famous / iconic / recogniseable bikes.

[ghostbiker]

well if we go with famous meens non bikers would know it by sight it limits the list dramaticly

I think as said most of the worlds population would know a C90 and its brothers and sisters
Ducati would i think be know as a ducati, they might not be able to spot the model but most ducati's do stand out from the rest
the same with hardlys, ppl would know tham as a brand rather than a model. inc anything hardly looking like viragos.
Iconic bikes that i beilve lots would reconise is the Early blades, BMW ewen bike and GPZ's

but lets be honest, most non bikers judge a bike on its colour and rough shape, paint a blade green and see how many ppl will call it a kwaker
give a blade a speed block design and the gen public would think it was a yam. there are few bikes that realy do stand out as a brand. and to me there fore are "famous" has to be ducati

[snapper]

cough !  Fs1e ?
 

[Aegis Bearing Mel]

Streethawk.

Nothing more to say.

[Lumpy]

triumph rocket 3 nothing like it before or since

thank goodness.
 
We did have the BSA Rocket 3 or Trumpet Trident T160 of course.
 
As for the new on, I think I'll stick with my 7 series, smaller and lighter than the Rocket 

[Chillum]

triumph rocket 3 nothing like it before or since

Every time I hear one of these I know what it is as soon as I've heard about 2 notes from the exhaust.

That makes it instantly recognisable to me

[Tifa]

Vincent Black Shadow

[BIG MAC]

Honda 750 four
Honda Africa Twin
Kawasaki z900
Kawasaki ZIR
Kawasaki KH500
Suzuki GSIOOOS
Yamaha RD250 aircooled
Yamaha xs1100s midnight
Triumph Trident
BSA Goldstar
Yamaha rd350lc
Suzuki GSXR1000
Suzuki Hayabusa
Honda Blackbird
BMW GS12000
BMW S1000RR
BMW Boxer cup
Yamaha iT 465
Honda CBX1000
Kawasaki Z1300
Yamaha 500 LC
Ariel square 4
Vincent Black Shadow
Laverda Jota
Moto Guzzi Cafe Racer
Laverda Montjuic
Ducati Darmah
Honda 400/4
Benelli 900sei
Yamaha FZS600
Benelli Tornado lightweight
The whole point of biking is that once you own one..its an Icon for a while...In my list there's many I would have liked to own

[Lumpy]

Honda 750 four
Honda Africa Twin
Kawasaki z900
Kawasaki ZIR
Kawasaki KH500
Suzuki GSIOOOS
Yamaha RD250 aircooled
Yamaha xs1100s midnight (poorer model, E was best) (guess who's got an E?)
Triumph Trident
BSA Goldstar
Yamaha rd350lc (had one)
Suzuki GSXR1000
Suzuki Hayabusa
Honda Blackbird (got one)
BMW GS12000
BMW S1000RR
BMW Boxer cup
Yamaha iT 465
Honda CBX1000 (wand a red one)
Kawasaki Z1300
Yamaha 500 LC
Ariel square 4
Vincent Black Shadow
Laverda Jota
Moto Guzzi Cafe Racer
Laverda Montjuic
Ducati Darmah
Honda 400/4 (had one)
Benelli 900sei
Yamaha FZS600 (got one)
Benelli Tornado lightweight
The whole point of biking is that once you own one..its an Icon for a while...In my list there's many I would have liked to own

But not many of those would be recognised but sub 35 year olds would they. The 900 sei wouldn't be recognised any more than the 750 sei, likelwise the SD900 and Montjuic etc. etc.
 
FS1E might, 400/4 might, blackbird (I hope), and GS BM, but not many of the others if any. To us yes, to most nowadays no. REMEMBER THE MODERN RIDER MAY ONLY HAVE GOT AN INTEREST IN THE LAST X AMOUNT OF YEARS.

[DryRob]

Think quite a few non bikers my age would recognise the Honda Goldwing but I reckon in a few years the same age group will probably say "a Honda Goldwhat?"

[Lumpy]

Think quite a few non bikers my age would recognise the Honda Goldwing but I reckon in a few years the same age group will probably say "a Honda Goldwhat?"

yup, you've got the idea. Even non bikers recognise what they think a Hardly Movingson is too. Shame

[BIG MAC]

'Iconic' to my mind in relation to the subject matter is where new ground is broken and contact is made with the human being ...an impression created. Many of these bikes may not be familiar to younger readers but I believe in many ways they defined the generation that spawned them and contributed to the development of today's icons.

Honda 750 four -  First inline 4 readily available pinched Kawasakis thunder
Honda Africa Twin - First of the real distance trailies
Kawasaki z900- Best looking bike of a decade by a country mile
Kawasaki ZIR- Warmed over  and the recogniseable DNA still being built into the Z1200R
Kawasaki KH500 - Manic..this was as animal a bike as was available at the time...not the fastest but scary at a standstill...hinged in the middle handling on plastic tyres...wooo hooo!
Suzuki GSIOOOS - Got the Tee shirt for my Dunstall tribute red and black one...civilised mile muncher and longer than a shipping container
Yamaha RD250 aircooled- This was the one they wanted pre abandonment of the 250 learner class...forgiving reliable and stylish...forget the 'ton up' X7 ...good Rds were already there...just not siezing while doing it.
Yamaha xs1100s midnight - Black is black and they don't come much blacker...staid XS maid sexy by the blackness
Triumph Trident - Start, stand back, listen to the music...never got the chance but if it had been promoted as well as the Japs....who knows what may have happened.
BSA Goldstar- The original rocker ton up bruiser but sweet natured with it
Yamaha rd350lc - Wheelies! yet in white and blue...stylish...Jekyll and a wobbly forked Mr Hyde but such a sweet thing
Suzuki GSXR1000- If Carlsberg made licence eaters
Suzuki Hayabusa - If Carlsberg made licence eaters for people called Gervais
Honda Blackbird- As near a 'complete' bike as you are going to need
BMW GS12000- I raise your Africa Twin a decade and a fop haired globe trotting Jock
BMW S1000RR- Blitzkreig returns
BMW Boxer cup- Effective art
Yamaha iT 465- Faster 0 to 60 than the cbx1000 of the same era...The first really demonic crosser
Honda CBX1000- Accross the frame 6 pot with engine as a stressed member...pretty and pretty awful...but awfully clever
Kawasaki Z1300- Disappears over horizons quietly with very few gearchanges...ugly as a pig in knickers...but charming to drive
Yamaha 500 LC- 2
Ariel square 4
Vincent Black Shadow
Laverda Jota
Moto Guzzi Cafe Racer
Laverda Montjuic
Ducati Darmah
Honda 400/4
Benelli 900sei
Yamaha FZS600
Benelli Tornado lightweight

[BIG MAC]

Continued
Yamaha 500 LC- 2 into four goes 2 ...2 stroke four pot..clever and more civilised than the RG500 which was the prettier bike and also deserves a place
Ariel square 4- Nothing new under the sun Mr Yamaha...Brits were doing it first
Vincent Black Shadow- If Harley Davidson were ever to build a proper bike...they should start with one of these and develop it. Build quality makes quality builds
Laverda Jota- Animal not for people with fillings, wrists or vertebrae
Moto Guzzi Cafe Racer- Take a Boxer cup and meld it with a Goldstar and Z1...charming and soulful
Laverda Montjuic-  A  streak of very very noisy orange...fragile but silly fun
Ducati Darmah- Little Dukes can cut the rug and look pretty
Honda 400/4 - Little Hondas but quality engineering if you havent ridden one...go try...it's one of the sweetest little engines ever
Benelli 900sei- Six pots - what it lacked in substance it made up for in looks
Yamaha FZS600 - A porsche turbo for beetle money...it's that good..maybe not pretty  but pretty good at everything
Benelli Tornado lightweight - Rearward fans do nothing for performance...neither does the engine ...but boy oh boy its pretty

[Lumpy]

the Darmah was the SD900 so not really a little ducati, are you getting it confused with the Pantah 500 and 600s?
 
I still think the RD500 was better looking than the RG500 but not as good but caught fire less.
 
The 400/4 is now as it was then, absolutely beautiful and a jewel, much better than the 350 that spawned it.
 
Jota tall, heavy, quick, bullworker clutch, Montjuic, tall, heavy (but lighter than the Alpina) fragile.
 
MG 850 LM Mk1, a lovely but unreliable jewel but not the tractor of the later bikes.
 
Fazer 600, a lovely commuter.
 
Blackbird (carbed) one of the bestest bikes ever and as you say as near to a complete bike as likely to get, had mine over 10 years now.
 
350LC, boy racer of the time, trounced by a CB500 now sadly in all areas apart from character and kudos 
 
And the list could go on, but very few people would recognise these unless of a certain age.

[BIG MAC]

Correction....I thought Pantah...and wrote Darmah...how odd!
My brothers mate had Jota..strong as an ox..only fragility ever was electrics ...to see the thing wheelied for 1/2 a mileat a time was something..then again that guy could wheelie an RV 125 of the period ...which would have about 12hp and a front wheel weighing 25lbs.
He also had a Le-mans..often misspelt that one..the correct spelling is 'Lemons'
CB500 is the biking equivalent of a portaloo with pasta forks and charmless in every respect.
I am of a certain age..point is the bikes talked about have helped shape the current one...and more than likely we will have swung a leg over a few..the same leg that swung over something else has created the Gixxer 6 riders of today.......

[Lumpy]

I used to wheelie my XS1100E up through the box up to about 125mph sometimes, hence losing 2nd and 3rd gear in the end. I am fooked if I would do it on her now though 

[Motorbreath]

I'm 28, from Spain:

Kawa zxr 750, it is nothing new but lot of people love its looks. I was I child and I loved it.
CBR 600F and Fireblade,
GSXR 750
R1&6,
916
Hayabusa,
V-Max,
Harleys,

Of course the FZS 600 is the best all round and affordable bike ever made but it is not iconic.

[BIG MAC]

Hmmm...Adds VMax to list...I did consider the VFR750 but it really is a great bike but borne of a horrible one

[pitternator]

its almost impossible to answer this question  because it all depends on the status of the observer ...biker or non biker ; young person or old; english or foreign; etc etc.
 
you cant criticize people for their choice either !
 
I dont have just one iconic bike, and my view changes over the years. I have been riding bikes since 1975 , so have seen a multitude of machines.Bikes which stand out to me are
bonneville- 60s icon, always wanted one
yam 2 stroke twins - RD400 inparticular - 70s teen dreams, cheap available performance for the masses
400/4 honda- my first pocket superbike, first jap bike which handled its power
z1- bad boy image, ultimate bike of 70s
gixxer 750- wot I lusted after but couldnt have in 80s, probably joe publics typical  idea of a sportsbike
duke 916 ( but more from wsb than the road) - so formative in 90s racing and media
R1-  awesome roadbike, groundbreaking at time
Gixxer 1000- ditto
GS1200  - changed motorcycling in UK from sportsbike to adventure ( with help from ewan and charlie)
speed triple- iconic and british - the rebirth of triumph
 
next on list will probably be an electric bike !!   
 

[snooky]

Nobody going to say the GPz900R the original and still the best ninja

[BIG MAC]

Nobody going to say the GPz900R the original and still the best ninja

Nope as it was defiled by Tom Cruise in Top Gun to a soundtrack of an entirely different bike...
Besides I didn't include the GPZ 750 or 1100 as even although the 750 was easily one of the smoothest bikes I have ever driven....(My mate had one) it wasn't truly iconic.
Although maybe the Ninja should be in there as it did spawn the term Ninjs which has been incorrectly applied to so many others...You're probably right Snooks

[Motorbreath]

Maybe the BMW S1000RR should be included.

[t140]

A T140 obviously then a JOTA

[dx408]

RD 500 LC
GP 100/125 (my first bike started life as a 100 ended it as a 125 but Shhhhhhhh)
DT 125
CBX (6 cyl one that is)
Z1
Goldwing/ Aspencade
Super dream (not fast not clever but all round capable reliable and popular)

[Lumpy]

Maybe the BMW S1000RR should be included.

famous? Recogniseable? Really?

[snooky]

BM, in answer to some of your doubts, The engine produces 115bhp,  which was serious power in 1984 and gave the bike a  top speed of 155mph.  No production bike was faster, which is why the GPZ bagged  the top two  steps of the podium in the 1984 production TT, it was the fastest production bike for a few years so think it still needs a worthy mention. Top gun has also made it recogniseable bike which was part of the original question, and if the case can we add the XT500?
I could also add the GPz750 Turbo which unlike amny other attempts did actually wotk and was cracking to ride