Motorcycle manufacturers obviously invest a lot in hiring the right deisgners. But not every decision is a right decision even for well established brands like Yamaha, Triumph and Harley-Davidson. Every now and then there is a motorcycle that get gets etched in history books for not very glorious reasons. Here are some those bikes which have deemed ugly and weird looking:
Yamaha Libero: Built for the Indian market and launched in 2003/04, the Yamaha Libero did not gain much traction and it is quite tellable why. The Libero was shelved soon. It does look like an innocent commuter but that headlamp would definitely make you cringe. (Image: Autoportal)
Yamaha Fazer 125: The crown for the ugliest could be tussle between the Yamaha Fazer 125 and Hero Karizma ZMR, but then look at it! The stunned face that it has! We wonder how did the designer take a step back and say to himself “that's my day's job done”? (Image: TeamBHP)
Bajaj BYK: Bajaj's Pulsar series was once undaunted in India and you wouldn't expect not-so-smart products from such a brand. That's when the BYK came along. Launched in early 2000s, Bajaj BYK was soon discontinued. It came with a 92.21 cc engine that made 6.41bhp, but that was not the big problem. Granted commuter motorcycles aren't very exciting to look at but the BYK was the personification of boring. And the small head wasn't helping anything. (Image: Autoportal)
Hero Karizma ZMR: How do you mess up something that was born good-looking? Ask Hero. The first Hero Honda Karizma was a good-looking bike for its time, but then it was replaced with the Hero Karizma ZMR. Ouch!
Gulsar: Reminds you of a very popular bike, dun it! Meet the China-made Bajaj Pulsar copycat bike. Much worse, it is also exported to Latin American markets. The Gulsar was the brainchild of Taian Chiran Machinery Company Ltd. Reports suggests that Bajaj Auto fought and won a court battle over against the manufacturing and sale of the Gulsar.
2002 Triumph Tiger: Triumph Motorcycles has some of the nicest looking bikes in its lineup, but it wasn't always like this. Triumph Tiger is actually a cool looking machine but it went through an 'ugly' phase in 2002, especially with those garish tiger stripes and a Martian green paint job. (Image: superstreetbike)
1998 Harley-Davidson Road Glide: Harley-Davidson Road Glide's 'sharknose' sets it apart from it other HD cousins, but the one on the 1998 Road Glide just gave it an odd stance. It was like a daft big kid leaning forward with a stunned look on his face. (Image: superstreetbike)
2005 Custom Suzuki Hayabusa: This twin-turboed 'Busa trike sports 26-inch rims. WHY!
Ducati Paso: Ducati is known for incredibly beautiful motorcycles. In a friendly argument between motorcycle enthusiasts, even if someone is not a Ducati fan, they'll admit the Itlian brand does the prettiest designs. But it took Ducati some time and some Pasos to get there.