini, who took inspiration from the Honda NR750, and with a basic architecture carried over from the 888, it was iconic from launch, and was one of the newest models selected for the Guggenheim’s “Art of the Motorcycle” exhibit in 1998. It has featured in countless other exhibitions since.

With the larger displacement paired with a new engine management system, the 916cc fuel-injected desmo unit delivered a claimed 115.6PS (114bhp) at 9,000rpm. It made other ‘90s sportsbikes feel clunky in comparison, thanks to its delightfully revvy powertrain and manoeuvrability (owing to a shortened chassis).

And as for performance on track? The 916 was legendary, winning Ducati four Superbike riders and manufacturer’s World Championships in 1994, ’95, ‘96, and 1998, with riders Carl Fogarty and Troy Corser aboard.

1998 – Honda VFR 800

While the Honda VFR800 was never destined to win any prizes for its speed or performance, it proved the perfect antidote to the hard-seat, hard-suspension sportsbikes that the ‘90s was spewing out (see above and below).

Despite directly replacing the VFR750F, it negated the model’s carburetted unit for a detuned and longer-stroke version of the racey, fuel-injected RVF750R RC45 engine, which had been designed in 1994 for Superbike World Championship homologation purposes.

A new aluminium frame mounted the swingarm pivots on the back of the V4 engine, using it as a stressed member, while a new dual combined braking system also featured.

While the VFR800 was an excellent, modern proposition for riders looking for a comfortable yet sporty ride, it was controversial for the fact that it only made slightly higher power than the VFR750, despite weighing 9kg more.

1999 – Yamaha YZF-R6

Universally acknowledged as the go-to squid machine (google it), the Yamaha R6 gets a bit of a bad reputation.

But as we all are well aware, it’s in fact a very capable machine. Launched at the end of the decade as a supersport equivalent to the lighter R1, it made history as the world's first 600cc production four-stroke motorcycle producing more than 100bhp – it made 109.5PS 108bhp (109.5PS), in fact. With an incredibly high 15,500rpm red line, the carburetted (upgraded to fuel injection in 2003) inline-four just begged to be revved, and with much of the power saved for above 7,000rpm, its power delivery was often likened to a two-stroke. The steering was light and the bike agile. Combined with its edgy design, the YZF-R6 5EB went down a treat with the new generation of sportsbike riders.

Subsequently updated in 2001, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2017, the Yamaha R6 is one of the few remaining super sport machines sold in the UK (thank you emissions restrictions…).

Main imag by PekePON, Ducati 916 image by Deko4you.