In any field, there are leaders, and followers. But leading is a risk – you might get it horribly wrong, and lose money and time going down a path that is a dead end. On the other hand, leading can also mean that you get the jump on your competition, and get first in line when it comes to customers that appreciate things that make life better while using your product.We’ve compiled a list of ten motorcycles that were ahead of their time, but they were trailblazers for different reasons. Some of them had mechanical or engineering ideas that nobody else had thought of at the time, yet others showed the way forward with motorcycle design. Whether sport bikes, tourers, or cruisers, they have left their mark on the two-wheeled world, whether we are aware of it or not. Here they are, then.To give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from authoritative sources, such as Ducati, Honda Powersports, and Harley-Davidson. We’ve ordered them by the initial year of production (or racing) to give the list some order. Flying Merkel Initial Year Of Production: 1911 Timeless Motor CompanyThe Flying Merkel was a motorcycle that was way ahead of its time, having debuted a number of things that went on to be used in mainstream motorcycling – and are used to this day. Its participation in racing led founder and designer Jospeh Merkel to design a spring front fork suspension, which is a predecessor to the telescopic front forks we see today. The Flying Merkel also had a drip-feed engine oiling system that was throttle controlled, a design so good that both Harley-Davidson as well as Indian Motorcycle copied it. War, and increased competition, sounded the death knell for this manufacturer. Cyclone V-twin Initial Year Of Production: 1912 MecumThe Cyclone V-twin isn’t something that is talked about much by the casual enthusiast, seeing as how its production run ended well over a century ago. However, it did get into the news recently for being the first V-twin-powered motorcycle to fetch over a million dollars at auction. Quick history lesson, then: the Cyclone V-twin furthered the American motorcycle market in much the same way as the Flying Merkel did, by being the first one with overhead camshafts.That lets it make a lot of horsepower (45 horsepower from 996 cc), and achieve a 100 MPH top speed. It was one of the most successful racers of the time as well, with success on both boardwalk as well as dirt tracks. It was produced for only three years, and now a grand total of 14 remain, out of which a mere five are race-spec. Harley-Davidson Nova V4 Initial Year Of Production: 1981 Harley-DavidsonWe skip forward seven decades to another American motorcycle manufacturer known for its V-twin powertrains: Harley-Davidson. The Nova project was Harley’s aim to leapfrog everyone and go right to the space age with a little help from Porsche. It was supposed to be a series of engines, but what did get developed was a liquid-cooled V4 with features like a radiator where you’d expect the fuel tank to be and an underseat fuel tank. Unfortunately for the Nova, H-D was going through some difficult financial times, and ownership changed hands. New ownership wanted to play it safe and to Harley’s traditional strengths, and that meant the Nova project was nipped in the bud. BMW K1 Initial Year Of Production: 1988 Mecum AuctionsThe K1 was a strange bike. At the time, manufacturers had placed a self-imposed 100 horsepower limit on power outputs, which meant performance was at a premium. At the same time, BMW wanted to market a new sports bike to a younger audience. The K1 was its solution. It is as mad as you’d expect a BMW to be, with a horizontal and longitudinal inline four engine, but with bodywork like someone was handing out free panels that year. That is because BMW wanted to make up performance via aerodynamics instead – sound familiar? It was simply too big and heavy to be a sports bike, and the CBR900RR, with its lightness and power, was the final nail in the K1’s coffin. Honda PC800 Pacific Coast Initial Year Of Production: 1989 Iconic Motorbike AuctionsThe Pacific Coast has one big similarity with the K1: the bodywork covers the entire bike. This was a bike that wanted to be a car, with excellent weather protection, a torquey engine, maintenance-free shaft drive, and a waterproof trunk that could two full-face helmets. Nobody back then liked the Pacific Coast because it was too practical in a world that was googly-eyed over motorcycles that were insanely fast but impractical. For everything else, there was a car. But fast-forward to today, and there are so many tourers with torquey engines, weather protection, and a trunk that can hold two full-face helmets… Yamaha TDM850 Initial Year Of Production: 1991 YamahaToday, we look at the Tracer 9 and appreciate the breadth of its abilities. We marvel at how it can have an upright, comfortable seating position and yet be so sporty that you can attack apexes with abandon while on a multi-day ride. However, at the beginning of the ‘90s, the roles of motorcycles were more clearly defined and an FJR-derived adventure touring bike that retained the wheels and tires of the road-going machine was a concept that just confused people. The result? It didn’t do well, going on sale in the US for only two years from its decade-long production run. Honda NR750 Initial Year Of Production: 1992 HondaThe NR750 wasn’t a successful race bike. It wasn’t even a successful road bike, with 300 (limited) units being sold over two years at a price five times that of a Fireblade. And Honda lost money on every single one of those NRs. However, the NR750 blazed a path forward with over 200 patents – and ideas that manufacturers are using to this day. Things like carbon fiber body panels, inverted front forks, a cassette-type gearbox, a digital instrument display, magnesium wheels, and twin front brake discs were all on the NR750. Ducati Supermono Initial Year Of Production: 1993 DucatiToday’s Supermono-powered Ducati is very different to the original. The first Supermono was never intended as a road bike, which explains why it doesn’t have things that one would deem essential to a road bike, like a starter. This extreme weight-saving results in it having an extremely low curb weight, a wet weight of 300 pounds. It thus has great power-to-weight ratio, something which Ducati is going back to with its twin-cylinder models today. However, the Supermono also has a dummy conrod set at 90 degrees to the actual piston, thus eliminating the need for counterbalancers or crankshaft counterweights. The cost wouldn’t have allowed Ducati to put it on sale then, although there is a market today for limited-run, super-lightweight exotics. Italjet Dragster Initial Year Of Production: 1998 User: Eric via Flickr/Wikimedia CommonsExposed trellis frame? Check. Is it painted red? Yes. Disc brakes at both ends? Check. Monoshock rear suspension? Check. Hub-center steering? Check. This isn’t a Bimota superbike we’re talking about, but a 50 cc scooter called the Italjet Dragster. You want special? Have a look at the front suspension – it’s its own version of inboard suspension! The Dragster wasn’t very popular because it was expensive and impractical, the opposite of what a scooter is expected to be, so no surprises there. However, we are really glad that the company is back and making more mad scooters! Aprilia RS Cube Initial Year Of Production: 2002 ApriliaThe RS Cube was one of the most incredible MotoGP bikes ever made. It debuted in the early 2000s. It has a number of firsts to its name. Cosworth helped develop the engine, so it made over 220 horsepower easily. One test bed even went to 256 horsepower! Taming the engine needed electronics, so we saw the world’s first by-wire throttle and traction control system. The high-revving engine also employed pneumatic valves, another first. This was also the first motorcycle to use ground effect to use downforce. All of these things mentioned here are present across the MotoGP grid, which makes it a shame that the computing power back in 2002 wasn’t enough to tame this beast and make it successful.