Top 5 motorbike brands

One of the best-known American brand, Harley-Davidson has been producing motorcycles for around 100 years now. This company produces several different models with different engine sizes and performances. Some of their popular models include Sportster, Dyna, Softail and V-Rod series. In total they produce about 300 different bikes every year from 50 different types of materials used for building those bikes. They have plants in US as well as overseas plants in Brazil, India and Thailand. One interesting fact about this company is that it is one of the few Fortune 500 companies that actually produce their own products.

This German company is one of the most successful automotive engineering companies in the world, with almost 90% of its business being done outside Germany. It also manufacturers motorcycles, cars and aircraft engines. It was founded in 1916 at a place called Rappenau Maybach fabrik by Karl Friedrich Rappenau and Franz Josef Popp who did not stay long enough to see success; it was bought out by Bavarian Motor Works (later shortened to BMW). The first car produced by this company was Dixi 3/15 PS model which had engine capacity of 486ccm, could reach 60 mph in 40 seconds and have top speed of 70mph. Later, BMW got into aircraft engine manufacturing which helped them to get through tough times. After First World War they started producing luxury cars for rich people and military vehicles. Their motorcycle series began in 1923 with R32 model; it had 498ccm boxer twin engine, maximum power output of 21 horsepower at 3300 rpm and top speed between 90-100 km/h (56-62 mph), depending on gear ratio selected. Today BMW is one of the most successful automotive engineering companies in world, behind Nissan and Toyota Motor Corporation.

Ducati was founded by Adriano and Marcello Ducati in Bologna in 1926 but they did not begin to produce motorcycles until 1946 (before that, they were making electrical equipment). Right now this company produces different models of sport bikes, street bikes and racing motorcycles. Ducati rose to prominence in the 1960s when it beat Japanese manufacturers to win many Grand Prix motorcycle racing championships. The first model produced by Ducati was 125cc Gran Sport with 4-stroke single cylinder engine. This bike had top speed of 75mph (120km/h) but also high fuel consumption; it took 1 gallon (3.6 liters) for 100 miles (160 km), which was not very economical at that time. Nowadays Ducati is owned by German automotive manufacturer Volkswagen Group who bought them out in 2012 for $1.1 billion; headquarters has moved from Bologna to Borgo Panigale near Bologna.

This British motorbike company was founded by Siegfried Bettmann in Coventry, England back in 1902. Their first model was called 'Penny-Farthing', due to its huge front wheel and smaller rear wheel. After First World War they introduced their first motorcycle with 4-stroke engine which had capacity of 736ccm. They continued producing this type of engines until thirties when they began producing 500cc motorcycles which had racing capabilities and at the same time could be used for commuting purposes. They also produced bikes which were equipped with sidecars so that whole family could go out on bike holidays together! During Second World War, Triumph Motorcycles Ltd helped national economy by producing motorcycles for armed forces; they also produced large number of engines for Spitfire planes. The Triumph logo depicts image of one-eyed figure riding a horse which is connected to company's history when Bettmann was working at penny-farthing factory. The logo was designed in 1901, the same year he founded his own motorcycle company. Later this logo appeared on their bikes and nowadays it is still used by Triumph Motorcycles Ltd (although there were times when owners changed it). After Second World War, under name 'Triumph Engineering Co', the company began producing different models of motorbikes with capacities ranging from 250cc up to 750cc; most popular model during that time was Bonneville T120R with 741cc engine. It was produced until 1983 when production of all motorcycles under name 'Triumph' stopped. Only model which is still sold worldwide today is Triumph Tiger 800.

Honda started manufacturing motorcycles in 1946. First model was called Dream A which had 98cc engine, could reach top speed of 25km/h and average fuel consumption was just 0.8 liters per 100 kilometers! Their bikes soon became popular among young people who were tired of heavy British-style bikes, mostly because they were easy to handle, reliable and cheap to run. In 50's Honda launched Super Cub motorcycle with 50cc engine which can be described as 'the best-selling vehicle of all times'. So far over 60 million units have been sold worldwide! That is definitely one impressive figure. After getting their start producing motorbikes for children, the company quickly moved on to electric vehicles (for example turbine powered car from 1963), cars and even aircraft. In the United States, Honda's most successful motorcycles are VTX 1800 with 180 ccm engine and GL 1800 with 1832ccm engine.