Lady Gaga wore a meat dress, Carly Rae Jepsen released Call Me Maybe, Disney’s Frozen deafened us, and we all debated whether a dress was blue or golden — the 2010s were undoubtedly some interesting years. But for bikers, the years weren’t all about memes and questionable trends; they were a transition period where motorcycles transitioned from old analog beasts to modern, polished engineering specimens.

The 2010s saw a lot of motorcycle experiments, and out of the many experiments, we saw some sports bikes that completely redefined the segment. Some motorcycles push the limits of performance and handling, while others challenge your financial decisions, and a few motorcycles brought the MotoGP experience to the streets. And lest we forget, this was also the decade when we finally saw beginner bikes that weren’t boring and easy to outgrow. These are the best motorcycles of the 2010s.

Related: Best Sport Bikes of the 1990s

10 Kawasaki Ninja 400 (2018)

The best sub-400cc sport bike

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The KTM RC 390 ruled the beginner sport bike segment for a long time, but finally, Kawasaki overtook it with its Ninja 400. A 399cc parallel twin motorcycle that built upon the legacy of the old Ninja 300, improving the formula in every aspect imaginable. This bike is still the superior sub-400cc sport bike — as long as you don’t consider the Ninja ZX4R — thanks to its peppy engine, agile steel chassis, and composed suspension. It’s no wonder that this little sport bike is the go-to choice for junior Supersport races — it’s a sub-400cc motorcycle that experienced riders can exploit without feeling bored.

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9 Honda CBR500R (2013 to 2016)

The most versatile sport bike of the 2010s

Honda’s 500cc platform consists of some of the best bikes we’ve seen in recent years, which may not be the fastest or the most capable, but they offer something that most other bikes do not: balance. And the Honda CBR500R is one of them. This sport bike features a 471cc twin-cylinder engine that’s refined, reliable, and smooth. Even today, the CBR500R is one of the best sports bikes to own if speed isn’t your top priority and you want something easy to live with, cheap to maintain, and fun to ride. The Honda CBR500R was perhaps the most versatile sport bike of the decade.

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8 Suzuki GSX-R750 (2011)

Hey Suzuki, bring back the GSX-R750!

The first-gen Suzuki GSX-R750 was the bike that inspired all the other sport bikes that followed — it created the template — and the 2011 GSX-R750 lives up to the legacy of its predecessor. It wasn’t the most advanced or the fastest bike you could buy then, but a 750cc supersport felt like the perfect midway between a crammed 600cc supersport and an overkill 1000cc superbike. This bike could be pushed to its limits by an experienced rider without being nerve-wracking, and it’s a shame that Suzuki never updated the model after 2011. For many bikers, the GSX-R750 was the last of its kind: a true supersport motorcycle.

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Related: 10 Reasons Why The Suzuki GSX-R750 Is The Best Supersport

7 Yamaha YZF-R1 (2015)

Every biker’s dream: redefined

The Yamaha YZF-R1 was always a poster bike for young squidlings and motorcyclists alike, but in 2015, Yamaha made something no one saw coming. The 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1 was a radical motorcycle that perfectly balanced the sharp nature of a track weapon with the brutal kick of a liter-class superbike. And the cross-plane engine sounded just as fierce while offering a punch mid-range and a seemingly endless top end. According to many, this bike also had the most sophisticated electronics suite at the time, when other bikes were still fighting gremlins in their wiring harnesses.

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6 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R (2011)

Finally, a Ninja that lives up to the name

The YZF-R1 may be a dream bike for many, but if you wanted a Japanese bike that got you close to your MotoGP dreams, you had the Ninja ZX-10R. This platform is the winner of six consecutive WorldSBK trophies — that’s how capable it is on the track. While this capability came at the cost of practicality, who wouldn’t want a missile of a bike to overtake anything with wheels on the track? The Ninja ZX-10R has come a long way since, but this generation of the bike will always hold a special place in the heart of Kawasaki loyalists. It established Kawasaki as the dominant force it is today.

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5 Ducati 1299 Panigale S (2015)

Oh so gorgeous, oh so fast, and oh so expensive

If you looked at the 2015 sport bike lineup, you’d go crazy finding the best one. Still, you’d probably end up with your finger on the Ducati 1299 Panigale S. This ravishing beauty was everything you could hope for in a superbike at the time: mind-blowing performance packed in a light frame, superb handling, brutal character, and sexy Ducati lines. Thanks to the 1285cc Superquadro L-twin’s linear powerband, Ohlins suspension, and a broad range of rider aids, the 1299 Panigale S was Ducati at its best in 2015. The bike was so gorgeous you’d be happy to see it even when it overtook you on the track.

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4 BMW HP4 Race (2017)

The track bike of the decade

But let’s say you were a young track enthusiast in the 2010s and wanted a bike purely for racing, then you’d choose the BMW HP4 Race. This track-only superbike was expensive and rare, with only 750 of them built, but it offered some of the best specifications we’ve ever seen. The liter-class engine produced 215 horsepower, WSB spec Ohlins suspension, Brembo brakes, carbon fiber frames, wheels and fairings, and class-leading electronics. But what made this bike an absolute monster was its weight of only 146 kg dry, which was lighter than a KTM 390 Duke! But you’d probably never want to push it to its limits unless you had pockets as deep as the Pacific Ocean.

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Related: 10 Things You Need To Know About The BMW HP4 Race

3 Aprilia RSV4 Factory SE (2013)

When a Ducati isn’t exotic enough for you

Before the BMW HP4 Race, track junkies had the Aprilia RSV4 Factory SE. The V4 engine was a monster to ride and a melody to your years. The loud engine was somehow packed into the compact dimensions of a MotoGP-derived chassis, and the result was a superbike so ridiculous it became the new Italian dream machine. Sorry Ducati, but the Aprilia RSV4 was better. With its insane performance, riding dynamics, and electronics, the RSV4 Factory SE set a benchmark so high even many modern superbikes fail to come close to it.

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2 Kawasaki H2R (2015)

It’s a deathwish on two wheels

What do you do when you hate having any other motorcycle ahead of you on the track? You go for the Kawasaki H2R — a supercharged, carbon-fiber-clad literbike that is still the fastest mass-production bike in the world. It shows a big middle finger to the Gentleman’s Agreement with its neck-breaking torque and horsepower. But this bike is not for the faint of heart. An array of electronics tames the engine, and this bike has built a reputation for putting the fear of god in even the most experienced motorcyclists. Very few riders can ever push this bike to its limit; for mortals like us, we’d be lucky if we even scratched the surface of this bike’s capabilities.

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1 Honda RC213V-S (2015)

The world needs more of these

Honda motorcycles are more expensive than their rivals, but who knew Honda could make something so ridiculously expensive and exotic that it would even shame the Italian exotics? That’s the Honda RC213V-S, a literal MotoGP bike for the streets. Yes, Honda didn’t put any effort into the name, but everything else about this bike is surreal. The 212 horsepower V4 engine (with the race kit) produced linear yet terrifying power while producing a sinister growl that was on the verge of being illegal for the streets. The only downside of the bike was the price tag — it’s simply impolite to even ask at this point — and since around 100 of these were ever made, it’s a shame that most of us will never get to experience this astonishing piece of machinery unless we’re very, very lucky.

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