Being in my 70’s I rode bikes from that era (60’s & 70’s) and I thought they were beautiful, even the old Rickman. I now ride a new KTM 300 XC-w and truly believe it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever thrown a leg over (as hard as that is today to do). Love the video and your ability to articulate, keep um coming.
I loved the decals on the early 90's RMs. My cousin had the one with the zebra or tiger stripes on the seat. Bike was impossible to put in neutral while running. Didn't like going straight or being over revved at all, but turned effortlessly and had crazy midrange.
Love the look of the Husabergs. Also loved the funky RM graphics. All of the Japanese MXers had some wild graphics at the time. And I remember being at a 3 hours race with a pink TM 125 running around and loved the thing. Everyone was gathered around it in the pits
Like you, I'm a black n yellow fan of late 70s early 80s YZs, but the 81 125 and the 82 lineup w radiator on forks deserve honorable mention. My favorite bikes of all time , except those few models
Good fun list. I own a pristinely restored 84 KX250. I always say that they are so ugly it makes them beautiful. On a side note a NOS rear fender for one currently goes for around $1,000.00 USD.
I remember going to Kawasaki shop back in the day and thinking how cool those bikes looked because they were unique. Then when they changed in 85 I thought that was the absolute best. Now they are ugly beautiful.
Every modern front fender is ugly. I like a nice curve, not some "transformer robot" child like artist looking thing. The only plastic I like on my 2019 YZ250 2-stroke, is the gas tank, but the front fender is the most ugly. Orange---is ugly too. There, I said it! :)
How about those 1981 Honda CR front number plates?? Crazy! That being said, how about a video going over all of the crazy exotic 125’s from Italy during the late 70’s early 80’s?
I rode an Aprilia sxv550 supermoto and it was sick as hell. Love the styling too. The 91 and 92 RM's are prob in my eye's some of the coolest looking dirt bikes ever made. Reminds me of the crazy old school stand up jet ski's from the era.
Actually, I think all the bikes are ugly today with winged/arrow tipped plastic, broken transformer ridged bird beak front fenders. Now I am a manufacturing guy, and I look at a bike as a work of art. But it is "functional art", not abstract art with no meaning or function. It is junk abstract art, and has no place on my functional dirt bike. I cut the arrow tip off my rear fender, replaced the front fender with a after market older model, (the 2014 OEM fenders were badly twisted from the china mold, both of them, so it is not hard to tell that the old Yamaha plastic is not produced in house anymore.), and it is looking like a dirt bike again that the cartoon Jetson's did not ride. I am sure there is a market for old plastic shape that fits new frames, and that would be a good punch in the eye to the meaningless artists.
I'd like to add some more, any bike from 2000 up are ugly bikes. The front fenders look like cow catchers on 1800's steam locomotives, the front number plates look stupid being triangles and upside down pyrmids. What is with the tiny tiny side panels, soon you wont find your favorite riders number during a race. Black rims are gross, and the bikes look like the silly insectoid cockroach transformers of today. Bleech. The late 70s-90s bikes were the best.
@@josephtecumsehwaterspoon. I found some of my American dream by never paying attention to politics. Then when I achieved what I did, (making 6 figures from my one car garage), some marxist prick got elected and told me "You didn't build that!". I have been obsessed with the falling of humanity every since,---but I am not living my life the way I want. I am contemplating at this time to shut it all off, all the news, totally ignore the bastards, and live the rest of my life the way I want for as long as I can. I just don't want to be the last one to find some American dream.
The first time I saw an 82 yz250 I thought it was missing a headlight bulb. The first time I saw the slope nose CRF, I thought there was something wrong with it. ..and I still do. That's my 2 cents.
The late model Can-Am’s are pretty damn good bikes. It really just takes dialing the rear suspension in because the shocks tend to fade pretty quickly. Ohlin gas charged shocks seem to fix the issue. The COG is very low and they don’t feel cheap like a Japanese bike of the era. They’re almost like a Maico but with a very fast electric style motor. When I started racing mine in 2011, I was told that they were garbage but I actually improved on mine with a bent rear shock and only springs for suspension. People took notice and more started showing up at the track. Between the MX4-MX6, the MX5 I feel is better. Bing Carb and a Supertrapp from the factory, which I believe that the supertrapp helps with the power band. Guys rave about their hams because they’re such a good bike.
Yea, Broc Glover and "JT race wear" started that trend. I got sucked into it. I had a pair of "Gear race wear" tiger striped pink/black striped riding pants. I gotta say though, they were the most comfortable riding pant I ever used.
I would clump most of the modern bikes from the early 2000's to present as the ugliest do to homogenized look of all them. You could easily switch the plastics from one brand to another and wouldn't know the make. I liked the uniqueness of the bikes of the 70's, 80's and 90's and I think they get better looking as time goes on.. Thanks Toni for keeping us engaged with the videos you put out!
Check out the ROKON from back in the mid to late seventies it had a pull start like you would a lawn mower was the ugliest yellow and design you would ever see had an automatic transmission too it looked like it weighed 500 lb 🤣
The 07-10 KTM's are the #1 ugliest bike ever made even by KTM standards. No side panels for numbers, weird shaped ugly shrouds, and the grossest front fender to ever grace a dirtbike.
I like your vids, Tony, and this one is fun with, yeah, looks being subjective, one rider's ugly is another's beauty, I suppose. But for me, a fan and rider in my teens in the Seventies, O my, you can't beat the bikes of that era. I will forever remember in awe seeing an RM125 in '76 being rolled off a trailer at a track. But it was the same with all of them, really, the Yamahas and the Hondas and, being that I was an American teen in West Germany at the time, all the European war horses, too. And re the original Euro scramblers, sure, they look like basic brutes, but that was the game, sporting fisticuffs. Back when riders wore leathers for their battles in the woods.
You may not like the kxs number plate fender. but at my local track in Australia the suzuki guys were buying oval front plates and pop riverting them to the rear mud guards to get the same look.
Love the videos! Do you think you could make a video on the 1994 kx125? I recently got my hands on one and I want to know the difference between that and the later models such as the 95, 96, etc.
Nice vid. I heard people complained that the 2010 yz450f hit too hard off the bottom. I would have thought that’s the kind of problem most people would like to have 🤷♂️ That’s kind of what happened with the 426 and early yz450f’s 03-04. Then they tamed the engine down in 05 I believe.
My best friend had a 2001 YZ426F and A 2003 YZ450F and I could not come to grips with either one. They both hit like a 500 two-stroke and were too much for me. I much preferred my mellower YZ400F and CRF450R
I understand that for sure. I saw one your past videos with the 01 yz250f, that must have been a nice amount of power as well considering 01 seemed to be a hard hitting year for a lot of engines
I thought the 90s Husaberg’s were beautiful (graphics aside, first thing I did was pull the graphics off) the Joel Smets factory bike you show with the dark green tank was stunning... I will jump on board and agree about the 2000 model though, that was awful... The pink TM though is again stunning, I guess you didn’t see a lot of them in the states but the factory bikes looked so good...
I personally think the Aprilia looks pretty aggressive 😉 Seeing more of the frame looks cool (dinky side plates) and overall this bike just looks very progressive and forward thinking. 🤘🤘🤘
For the day, I think the Rickman (min 1:10) was a pretty good looking bike, and was probably one of the first bikes made for the purpose with a 2-stroke engine. But check out that head on an angle to the cylinder, (the head is tilted, longer cylinder wall on the intake side, it looks to be). I bet they thought it would help the "Loop Scavenging", but my guess is they dropped the design when they wanted more compression. Just guessing on the motives. I would love to see that interesting build in person. :)
This was a fun vid! I think the Can-am should have been first 😂. Personally I always thought Honda and Suzuki had the best looking bikes over all through out the years. 👍
I totally agree with your #1 pick. The rest of them are all not that bad. I did always think the 83 kx was weird and figured the 91 or 92 RM would make the list.
Totally disagree on the 91 RM125 being there, whilst the white shrouds and side panels weren’t as nice as the yellow ones we had here in New Zealand I think they are a Beautiful looking bike! , but I’m biased as I still have my 91 Rm250 I bought new haha . I am doing it up and collecting parts and have managed to get both new OEM Shroud stickers and the RHS side panel Sticker , still on the hunt for the LHS one. Love the look! Simon
Y2K RM 'Snow-Shovel' Agreed. My 98 was a great looking machine , despite the 'Saber-Tooth' front plate (especially after the graphics came off and a black seat cover went on).
I remember riding a big Husaberg in the 90s and thinking damn if they could make it a little better we could race four strokes like this and a few years later we were. It was a beast nothing like the XRs and TTs I’d rode before it it truly felt snappy enough to be a race bike
I actually really like the 2010 YZFs specifically. I think they're my favorites, competing only maybe with the original 400F. Really like those 2010s. Zooming out to YZs in general though, I absolutely have to hand the title to the 1978s. Great Kodachrome decals from Yamaha's golden age of Hurricane Hannah and King Kenny Roberts, side plate still up forward where it belongs (😉) and not too tall and lanky.
@@TheMotocrossVault Instead of two Husabergs you could have taken at least one italian Husqvarna. 😉 I liked the Husaberg style since MJ 2000 and still got my 2011. So now I'm really sad. 😅
hey tony, need to get rid of hundreds of pristine mid to late 70's mags. any interest? (also have a first issue with marty smith on the cover). Don't know how to contact you. can you respond?
I would love to have them. My collection is most sparse from the seventies because I was pretty young back then. Email me at themotocrossvault@gmail.com
I disagree with most of what you said. except I agree canam 1980 samsonite version is ugly ( this is my favourite bike). quiet, light, low sweet power, easy to start what more do you want? Just take off the square number plates and it looks great . I have owned a few of your picks including husaberg (arg guably a copy of of Honda works bike of 1980 ish. arguably the most desireable bike of all time and you call it ugliest? kawasaki 1980
I definitely wouldve had the RM in top 3. The white shrouds, blank tank, weird seat etc was just awful. I didnt mind the last version of the Husaberg in the dark blue but yeh the rest were ugly. I probably wouldve had the 1998 ktms on the list as well... just SO much plastic!!! In my mind every bike that had big blobby shrouds is immediately gross.
Had a Kim 125 in purple and mint green,surprised it didn’t make your list,early nineties model methinks,my favourite bueatifull bikes of all time were those splitfire Honda,s ridden by Jeremy McGrath
Thank you Tony for your compilation of ugly MX-bikes. I tend to agree with you in most cases, this clip certainly provides perspective on what 'good design' was in its own time. One must not forget that scramblers evolved from road-bikes, and that motocross is a pretty new sport considering the time motorcycles have been around. At least in its more extreme form as it has been for these past 30 years or so. And it is still changing, which means that the bikes are always evolving.
Haha, good picks. 👍 Im glad to see one of my 1st mx bikes didnt make your list.... In 82 I was on a YZ 80 with the dreaded fork mounted radiator... Still very fond of 82 YZs and consider it part of what made 80s mx cool when the manufacturers actually tried new things. Ahhhhh the 90s! Absolutely, I was the same as you when I first saw the RMs in an old San Bernardino Suzuki shop! Also was, WTH Suzuki?! Back in the "No Fear" & "Bad Boy Club" days of mx. A few manufactures had their weird 90s stuff. I remember my Kawi KLX 650 was a weird red & purple with weird squiggly graphics all over. Still remember thise flo pink TMs & agree on them in #1 spot. 👍
I loved the 82 YZ when it came out. I wanted the YZ80 so badly at the time. My grandma lived across the street from the Yamaha shop at the time and I lived there. The YPVS and the seat up on the gas tank were new that year. Unfortunately, they retained the radiator behind the number plate for another year.
@@andybecker2693 👍 Actually 83 they moved the radiator to the right side. The fork radiator was an 82 only and it got alot of flack. Though I still appreciate Yamaha outta the box thinking, though nowadays it seems weird their engineers would think it was a good idea to mount all that weight, plumbing and heat so high and on the forks!
aw man, i think the Aprilla looks killer. and yeah, the kx125's looked kinda weird with one radiator. i thought the 250 looked good but those fenders were kinda dumb, plus mud race they pack up with mud something feirce. good reveiw, thanks!
I remember reading Super Hunky's reviews on the top 10 worst dirt bikes of history things like: Shock springs that would fade on a busy barroom door. Electrics that would have trouble lighting off a .049 Cox model airplane engine. The rear end flopped like there was a hinge in the middle of the frame. It'd get into a high speed wobble at 15 mph. Suspension that did little more than hold the bike up. Handling like a shopping cart full of bowling balls with one locked wheel going down a flight of steps. and On and On...... AHAA Haa Aha haa Ahaaaaa
I had the #6 1991 rm125 lol brand new raced it in c class it was ugly then too lol i changed it up even painted frame blue , I was sponsored by Wd 40 had huge can stickers going down the forks, great video thanku
I come from Italy and the Aprilia rxv is a crap it had a mess of engine and chassis problems, Motards were bought, there are many more 500s than 450s! But it is a very powerful bike with a lot of low RPM Power👍🏻🇮🇹💓
I'd say I don't agree with the 91 RM, but I kinda do....why.... because they didn't commit to the look, but they did in 92 and IMO, one of my favorite RM years in looks alone, same overall appearance, but the sear pattern is bright purple instead of that faded looking lavender 😅 Also, that Aprilia MXV is dope, and I've wanted one for years, those things are nasty as hell and were banned by the AMA 😅 Edit: and I loved the early 90s TM's ! 😂 It was the early 90s man....hot pink, neon colors...man those were fire! I'd die to have one in mint condition.... maybe even more so than the Aprilia 🤣
Great vid!! I agree 100% about those kawai’s, they were the ugliest bikes i have ever seen imo, but i disagree with the #3 husaberg on that list lol, i always loved the yellow and blue combo of those bikes. I hope to see more vids like this 🍻
I pretty much agree with that list. Maybe the YZF is't that bad, I find the big shroud on just one side of the YZ 90 worse. Yamaha likes pointy shrouds. In the 70 CZ allways looked horrible. The shrouds of the first watercooled 125 of 81 looked ugly, allthough it was super trick and advanced back then. Those "frogger" type rear fenders were ugly even when I saw them in the '80. Something they picked back up from some bikes in the '70. Some modern mistakes are the 09 honda front fender. And the look of the husqvana 17 up models. Some brands just don't have tast. Whenever plastics get too pointy/spikey it looks bad in my opinion.
Aprilia I just don't get how the AMA were so Drakonian about big numbers being perfectly spaced and HUGE front displays, at one point, and now you cant even fit 2 digits on front, let alone 3 digits on the sides. You cant even read them on a 72" 4k tv. Aprilia shouldn't have even bothered with those little winglets. Just make an actual set of side plates, optional (for the 2 people in the world that might have actually raced one). Other than that, it's a pretty cool bike. Even the girder style front fender fits the design, even 'if' gimmicky overkill (which, it obviously was, since the race team dropped them).
1991 and 1992 RM were the best looking bikes of all time followed by 1991 CR followed by 1994 KX But hands down the early 80s KX side plates were the ugliest thing ever put on a modern MX bike
Let me guess, you were born in 1978 and never saw a 1976 RM125. We all suffer from it. We think what was good in the world could not have existed before we were born. It's a trap, because the majority of the greatness of mankind will not be known. :(
Have to disagree... Kawi has made some great looking bikes, but that number plate on the rear fender was a big mistake. Different? Yes. Attractive? No.
91 Suzi The yellow frame is the only thing they did right, considering... Lol. The whole package looks like an after thought. The bruised banana seat. The ass sticking up, like it was looped over. The kick lever looks like it came off another bike. The shrouds don't flow with the pipe, and even for people who like bold new graphics, this is a stretch. Thank goodness they came off the first time you got it wet and the older yellow shrouds fit, as well as the old blue seat cover.
yea the yz from 02-04 is one of the best looking dirt bike ever made. It is so sad that EVERYONE is puting the ugly restyle kit on there yz now.... The rear side panels looks so stupid...
@@AbcAbc-ox6pg You my guy is one of the Luckyest people i know of. What an amazing piece of art you have. i have the full plastics, with seat and gas tank from a 04 yz and a 04 RM hanging on my wall as pieces of art. And just waiting for a kx 04 seat(i have the rest of the plastics and gas tank) and i will hang up a kx also on my wall. Gone look so amazing with the blue yellow and green. Next i am getting the same bikes/brands but from 96. 04 and 96 is the best looking years of dirt bikes i think.
TM (Aka: WTF) Me, at the dealership: Is that some of Suzuki's ugliest front plastic paired with Honda's ugliest-ever sub-section, but in putrid pansy pink? Salesperson: Yes; but check out this kick stand!
Ok Vault man, You got the top three pretty damn sraight and I have most of these bikes in real life. You are way off on the KX 82-84 wuth the rear fenders. They are Green supreme man and everyone in the comments thinks so too. So you failed us with the kawis man. Other than that, decent job. Believe me the Can Am should be first but sure thing no man wants a pink TM dirt bike but if you did a color change it is not bad looking. On my Can Am, I ride the sheeet out of mine and it is so weird that it is a serious respectable bike once your on top of that thing !!
"everyone in the comments thinks so too" Hey man, don't make me part of your support group. You have no idea what I think. I will tell you what I think about ugly bikes. They became ugly as soon as the 4-stroke was forced on the industry. I have a 2019 YZ250 2-stroke, with that broken bird beak, cartoon transformer ridged, arrow tipped nonsense, and I am replacing it with a normal 2014 model. Yes, of course, the hole pattern is different. Won't stop me. I know how to do simple math, and have a CNC mill for a perfect job. I cut the stupid arrow off the back of my rear fender too. Looks so much better. All bikes today, are ugly, because the art left function and went in meaningless directions. I promise you, the artist can't even explain it. Abstract art is worthless, and ugly on a functional bike. Bat Mobile. I think the trash can silencers are ugly as all swamp too. The 4-stroke is ugly for a function though, because the EPA could care less if the sport dies. That is pretty damn ugly to me.
Man I love the way the new Yamahas look. They look aggressive and fast. With aggressive lines. I will say though. The way they engineered the plastics to fit, is horrible.
I would have a hard time coming up with ten dirt bikes that I would consider ugly. 2000 rm, atk 250, the weird orange ktm but a couple you mentioned i had never seen before and agree that they are ugly, the TM for example.
Being in my 70’s I rode bikes from that era (60’s & 70’s) and I thought they were beautiful, even the old Rickman. I now ride a new KTM 300 XC-w and truly believe it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever thrown a leg over (as hard as that is today to do). Love the video and your ability to articulate, keep um coming.
I loved the decals on the early 90's RMs. My cousin had the one with the zebra or tiger stripes on the seat. Bike was impossible to put in neutral while running. Didn't like going straight or being over revved at all, but turned effortlessly and had crazy midrange.
Love the look of the Husabergs. Also loved the funky RM graphics. All of the Japanese MXers had some wild graphics at the time. And I remember being at a 3 hours race with a pink TM 125 running around and loved the thing. Everyone was gathered around it in the pits
85 KTM should never be on that list, neither the KX ......You must have been beat hard by a couple guys that had the rear fender bikes. They are RAD !
Like you, I'm a black n yellow fan of late 70s early 80s YZs, but the 81 125 and the 82 lineup w radiator on forks deserve honorable mention. My favorite bikes of all time , except those few models
Good fun list. I own a pristinely restored 84 KX250. I always say that they are so ugly it makes them beautiful. On a side note a NOS rear fender for one currently goes for around $1,000.00 USD.
WOW! That is an expensive fender.
I remember going to Kawasaki shop back in the day and thinking how cool those bikes looked because they were unique. Then when they changed in 85 I thought that was the absolute best. Now they are ugly beautiful.
Every modern front fender is ugly. I like a nice curve, not some "transformer robot" child like artist looking thing. The only plastic I like on my 2019 YZ250 2-stroke, is the gas tank, but the front fender is the most ugly.
Orange---is ugly too. There, I said it! :)
How about those 1981 Honda CR front number plates?? Crazy! That being said, how about a video going over all of the crazy exotic 125’s from Italy during the late 70’s early 80’s?
I rode an Aprilia sxv550 supermoto and it was sick as hell. Love the styling too. The 91 and 92 RM's are prob in my eye's some of the coolest looking dirt bikes ever made. Reminds me of the crazy old school stand up jet ski's from the era.
Actually, I think all the bikes are ugly today with winged/arrow tipped plastic, broken transformer ridged bird beak front fenders. Now I am a manufacturing guy, and I look at a bike as a work of art. But it is "functional art", not abstract art with no meaning or function. It is junk abstract art, and has no place on my functional dirt bike. I cut the arrow tip off my rear fender, replaced the front fender with a after market older model, (the 2014 OEM fenders were badly twisted from the china mold, both of them, so it is not hard to tell that the old Yamaha plastic is not produced in house anymore.), and it is looking like a dirt bike again that the cartoon Jetson's did not ride.
I am sure there is a market for old plastic shape that fits new frames, and that would be a good punch in the eye to the meaningless artists.
IMHO, the curtains (in this context, the shrouds) should always match the drapes (aka: the tank). Always! Only the early Hondas get a slight pass.
I'd like to add some more, any bike from 2000 up are ugly bikes. The front fenders look like cow catchers on 1800's steam locomotives, the front number plates look stupid being triangles and upside down pyrmids. What is with the tiny tiny side panels, soon you wont find your favorite riders number during a race. Black rims are gross, and the bikes look like the silly insectoid cockroach transformers of today. Bleech. The late 70s-90s bikes were the best.
I agree with all the ugly bikes. Not the 91 RMs and the Berg. The Husaberg was so crude it's beautiful.
Oh man, I kind of liked the newer Husabergs - but then again, I have landed on my head a lot.
LOL me too!
@@josephtecumsehwaterspoon. I found some of my American dream by never paying attention to politics. Then when I achieved what I did, (making 6 figures from my one car garage), some marxist prick got elected and told me "You didn't build that!". I have been obsessed with the falling of humanity every since,---but I am not living my life the way I want. I am contemplating at this time to shut it all off, all the news, totally ignore the bastards, and live the rest of my life the way I want for as long as I can. I just don't want to be the last one to find some American dream.
The first time I saw an 82 yz250 I thought it was missing a headlight bulb.
The first time I saw the slope nose CRF, I thought there was something wrong with it. ..and I still do.
That's my 2 cents.
Yes that 09 front fender is horrible looking. It's like we got to come up with something new.... humm just do what ever.
The late model Can-Am’s are pretty damn good bikes. It really just takes dialing the rear suspension in because the shocks tend to fade pretty quickly. Ohlin gas charged shocks seem to fix the issue. The COG is very low and they don’t feel cheap like a Japanese bike of the era. They’re almost like a Maico but with a very fast electric style motor. When I started racing mine in 2011, I was told that they were garbage but I actually improved on mine with a bent rear shock and only springs for suspension. People took notice and more started showing up at the track. Between the MX4-MX6, the MX5 I feel is better. Bing Carb and a Supertrapp from the factory, which I believe that the supertrapp helps with the power band. Guys rave about their hams because they’re such a good bike.
You are right about that
I loved those 83 Kawasaki’s. They look even cooler today.
So did I.....very cool look those ‘83 KXs
I remember riders wearing pink back in the day.
Yea, Broc Glover and "JT race wear" started that trend. I got sucked into it. I had a pair of "Gear race wear" tiger striped pink/black striped riding pants. I gotta say though, they were the most comfortable riding pant I ever used.
With the tm, I think that's a little unfair because it's pink. Like everything was purple and pink in the early 90s
Honorable mention....the infamous Hurricane. Blow your competition away...on a Hurricane!
You forgot to include the 1986 Hurricane 250 ..... 🤣
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I guess? I actually like most of the bikes on this list.
I would clump most of the modern bikes from the early 2000's to present as the ugliest do to homogenized look of all them. You could easily switch the plastics from one brand to another and wouldn't know the make. I liked the uniqueness of the bikes of the 70's, 80's and 90's and I think they get better looking as time goes on.. Thanks Toni for keeping us engaged with the videos you put out!
Another excellent video. You are definitely the “Eddy Trunk” of dirt bikes, a ton of knowledge.
1979 CR 125 with its enormous front wheel. It looked like someone built the bike from scrap parts. 1981 CR’s with snow shovels for front number plates
....flip yeah.....81 CR Honda. Disgusting...
The 82’ YZ’s with the bar mounted radiator was not a great looking bike either.
@@deborahchesser7375 Agreed. Hannah wasn’t a fan either. After Howerton smoked him one moto, Bob put a hammer through the radiator lol
Check out the ROKON from back in the mid to late seventies it had a pull start like you would a lawn mower was the ugliest yellow and design you would ever see had an automatic transmission too it looked like it weighed 500 lb 🤣
The 07-10 KTM's are the #1 ugliest bike ever made even by KTM standards. No side panels for numbers, weird shaped ugly shrouds, and the grossest front fender to ever grace a dirtbike.
I like your vids, Tony, and this one is fun with, yeah, looks being subjective, one rider's ugly is another's beauty, I suppose. But for me, a fan and rider in my teens in the Seventies, O my, you can't beat the bikes of that era. I will forever remember in awe seeing an RM125 in '76 being rolled off a trailer at a track. But it was the same with all of them, really, the Yamahas and the Hondas and, being that I was an American teen in West Germany at the time, all the European war horses, too. And re the original Euro scramblers, sure, they look like basic brutes, but that was the game, sporting fisticuffs. Back when riders wore leathers for their battles in the woods.
I agree. Pretty much all the bikes of the seventies have a raw appeal that is hard to discount.
Old Maicos with the 'coffin' tank...I have a 70 degree Husaberg, a thing of beauty, now very sought after!
Link isn't working for teespring and I can't find your merch??
Thanks for the heads up I will fix it.
honestly I was with you for most of this but I believe the pink TMs were some of the prettiest bikes of all time
You may not like the kxs number plate fender. but at my local track in Australia the suzuki guys were buying oval front plates and pop riverting them to the rear mud guards to get the same look.
Love the videos! Do you think you could make a video on the 1994 kx125? I recently got my hands on one and I want to know the difference between that and the later models such as the 95, 96, etc.
I will be doing one on the KX125 in the future for sure.
99 CR with alloy frame is pretty bad looking the frame looks like silver painted wood,
😂😁
the 83 kxs don't look good till u see one in person..the gold and green is awesome looking..I owned on in the 80s and it was beautiful
No actually they always look beautiful 😀
My 1982 KTM 495 down voted your video
😂😂😂
The KTM actually had the radiator hidden under the tank not the forks. I'd like to own one of those
Loved the looks of the kx back then and still to this day. A sweet looking Bike!
FACT
No
Kawi’s have always been sexy
That Aprillia is a work of art and a thing of beauty. I want one for looks alone
I would have thrown in the ATK.
yea i was just waiting for it to come on the screan.....
The late ATK thumpers with the goofy single side mono frame where the backbone wrapped around the side of the tank.
Funny thing is,---nobody is throwing them out. :)
Nice vid. I heard people complained that the 2010 yz450f hit too hard off the bottom. I would have thought that’s the kind of problem most people would like to have 🤷♂️ That’s kind of what happened with the 426 and early yz450f’s 03-04. Then they tamed the engine down in 05 I believe.
My best friend had a 2001 YZ426F and A 2003 YZ450F and I could not come to grips with either one. They both hit like a 500 two-stroke and were too much for me. I much preferred my mellower YZ400F and CRF450R
I understand that for sure. I saw one your past videos with the 01 yz250f, that must have been a nice amount of power as well considering 01 seemed to be a hard hitting year for a lot of engines
I think you did a great job of that. Love your videos mate, keep it up 😎
Thanks
Hey man I love your channel I'm glad to see you getting some traction and it's picking up we appreciate all the old school info it takes me back
Thanks
I thought the 90s Husaberg’s were beautiful (graphics aside, first thing I did was pull the graphics off) the Joel Smets factory bike you show with the dark green tank was stunning... I will jump on board and agree about the 2000 model though, that was awful... The pink TM though is again stunning, I guess you didn’t see a lot of them in the states but the factory bikes looked so good...
Modern graphics are the stupidest looking for all motorcycles
I personally think the Aprilia looks pretty aggressive 😉 Seeing more of the frame looks cool (dinky side plates) and overall this bike just looks very progressive and forward thinking. 🤘🤘🤘
For the day, I think the Rickman (min 1:10) was a pretty good looking bike, and was probably one of the first bikes made for the purpose with a 2-stroke engine. But check out that head on an angle to the cylinder, (the head is tilted, longer cylinder wall on the intake side, it looks to be). I bet they thought it would help the "Loop Scavenging", but my guess is they dropped the design when they wanted more compression. Just guessing on the motives. I would love to see that interesting build in person. :)
This was a fun vid! I think the Can-am should have been first 😂. Personally I always thought Honda and Suzuki had the best looking bikes over all through out the years. 👍
There is more "Big ugly trash can silencer" on a modern MX bike than under my car.
The skin disease and ED comparisons had my rolling.
I lol'ed myself!
I totally agree with your #1 pick. The rest of them are all not that bad. I did always think the 83 kx was weird and figured the 91 or 92 RM would make the list.
I bought my 98 FX 501 Hüsaberg because it was like buying a factory race bike. Extremely high maintenance, but could out run pretty much everything.
RMs (RMZ) should be all yellow with a blue seat.
Come on no hangnail front fender plates for Honda in the 80s the 81 Honda was especially ugly
LOL I do think that is the worst front plate EVER but I actually liked the looks of the rest of the 1981 CRs
@@TheMotocrossVault of course you do
You are a Honda guy
Totally disagree on the 91 RM125 being there, whilst the white shrouds and side panels weren’t as nice as the yellow ones we had here in New Zealand I think they are a Beautiful looking bike! , but I’m biased as I still have my 91 Rm250 I bought new haha . I am doing it up and collecting parts and have managed to get both new OEM Shroud stickers and the RHS side panel Sticker , still on the hunt for the LHS one. Love the look! Simon
Fair enough!
I like the pink Tm.
That was a great list.👍
You could have given those Cycle Am fenders that Hannah used to endorse an honorable mention . Those things were hideous
Y2K RM 'Snow-Shovel'
Agreed. My 98 was a great looking machine , despite the 'Saber-Tooth' front plate (especially after the graphics came off and a black seat cover went on).
I remember riding a big Husaberg in the 90s and thinking damn if they could make it a little better we could race four strokes like this and a few years later we were. It was a beast nothing like the XRs and TTs I’d rode before it it truly felt snappy enough to be a race bike
The aprilla looks beautiful
I actually really like the 2010 YZFs specifically. I think they're my favorites, competing only maybe with the original 400F. Really like those 2010s.
Zooming out to YZs in general though, I absolutely have to hand the title to the 1978s. Great Kodachrome decals from Yamaha's golden age of Hurricane Hannah and King Kenny Roberts, side plate still up forward where it belongs (😉) and not too tall and lanky.
In my opinion the Husqvarna tc449 should have
made the list. whit the shovel shaped fenders.
I was close to putting it on there for sure. Those Italian Huskys were all weird as heck
@@TheMotocrossVault Instead of two Husabergs you could have taken at least one italian Husqvarna. 😉 I liked the Husaberg style since MJ 2000 and still got my 2011. So now I'm really sad. 😅
hey tony, need to get rid of hundreds of pristine mid to late 70's mags. any interest? (also have a first issue with marty smith on the cover). Don't know how to contact you. can you respond?
I would love to have them. My collection is most sparse from the seventies because I was pretty young back then. Email me at themotocrossvault@gmail.com
I disagree with most of what you said. except I agree canam 1980 samsonite version is ugly ( this is my favourite bike). quiet, light, low sweet power, easy to start what more do you want? Just take off the square number plates and it looks great . I have owned a few of your picks including husaberg (arg
guably a copy of of Honda works bike of 1980 ish. arguably the most desireable bike of all time and you call it ugliest?
kawasaki 1980
My picks:
Cannondale MX, ATK's, and something I previously owned......the BMW Husqvarna's.
I definitely wouldve had the RM in top 3. The white shrouds, blank tank, weird seat etc was just awful. I didnt mind the last version of the Husaberg in the dark blue but yeh the rest were ugly.
I probably wouldve had the 1998 ktms on the list as well... just SO much plastic!!! In my mind every bike that had big blobby shrouds is immediately gross.
I had a 1983 KX-125 when I was 15 years old. I thought it was gorgeous! Lol! Fast too!
Agreed, I loved the looks of the ‘83 KXs!
Had a Kim 125 in purple and mint green,surprised it didn’t make your list,early nineties model methinks,my favourite bueatifull bikes of all time were those splitfire Honda,s ridden by Jeremy McGrath
Thank you Tony for your compilation of ugly MX-bikes. I tend to agree with you in most cases, this clip certainly provides perspective on what 'good design' was in its own time. One must not forget that scramblers evolved from road-bikes, and that motocross is a pretty new sport considering the time motorcycles have been around. At least in its more extreme form as it has been for these past 30 years or so. And it is still changing, which means that the bikes are always evolving.
The radiator on the 1981-1982 KTM 125 was under the fuel tank.
Good info I have never actually seen one of these rare birds in person
I don t know, but beside the KX rear number on the tail , I found most of them different, exotic and perhaps good looking too .
Haha, good picks. 👍 Im glad to see one of my 1st mx bikes didnt make your list.... In 82 I was on a YZ 80 with the dreaded fork mounted radiator... Still very fond of 82 YZs and consider it part of what made 80s mx cool when the manufacturers actually tried new things.
Ahhhhh the 90s! Absolutely, I was the same as you when I first saw the RMs in an old San Bernardino Suzuki shop! Also was, WTH Suzuki?! Back in the "No Fear" & "Bad Boy Club" days of mx. A few manufactures had their weird 90s stuff. I remember my Kawi KLX 650 was a weird red & purple with weird squiggly graphics all over. Still remember thise flo pink TMs & agree on them in #1 spot. 👍
I loved the 82 YZ when it came out. I wanted the YZ80 so badly at the time. My grandma lived across the street from the Yamaha shop at the time and I lived there. The YPVS and the seat up on the gas tank were new that year. Unfortunately, they retained the radiator behind the number plate for another year.
@@andybecker2693
👍
Actually 83 they moved the radiator to the right side. The fork radiator was an 82 only and it got alot of flack. Though I still appreciate Yamaha outta the box thinking, though nowadays it seems weird their engineers would think it was a good idea to mount all that weight, plumbing and heat so high and on the forks!
Haha, when I saw the title of this video, I knew my 2000 RM would be on the list
#BarnDoorShrouds #SnowShovels
I have a 2000 as well
Lol, I thought the same thing about my Kawasaki
aw man, i think the Aprilla looks killer. and yeah, the kx125's looked kinda weird with one radiator. i thought the 250 looked good but those fenders were kinda dumb, plus mud race they pack up with mud something feirce. good reveiw, thanks!
That 91 rm125 is literally a 🤡’s bike😂
As a Suzuki fan I approve this comment
I remember reading Super Hunky's reviews on the top 10 worst dirt bikes of history things like:
Shock springs that would fade on a busy barroom door.
Electrics that would have trouble lighting off a .049 Cox model airplane engine.
The rear end flopped like there was a hinge in the middle of the frame.
It'd get into a high speed wobble at 15 mph.
Suspension that did little more than hold the bike up.
Handling like a shopping cart full of bowling balls with one locked wheel going down a flight of steps.
and On and On......
AHAA Haa Aha haa Ahaaaaa
I had the #6 1991 rm125 lol brand new raced it in c class it was ugly then too lol i changed it up even painted frame blue , I was sponsored by Wd 40 had huge can stickers going down the forks, great video thanku
I come from Italy and the Aprilia rxv is a crap it had a mess of engine and chassis problems, Motards were bought, there are many more 500s than 450s! But it is a very powerful bike with a lot of low RPM Power👍🏻🇮🇹💓
I'd say I don't agree with the 91 RM, but I kinda do....why.... because they didn't commit to the look, but they did in 92 and IMO, one of my favorite RM years in looks alone, same overall appearance, but the sear pattern is bright purple instead of that faded looking lavender 😅
Also, that Aprilia MXV is dope, and I've wanted one for years, those things are nasty as hell and were banned by the AMA 😅
Edit: and I loved the early 90s TM's ! 😂
It was the early 90s man....hot pink, neon colors...man those were fire! I'd die to have one in mint condition.... maybe even more so than the Aprilia 🤣
Great vid!! I agree 100% about those kawai’s, they were the ugliest bikes i have ever seen imo, but i disagree with the #3 husaberg on that list lol, i always loved the yellow and blue combo of those bikes. I hope to see more vids like this 🍻
I pretty much agree with that list. Maybe the YZF is't that bad, I find the big shroud on just one side of the YZ 90 worse. Yamaha likes pointy shrouds. In the 70 CZ allways looked horrible. The shrouds of the first watercooled 125 of 81 looked ugly, allthough it was super trick and advanced back then. Those "frogger" type rear fenders were ugly even when I saw them in the '80. Something they picked back up from some bikes in the '70. Some modern mistakes are the 09 honda front fender. And the look of the husqvana 17 up models. Some brands just don't have tast. Whenever plastics get too pointy/spikey it looks bad in my opinion.
Aprilia
I just don't get how the AMA were so Drakonian about big numbers being perfectly spaced and HUGE front displays, at one point, and now you cant even fit 2 digits on front, let alone 3 digits on the sides. You cant even read them on a 72" 4k tv.
Aprilia shouldn't have even bothered with those little winglets. Just make an actual set of side plates, optional (for the 2 people in the world that might have actually raced one). Other than that, it's a pretty cool bike. Even the girder style front fender fits the design, even 'if' gimmicky overkill (which, it obviously was, since the race team dropped them).
1991 and 1992 RM were the best looking bikes of all time followed by 1991 CR followed by 1994 KX
But hands down the early 80s KX side plates were the ugliest thing ever put on a modern MX bike
Suzuki I was never a fan of but I liked the 91 so much I almost bought one.
Let me guess, you were born in 1978 and never saw a 1976 RM125. We all suffer from it. We think what was good in the world could not have existed before we were born. It's a trap, because the majority of the greatness of mankind will not be known. :(
Disagree with the KX but the rest are spot on. I would have added some of the purple crap that came out in the mid-90s.
I almost put the 1995 CR on there but they have grown in me a bit over time.
most of the after market graphics and seats were purple too people paid $$$ for it!
Have to disagree... Kawi has made some great looking bikes, but that number plate on the rear fender was a big mistake. Different? Yes. Attractive? No.
Nothing better than the late 80's and early 90's 2 stroke models
Lol. Nothing better, if you're making an 'ugliest bikes' video! 😐😂
@@dirtbikedave man that's right, but I really like em 😂😂
@@khalidalshamsi5469 that's all I rode at that time, too! Loved every minute of it 🍻
91 Suzi
The yellow frame is the only thing they did right, considering... Lol.
The whole package looks like an after thought. The bruised banana seat. The ass sticking up, like it was looped over. The kick lever looks like it came off another bike. The shrouds don't flow with the pipe, and even for people who like bold new graphics, this is a stretch. Thank goodness they came off the first time you got it wet and the older yellow shrouds fit, as well as the old blue seat cover.
I love the 2002-2004 YZ250 style. I like this design much more than the 2015+ design.
yea the yz from 02-04 is one of the best looking dirt bike ever made. It is so sad that EVERYONE is puting the ugly restyle kit on there yz now.... The rear side panels looks so stupid...
@@supertedogpriken Exactly, I have a 04 in my living room and it is in new condition. It has never been ridden and never had gas in its fuel tank.
I agree. I think the older design is so much better looking
@@TheMotocrossVault Yes it is, I love it.
@@AbcAbc-ox6pg You my guy is one of the Luckyest people i know of. What an amazing piece of art you have. i have the full plastics, with seat and gas tank from a 04 yz and a 04 RM hanging on my wall as pieces of art. And just waiting for a kx 04 seat(i have the rest of the plastics and gas tank) and i will hang up a kx also on my wall. Gone look so amazing with the blue yellow and green. Next i am getting the same bikes/brands but from 96. 04 and 96 is the best looking years of dirt bikes i think.
91 Cr Honda, made a beautiful bike look garish. 98-04 Ktms , 77-78 Yz , 82 Yz ,
TM (Aka: WTF)
Me, at the dealership: Is that some of Suzuki's ugliest front plastic paired with Honda's ugliest-ever sub-section, but in putrid pansy pink?
Salesperson: Yes; but check out this kick stand!
Great vid!
Thank you!
Good picks but I’d have to put the late 80s Yamaha lipstick pink and white YZs. 🤮
....the liquid cooled YZ....the 125H and the 125/250J....bluh!!!
Ok Vault man, You got the top three pretty damn sraight and I have most of these bikes in real life. You are way off on the KX 82-84 wuth the rear fenders. They are Green supreme man and everyone in the comments thinks so too. So you failed us with the kawis man. Other than that, decent job. Believe me the Can Am should be first but sure thing no man wants a pink TM dirt bike but if you did a color change it is not bad looking. On my Can Am, I ride the sheeet out of mine and it is so weird that it is a serious respectable bike once your on top of that thing !!
"everyone in the comments thinks so too"
Hey man, don't make me part of your support group. You have no idea what I think. I will tell you what I think about ugly bikes. They became ugly as soon as the 4-stroke was forced on the industry. I have a 2019 YZ250 2-stroke, with that broken bird beak, cartoon transformer ridged, arrow tipped nonsense, and I am replacing it with a normal 2014 model. Yes, of course, the hole pattern is different. Won't stop me. I know how to do simple math, and have a CNC mill for a perfect job. I cut the stupid arrow off the back of my rear fender too. Looks so much better. All bikes today, are ugly, because the art left function and went in meaningless directions. I promise you, the artist can't even explain it. Abstract art is worthless, and ugly on a functional bike. Bat Mobile. I think the trash can silencers are ugly as all swamp too. The 4-stroke is ugly for a function though, because the EPA could care less if the sport dies. That is pretty damn ugly to me.
I have a 2019 YZ250 2-stroke, with that broken bird beak, cartoon transformer ridged, arrow tipped nonsense "front fender"
Man I love the way the new Yamahas look. They look aggressive and fast. With aggressive lines. I will say though. The way they engineered the plastics to fit, is horrible.
Those rear fender number plates broke off very easily.
I would have a hard time coming up with ten dirt bikes that I would consider ugly. 2000 rm, atk 250, the weird orange ktm but a couple you mentioned i had never seen before and agree that they are ugly, the TM for example.
I thought the 1979 Suzuki RM bikes with the duckbill fenders are pretty ugly but not as bad as the 83 Kawi.
I had a 96 250 and a 125 Suzuki ,they were great bikes
XR 650L, always an ugly bike.
Kawi's rear end.
Horrible. My 78 had gold swingarm and a different shade of gold fork lowers. But it was a beauty queen compared to that.