Top Ten Bikes 2003: Episode 11 - The Best Bikes - video Dailymotion

Men and Motors

In this new series of Top Ten Bikes, presented by Louise Brady, we look at the best bikes around in the biking world as voted for by our Men & Motors panel.  Today, in our final episode we take a look at the top ten bikes of 2003, as voted by the viewers. Which one will hit the number one spot?  Don't forget to subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell so you never miss a video!  ------------------ Enjoyed this video? Don't forget to LIKE and SHARE the video and get involved with our community by leaving a COMMENT below the video!   Check out what else our channel has to offer and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to Men & Motors for more classic car and motorbike content! Why not? It is free after all!  Our website: http://menandmotors.com/  ---- Social Media ----  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/menandmotors/ Instagram: @menandmotorstv Twitter: @menandmotorstv  If you have any questions, e-mail us at talk@menandmotors.com  © Men and Motors - One Media iP 2023

Transcript

00:00 Hello there and welcome to the last show in this series of top ten bikes and what a special

00:19 show we have in store for you. I'm Louise Brady and for the past ten weeks along with

00:25 my fellow panellists I've been picking out my favourite bikes of last year, covering

00:29 everything from super sports to learner legals. Scoring each bike for its street cred, build

00:34 quality, performance, comfort and value we've created the definitive top ten countdown of

00:40 the bikes from 2003. So without further ado let's find out if you agreed with the men

00:46 and motors panel. In our first show we took a long hard look at super sports bikes. These

00:51 are the direct descendants of those mad bad two wheel beasts ridden by biking gods such

00:56 as Neil Hodgson, Carl Fogarty and Valentino Rossi. Super sports have given a poor pretensions

01:02 of practicality and comfort in the cause of outright performance and handling, making

01:07 you feel like a biking superstar. But which one did we, the panel, decide had the most

01:13 star quality? Well after much consideration we unanimously agreed that the Suzuki GSX-R1000

01:20 should take the top spot in our countdown with an overall score of 87%. Now it didn't

01:27 have things all its own way. It was pushed hard by last year's winner the Honda Fireblade

01:32 with only 11% between tenth and first place showed the quality of our contenders. You

01:38 the viewers disagreed with the panels choice of second place bike but we were in full agreement

01:43 when it came to the winner. So let's hear it for the universally acclaimed GSX-R1000.

01:49 The GSX-R1000 I think it won because it is the king of the super sports bikes and it's

01:55 going to have a harder time this year but for this year it was the winner. Awesome package,

01:59 plenty of power, pretty good handling, definitely a good bike for the 2004. Might have its work

02:07 cut out in the future with new ZX10 but fabulous bike all the same. It's getting challenged

02:14 again this year now, big competition up again so yeah might hold it this year, hope so.

02:22 I would rate that myself as a first bike. It's a good all round sports bike, great for

02:27 track days, great for road use. So after the first category we find both the panel and

02:32 the viewing public agreeing so let's see how long this can last. Our next show featured

02:37 street and naked bikes. This category had an undisputed winner and its nearest rivals

02:43 were the Kawasaki Z1000 in second and in third the Yamaha Phase 1000. So what bike managed

02:50 to make these feel pedestrian by comparison? Well it's none other than the Aprilia Tuono,

02:56 the bike that's mad as a box of frogs. A very credible score of 86% meant the Tuono rode

03:02 away with the street and naked title. It had a handy 3% lead over the Kawasaki Z1000 in

03:08 second place. When it comes to styling there ain't much out there to match the Tuono. Its

03:13 combination of street fighter looks and user friendly riding position work well to make

03:18 a bike that can be ridden long and hard. So how did this bike rate with you, the viewers?

03:25 This time you didn't quite see eye to eye with the panel, in fact you were looking at

03:28 something completely different and voted the Tuono in 6th place. Your bike of choice in

03:34 this category was the Kawasaki Z1000 so let's see why.

03:42 I know quite a few ladies that have got them, they're probably quite good for lady riders as well.

03:49 Bit of a stranger to the market this year, again quite revolutionally in its looks. Again

03:56 a good package all round and a nice bit of fun.

04:01 Yeah, Kawasaki Z1000, I used to have the Z900 myself, in fact I've still got one in the

04:06 garage and I think it's a pretty worthy successor.

04:09 For me it would have been the Tuono 1000 again. Big set up and big riding style, lovely power

04:16 delivery, nice smooth engine. That would have been my street naked bike of the year for

04:21 definite.

04:22 Show 3 saw us concentrating our attention on a category that's slowly becoming very popular

04:27 worldwide. Whilst it may be a growing area, these bikes still have a limited appeal towards

04:33 bike loving Brits, it's dual purpose bikes.

04:36 This category features the more unusual areas of biking such as monster trailers, supermotoes

04:42 and enduros. So unusual looks and big seat heights reign supreme. With bikes from 8 different

04:48 manufacturers in our top 10 there's plenty to choose from and in the end our winner took

04:53 the title with ease.

04:55 This year's best dual purpose bike is BMW's R1150GS. This gigantic tourer come off roader

05:02 has earned itself a reputation to die for and our panellists obviously felt this bike

05:06 was a worthy winner as it won by a healthy 8% margin.

05:10 The BMW is a great bike and I agree it should be the winner because this bike will take

05:14 all the abuse you can dish out of it. Not the best looking bike by far but very robust

05:18 and easy to live with. If you go to work through the week on this then blast down your favourite

05:23 B roads on a weekend. Buy a set of hard luggage for it and it will get you round Europe with

05:27 ease and with the shaft drive there's less maintenance for you to worry about on long

05:30 journeys.

05:31 BMW, fantastic name so it should have plenty of reliability, should go forever with minimum

05:38 maintenance. Superb bike and I should imagine it will do very well.

05:43 The BMW R1150GS, good bike. When I speak to people on the ferry they thoroughly recommended

05:51 it and they've done thousands of miles.

05:53 Yeah, can't beat the reliability of BMW's but I think for me it's going to have to be

05:58 the BMW. It's a new sort of supermoto and yeah, sort of thing I'd like to have a go

06:03 on.

06:04 Our next category is a toughly fought area filled with purpose built machines but it's

06:08 also the dumping ground for many a sports bike that's reached the end of its initial

06:12 career such as Yamaha's Thunder Race and Kawasaki's ZX9R. Known as the sports Taurus,

06:18 these bikes are made to go miles and miles but allow plenty of smiles when you get there.

06:23 Last year's winner was the Honda VFR800i VTEC. To many this is still the best sports

06:28 Taurus but this year it only came third. Second place went to Suzuki's Hayabusa which in

06:34 turn was just pipped to the post by Honda's Blackbird. This high performance missile has

06:40 all the great attributes a great bike needs such as handling, looks and bucket loads of

06:45 performance. However, to be a top sports Taurus takes more than this so the bike has the comfort

06:51 and practicality to match. Although it's been around for over five years now it still cuts

06:56 the mustard for many people but you, our viewers, plump for the Hayabusa ahead of the Blackbird

07:01 so let's see why.

07:03 Suzuki Hayabusa always has a good claim to top end speed. It's surprisingly very easy

07:11 to handle around although it looks big in size. Probably a little bit dated and not

07:15 to most people's tastes with its looks.

07:18 The Suzuki Hayabusa would have to be the winner because it is the fastest bike in the category

07:23 and it is just an absolute flying machine. I think it's going to have its work cut out

07:28 in the next year or so with some of the bikes that are coming online but for this year again

07:31 it is the absolute winner.

07:33 Suzuki Hayabusa, it's been around for a few years but it's a capable bike and yeah,

07:38 I think it probably deserves it.

07:40 I'd go with Honda VFR 800i. It's smooth, reliable and everything that I'd need.

07:48 Show five was all about those bikes we know we should ride for financial reasons but don't

07:54 for performance reasons. Yes, it's those insurance friendly bikes.

07:58 Last year's winner was the Suzuki SV650 that won by a considerable margin but this year's

08:04 competition was a lot closer with Suzuki's Bandit in third place giving our second place

08:09 bike, Ducati's Monster 620, a good run for its money.

08:12 In turn, the Monster was hot on the tails of our eventual winner so have you guessed

08:17 what our number one was? Well, this year's winner was Suzuki's SV650.

08:24 Our panel felt that this bike's abundance of practicality and reliability allied to

08:29 its low insurance rating made it the obvious winner. The SV650 also manages to have a touch

08:35 of performance up its sleeve and ridden hard can scare a few sports bike riders if they

08:40 aren't paying attention. But when it comes to our viewers' choice, guess what?

08:44 You agree the SV650 tops your chart as well. Now there are many SV650 owners out there

08:51 and with the new model now available I'm sure there'll be plenty more.

08:55 It makes an ideal first bike and is more suited to those of us who aren't as long in the

08:59 leg department as we might like.

09:01 The SV650 is a bike that appeals to new riders as the insurance is the second biggest thing

09:06 to pay out for after the bike itself. The V-twin motor is friendly, a non-daunting one

09:11 to ride and has enough power to scare the novices and keep the more experienced ones

09:14 happy if they wish to downsize their bike. Sharp handling and great looks add to the

09:19 bike's appeal, with the option of the half-fairing or the naked look you can choose which style

09:23 you want.

09:24 Fabulous bike, really, really good bike. Great for women as well for men. Plenty of power

09:30 delivery and some great low-down grunt as well.

09:34 The Group 11 insurance, nice and cheap, keeps up with most of the inline-fours, same as

09:39 the Fazer 600 and the Bandits and stuff. Just a nice punchy V-twin motor again.

09:46 Good bike, but personally I'd have gone for the Ducati 620. It's the first bike that introduced

09:51 me to Ducatis and I've got a bit of a soft spot for them really.

09:54 We're nearly at the end of the first part of this, your top ten bikes rundown, but before

09:58 we take a break there's just about enough time to take a look at our next category,

10:03 it's muscle bikes.

10:05 These bikes take us back in time with retro styling, naked engines, no fairing and more

10:10 power than you can shake a stick at. Last year's winner, the Kawasaki ZRX 1200, uses

10:15 its blend of retro styling with modern day handling and performance to good effect. In

10:20 fact, to such good effect that it's once again at the head of our muscle-bound pack.

10:25 The ZRX 1200 just pipped Honda's CB1300 into second place, which was closely followed by

10:32 Yamaha's XJR1300. Although you agreed with the panel about the top placed bike, you felt

10:38 there was a lack of Suzuki's in the top three and put their Bandit 1200 in third place,

10:43 just behind the GSX 1400. So let's see why you chose the ZRX 1200 to take pole position.

10:51 Again, quite a good workhorse, not been on one myself personally, but looks wise and

10:57 for what it's designed for, pretty much up to the job.

11:00 Fantastic bike, well designed, well put together, good all-round package.

11:05 It's a good bike, again it's not really my scene on it, like retro style and all that

11:09 stuff, it's a good choice, it's a good bike, good reputation, yeah, like it.

11:14 Kawasaki have got a good pedigree in this category I think, but I would have liked to

11:18 have seen a Ducati somewhere up there, I think the Monster deserves a mention.

11:21 That's just about it for part one of our viewers top ten bikes special, make sure you join

11:26 us after the break when I'll be running down our final four categories and unveiling what

11:31 bikes you placed at the top of the tree. See you soon.

11:34 Hello there, I'm Louise Brady and welcome back to part two of this, your top ten bikes

11:44 viewers special. So far on the show we've discovered that despite our years of hard

11:48 work travelling the world and testing bikes, you haven't always agreed with our expert

11:52 opinion. In fact in two of the six categories so far, you've picked an alternative top

11:57 bike. So will this train continue? Well there's only one way to find out.

12:02 Our next category, cruisers, appeared in show seven and it was no surprise to see the Honda

12:07 Valkyrie F6C sitting top of the tree once again with 85%.

12:12 This bike can justifiably be called a performance cruiser as its 1520cc engine gives this bike

12:19 100bhp and a top speed of 140mph. But when you consider that it weighs 309kg and has

12:27 limited ground clearance, you won't want to be taking sports bikes on down your favourite

12:32 A roads. This countdown was a close run category with the Harley V-Rod running strongly in

12:37 second place whilst bringing up the rear in third place with Yamaha's XV 1700 Warrior.

12:43 So did you at home agree with our panel? No you did not. In third you placed Honda's

12:49 VTX 1800. In second, Harley's Dyna Superglide and your top bike was the Harley Davidson

12:55 V-Rod. Obviously you all feel the best cruisers to have are Harley's so let's find out why.

13:00 It's got plenty of style, plenty of torque, looks the part, absolutely fantastic bike,

13:06 well deserving to win this category. The Harley V-Rod is a great bike and I agree because

13:11 it just looks so good. It is the outright winner of this category. The laid back riding

13:15 style and the noise of the thumping V-twin makes it a great bike for leisurely cruises

13:19 down the dual carriageway or the B roads. This bike is not about screaming down back

13:23 lanes with an uncomfortable hunch, it's about laid back, head turning, relaxing riding.

13:28 Harley Davidson V-Rod, it's an impressive bike, not really my thing but you've got to

13:33 admit they do open your eyes whenever you see one. I would have probably went for something

13:38 along the line of the VTX 1800 Honda. I wouldn't have went for any of the Harley Davidsons.

13:43 The Harley Davidsons are overpriced American metal, shall we say.

13:49 Right, on to our next category, which bought us Taured? You'll find everything from bikes

13:55 that hold pretensions of being sporty to fully dressed Taurers that can take you and your

13:59 pillion across continents without batting an eyelid. The panel's top Taurer in show

14:04 eight was Honda's Goldwing. The Goldwing is possibly the best long distance bike you

14:09 can buy. It comes fully equipped with hard luggage, adjustable suspension, protective

14:14 fairing and most importantly a stereo system that will glide you across Europe in comfort,

14:19 listening to all your favourite tunes. Close behind the wing was Honda's other mega Taurer,

14:24 the Pan European, which in turn was just ahead of BMW's R1150RT. But did you agree with us?

14:31 Well, in a word, no. Your final countdown went as follows. In third was the Yamaha FJR1300.

14:38 In second, Honda's Goldwing. And your top spot went to the Honda Pan European.

14:45 Now the Pan is a great bike and will allow you to cover huge distances in comfort, but

14:49 it's not a wing. It has a more sporty nature and will allow you to hustle down bike roads

14:54 in style with your pillion and luggage safely attached, but you'll be missing the experience

14:59 that is the Goldwing. Riding a wing is like sitting in an armchair in your living room

15:04 listening to your favourite CDs, but with a crash helmet on. And by the time the CD finishes,

15:09 hopefully you're in Paris. The Pan may be the sportier bike, but let's see why you gave

15:14 it the star billing. The Pan European. This is the bike that spawned the class and it's

15:19 still the bike to be beaten. The Pan European is a great bike and I agree due to the fact

15:24 that for long distance touring, it isn't a better proof bike for the job. Any bike that

15:28 services use is a good indicator of the bike's ability. With comfort and protection from

15:33 the elements provided by the excellent fairing and adjustable screen, this is a bike that

15:37 you can travel the world and not just Europe, as the name suggests. Pan European, yes, I

15:42 would rate that as first place. Again, it's been around for years, you can clock a lot

15:47 of miles, it's always been a good bike. Hondra again, I mean they're top anyway. Tourers,

15:53 I'd go for the Yamaha FGR 1300. I think as an all round package for touring, it's got

16:01 the comfort with the luggage, it gives you all that travelling that you can do with a

16:07 great deal of ease. This next category takes a look at possibly the least glamorous area

16:13 of biking. Yes, it's those learner legal bikes. Okay, maybe not the most exciting bikes in

16:19 the world, but we've all been there at one time or another. Picking a winner from a list

16:23 that included two scooters, two 50s and a hat full of 125s wasn't going to be easy,

16:29 but three bikes just rose to the surface like the cream on your milk. In third, we saw Honda's

16:35 NSR 125R narrowly being beaten by our second place bike, the Aprilia RS 125. Can you guess

16:43 what's in the top spot? Top of our chart was the Aprilia Tuono 125. Our panel felt that

16:49 the Tuono 125 had what it takes to be top dog and this bike won with a healthy 7% margin,

16:55 but did you agree? Your top bike was the Aprilia RS 125 with Honda's NSR 125R in second and

17:03 our winner, the Tuono, came home in third. Let's find out why.

17:07 It's got all the style anybody could ask for. It really looks the part. Superbly designed

17:12 bike. I should imagine every 17, 18-year-old just about to take their CBT will be dreaming

17:19 of this. A youngster's favorite. Again, a great bike to ride around on and get your

17:25 feet in the sports bike world. I think with the racing pedigree, probably the Aprilia

17:30 and the 125 are the one I'd go for. I'd have to go with the RS 125, the Aprilia.

17:35 A great thing. It helps back to my youth. That's the only reason I'd choose it over

17:40 the others. Our final category in show 10 looked at the

17:44 biggest area of biking in the UK today, the middleweights. The panel had the unenviable

17:49 task of picking a winner from a list containing such luminaries as the R6, the GSX-R600,

17:55 ZX-6R, 749 and a certain CBR600RR. Despite having such a fantastic list to choose from,

18:04 in the words of the Highlander, there can only be one. And the unanimous choice of both

18:09 the panel and you at home was the Honda CBR600RR. This bike has taken the 600 class that bit

18:16 further than its rivals and making it look like Valentino Rossi's GP winning RC211V

18:21 was just the icing on the cake. This bike has character, handling, reliability

18:27 and most importantly in this class, performance to spare. This bike not only looks like Rossi's

18:33 GP bike, but it feels as if it handles like it as well. So it's over to you the viewers

18:38 to tell us why you liked it so much. Nice middleweight bike. Can't go wrong with

18:43 it. It's got plenty of heritage, plenty of breed in through the fireblade. What more

18:48 can you want out of a smaller bike? Fabulous bike. Great all-round package.

18:52 If you want to go out and go scratching with your knee, adequate for that. Sane down the

18:57 town, just running around. Good all-round bike. I'd have to go with the new CBR600RR.

19:04 Superb sports bike. Handling is excellent as well as a good looker.

19:08 It's been a successful bike. Comes from a good pedigree. This one really seems to have

19:13 got everybody excited and can't wait to see what the new Fireblade's going to be like.

19:17 So there we have it. Your top ten bikes of the year. Although you didn't agree with all

19:22 of the panel's choices, you did agree on at least half of them. It just goes to show that

19:27 picking your favourite bike is a very personal thing.

19:30 But just before we go, let's run down the number ones of our top ten bike categories

19:34 for 2003.

19:36 Up first was super sports. Top marks went to Suzuki's GSX-R1000 and you agreed with

19:42 our panel that this bike really puts the super into super sports.

19:47 Next was the Aprilia Tuono, taking our panelist by storm. Sadly, you didn't agree, giving

19:53 your votes instead to the Z1000.

19:56 Dual purpose bikes came next and both you, the viewers, and our panel agreed.

20:01 Top dog was the legendary R1150GS. This bike has it all. Looks, presence and above all,

20:09 stability. It'll take you to the shops and back, but also allow you to go via the Sahara

20:14 Desert, just for fun.

20:15 Suzuki's Hayabusa only came second in the panel's top ten, but you felt it was worthy

20:20 of being placed higher, making it your top sports tourer.

20:24 Insurance-friendly bikes brought us all back into agreement again, with Suzuki's SV650

20:29 taking the honours. Its great combination of styling and performance, backed up by a

20:34 low insurance group, was too good for us to ignore.

20:37 We all agreed with the top muscle bike of 2003.

20:40 Kawasaki's ZRX 1200 had just that bit more brutish power than its rivals could manage.

20:47 Our next category saw the biggest disagreement in this year's top ten. We, the panel, gave

20:52 the honours to Honda's Valkyrie F6C. You, the viewers, felt differently and gave your

20:57 top spot to the Harley Davidson V-Rod. Style over reliability was obviously more important

21:02 to you.

21:04 Honda's classic Goldwing won our voting in the Tourer's category, but once again, you

21:09 saw it differently. Your top tourer prize went still to Honda, but the Pan-European.

21:15 Learner Legal bikes came next, and guess what? We didn't agree. Our winner was the Aprilia

21:20 Tuono 125, but you felt it was only good enough for third place, and made the Aprilia RS125

21:26 your winner.

21:28 Finally, the middleweights. There are many renowned middleweight bikes, such as the R6,

21:32 ZX-6R and 749. However, there's only one bike that can truly be called great by the panel

21:39 and you. That is the Honda CBR600RR.

21:44 There you go. Although the panel and I thought long and hard over this year's top ten, it

21:48 seems that even we aren't right all the time.

21:51 Unfortunately, that's it for this series of top ten bikes, but don't worry, as we'll be

21:55 back later in the year to see if any of the new bikes in 2004 can overthrow this series'

22:01 greatness. We'll see you then.

22:03 [music]

22:32 [music]

22:33 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Top Ten Bikes 2003: Episode 11 - The Best Bikes

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