This year saw the UK release of the hotly-anticipated Suzuki Intruder M1800RBZ B.O.S.S, a sleek and powerful blacked-out performance cruiser. The B.O.S.S is a special edition of Suzuki’s infamous Intruder M18000RBZ and boasts upside-down front-forks, the manufacturer’s dual throttle valve system and a plethora of blacked-out components accentuated by bright yellow detailing on the wheels and bodywork.
The B.O.S.S is an attention-grabbing machine, possessing all the comfort of a cruiser but with heaps and heaps of added torque from that throbbing 1.8 litre V-twin. And given the popularity of the regular Intruder, the B.O.S.S is likely to make a big impact on the UK motorcycle market in 2014.
Let’s take a look at some other outrageous road-legal motorbikes.
MTT Turbine Superbike
You really can’t get much more extravagant than the first turbine-powered street legal motorbike. The MTT Turbine Superbike is the world’s most powerful production motorbike, with this immense grunt provided by a Rolls Royce-Allison gas turbine engine. The motorbike’s Dyne Jet 200 delivers a staggering 425 ft/lbs of torque and over 320 bhp, hitting a record-breaking top speed of 227 mph. This amazing power plant is wrapped in an aluminium frame and carbon fibre fairings and comes with a rear-mounted camera and computerised ignition.
Hesketh 24
With only 24 built and sold, the Hesketh 24 is up there with the B.O.S.S in terms of performance and all-round coolness.
It made our list because of its more-than-impressive torque rating of 196Nm at 3,000rpm, supplied by a hefty 1,950cc V-twin S&S X-wedge engine tuned by none other than Harris Performance Engines. In fact, the bike has such a huge amount of torque its designers fitted it with a chain drive instead of a belt as initially planned.
The retro design harks back to the Hesketh 308 F1 car made famous by legendary racer James Hunt in his victory in the 1974 Dutch Grand Prix. The graphics were designed by BSB champ Tommy Hill, who unveiled the motorcycle at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Triumph Rocket III
Just like the B.O.S.S, the Triumph Rocket III really does live up to its name. First glance of this beast and you’ll see this is a very, very big bike, with a whopping three-cylinder 2.3 litre engine designed for long-haul trips and heavy loads. Despite the 320kg weight, the bike is capable of producing 140bhp and 147 ft/lbs of torque at 2500 rpm – both impressive figures given its size.
2014 Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa 50th Anniversary Edition (US)
We conclude with another Suzuki – the infamous Hayabusa. This legendary machine has been given a facelift to celebrate the manufacturer’s 50th year in the US market. To many, the Hayabusa is the epitome of a sportsbike, featuring a monstrous 1340cc in-line 4-cylinder fuel injected, DOHC liquid-cooled engine, state of the art technology and components with sublime frame and suspension. All of these work together to create a motorcycle capable of producing 173 bhp and 104 ft/lbs of peak torque, resulting in 0-60mph in a super-quick 2.5 seconds. The Hayabusa reaches top speeds of 186mph.
The special edition model has been given a Glass Sparkle Black/Daring Red paint job with red-striped black wheels.
Image: Triumph