Ducati 916

Sorry, its a cliche i know, but no top 10 best looking motorcycles list would be complete without mention of the beautiful V-twin Ducati 916.

Making its debut in 1994 and produced through to 1998, the Ducati 916 has an iconic look designed by Massimo Tamburini.

Ride Trader Says: Its a classic and worthy of artwork status. If buying, make sure you get an immaculate one with full service history or it'll end in tears.

MV Agusta F4

Launched in 1998 and designed by Massimo Tamburini (designer of the 916), the MV Agusta F4 has an inline four radial valve engine produced in 750, 998 and 1078 cc flavours.

The engine was derived from the 1990-1992 Ferrari Formula One engine.

Ride Trader Says: Oozes class that its Japanese rivals can't match. Great build quality and kit too.

Norton Manx

The Norton Manx has been described as one of the most effective racing motorcycles of all time. The Norton Manx was developed to win the Isle of Man TT by Norton racing team engineer Joe Craig.

The all-welded, tubular featherbed frame was light and trim, without the usual forgings that added unnecessary weight. In 1950 the featherbed Manx recorded a double hat-trick of podium positions at the TT.

Ride Trader Says: Attract crowds of Fred Dibnah lookalikes every time you stop to refuel.

Suzuki RGV250

The RGV250 (Gamma) is a race-replica based on Suzuki's 250cc GP bikes from 1987 to 1998.

The RGV250's engine performance is not very inspiring at engine speeds under 6,000 rpm, due to the two stroke engine power delivery of a relatively narrow power band. However, once the engine is revved over 7,000 rpm, the power delivery characteristics transform the from a street bike to a pure bred track sports bike.

Due to its light weight, engine characteristics and cornering capabilities, it is particularly suited to the track, compared to other motorcycles of similar engine capacity.

Ride Trader Says: Oozes 80's dayglo charm and aggresive styling. Suited to experienced riders, definitely not a sensible commuter option.

Triumph Speed Triple

In 1994, the reborn Triumph became one of the earliest adopters of a new style of motorcycle referred to as a Streetfighter. This new class of bike was essentially a modern sportbike or race replica motorcycle but without the fairing.

In 2005 Triumph released its fourth generation Speed Triple with an increased in capacity to 1050 cc and an all new Fuel injection and engine management system.

Ride Trader Says: Looks evil even when standing still. As said by Spinal Tap: 'It's like, how much more black could this be? and the answer is none'.

Yamaha YZF-R6

First introduced in 1999, the Yamaha R6 is the most aggresively styled and track-focussed bike in the production sports 600 class. Has a reputation for being a rev hungry bike which makes it less road-friendly than its rival 600's.

In 2006, Yamaha famously advertised that the R6 had a redline of 17,500+ rpm. This is 2000 rpm higher than the previous R6 model and was the highest redline of any 2006 production four-stroke motorcycle engine.

In February 2006, Yamaha admitted the bike's true engine redline was more than 1,000 rpm lower than displayed on the tachometer and offered to buy back any R6 if the customer was unhappy. Apparently, nobody sold their bikes back to Yamaha.

Ride Trader Says: Lovely looking revvy 600, great on track, less good for Tesco shopping trips.

Ducati Streetfighter

Voted most beautiful bike of the 2008 Milan show, the Ducati Streetfighter is a liquid-cooled, 155bhp V-twin bruiser that uses a hybrid Ducati 1098/1198 motor.

Released in a standard and 'S' model which features Öhlins suspension, lightweight Marcheshini forged wheels, and carbon fibre fittings as opposed to the standard models Showa suspension.

Ride Trader Says: Way more power and top end than is sensible in a naked streetbike but what a looker. Nice to see Ducati did not compromise when building this though as many other manufacturers did with their tuned down 'nakeds'.

Ducati Desmosedici RR

Got £42,000 to spend on a motorcycle? No, neither have I! If you did though, this beauty is the closest you'll get to riding a MotoGP bike on the road.

The Desmosedici RR is derived from the Ducati Corse Grand Prix racing Desmosedici GP6, the same bike with which Loris Capirossi and Sete Gibernau competed with in the 2006 MotoGP World Championship.

Its an uncompromising 200HP, 195mph ride that is only happy when flat out round a track.

Ride Trader Says: Even if i could afford it, dont think my riding skills would do it justice.

Harley Davidson XR1200

Styled on the XR750 which started life in the early seventies and soon established itself as the dominant bike in the American Flat Track racing scene (and was Eval Knieval's bike of choice).

The XR1200 was launched in 2008 initially for the European market only in limited numbers. Based on the mellower Sportster 1200, it has significantly more power and is designed to handle European roads. Power is 90bhp at 7,000rpm, around 20bhp more than a 1200 Sportster.

Ride Trader Says: Good call using the XR750 as a basis of the styling, lovely looking machine.

Honda CBR 900RR FireBlade Urban Tiger

The CBR900RR FireBlade (note the capital 'B' in the name back then) Foxeye/Urban Tiger came along in December 1993. Many reckon the 1994 model is the best incarnation of the legendary 'Blade. The 'foxeye' name came from the new headlights that replaced the round lights on the older FireBlade and the new orange and silver colour scheme was known as the 'urban tiger'. Its in this livery that the Blade makes the Ride Trader top 10.

Ride Trader Says: Certainly iconic and many Blade owners will go misty eyed when recalling the original Urban Tiger..