The 00s was truly the decade of the sport bike. Once the dust had settled after the speed wars of the 90s had concluded, the big four Japanese manufacturers were quick to pivot. Instead of top speed, the race was now on to build the fastest bike around a track. All the way through the decade, we got one fantastic sport bike after another, from nimble supersports to potent liter-class bikes. Naturally, most of the most iconic machines will come from this segment, but there are a handful of outliers. One minor spoiler: this was a decade that belonged to the Japanese manufacturers.Buying a used motorcycle always has an element of risk attached, so please do your research and proceed with caution. The motorcycles on this list go from oldest to newest. 2000 Suzuki Hayabusa Price Range: $3,000 - $5,000 Suzuki Although it was brought to market in 1999, the first-generation Hayabusa became an icon of the 00s. It was crowned the fastest production that year, but by the year 2000, all bikes were limited to 186 MPH. As a result, the Hayabusa remained the fastest production motorcycle indefinitely. While the engineering underneath was not particularly revolutionary, it was that slippery wind tunnel-designed exterior that made it exceptional. Intentionally ugly, its designer happily leaned into the shape with the best drag coefficient. This awkward-looking bike remains a symbol of speed to this day. 2001 Honda Gold Wing GL1800 Price Range: $4,000 - $6,000 Honda It might seem like a sweeping statement, but Honda had pretty much perfected the touring bike by the early 00s. Previous generations had already established themselves as the benchmark in touring, but this generation offered a new level of comfort. The wind protection on these bikes is exceptional, even by modern standards, and comfort for both rider and passenger is second to none. Naturally, it is devoid of modern safety features, but it is not devoid of modern power. It has more or less the same smooth-running flat-six you will find in the modern Gold Wing. 2002 Harley-Davidson VRSCA V-Rod Price Range: $3,000 - $5,000 Bring A Trailer After a period of prolonged consolidation, Harley finally bit the bullet and tried something different. In an effort to take the fight to the other muscle bikes on the market back in the early 00s, an all-new liquid-cooled V-twin was developed. The V-Rod proved to be a divisive motorcycle, but it did exactly what Harley wanted it to do – it brought the iconic brand back into the conversation. Love it or hate it, the V-Rod simply demands attention. 2003 Ducati Multistrada 1000 DS Price Range: $3,000 - $5,000 Ducati After the phenomenal success of the 916, anything that followed was always on a hiding to nothing. The 999 was the unfortunate bike that followed in those footsteps, and when it came out, it was almost as if everyone was eager to dismiss it out of hand. The Multistrada quietly came out in the same year, and as much as people loved to hate the 999, the Multistrada won praise. It was a tall, comfortable sport tourer with superbike DNA. The crossover motorcycle was born. Over the years, the Multi has since evolved into an institution, but this is where it all started. 2004 Kawasaki ZX-10R Price Range: $5,000 - $7,000 Bring a Trailer After laboring on for the first few years of the decade with the ZX-9R – which was completely outgunned by this time – Kawasaki brought an actual rocket to the gunfight. It was priced aggressively, made more power than any of its contemporaries, yet weighed less than some of the 600cc supersports on the market back then. It was also devoid of any electronic rider aids, and can be something of a handful to ride fast. 2004 BMW R 1150 GS Adventure Price Range: $2,000 - $4,000 BMW R 1150 GS in National Motor Museum, Beaulieu by David Merret via Flickr While everyone else was obsessing over sport bikes, BMW was quietly making the very best dual-purpose machine on the planet. The R 1150 GS Adventure had already been in production for quite some time, but the moment Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman rode a pair of these ADVs through Siberia and much of Europe, everything changed. The whole concept of adventure riding exploded in popularity, and all of a sudden, everyone wanted a GS. 2005 Suzuki GSX-R1000 Price Range: $2,000 - $4,000 Suzuki With Kawasaki grabbing all the attention in 2004, Suzuki simply needed to hit back. The response was emphatic. The 2005, or K5 GSX-R went on to become one of the most legendary superbikes ever built. It matched the aforementioned Kawasaki in most respects, but its chassis was just that much better. While the green machine was raw and rowdy, the Suzuki was – and in the right condition, still is – a precision instrument. 2005 Honda Rune Price Range: $8,000 - $10,000 Honda Powersports Technically, the Rune came out in 2004, but for reasons that we certainly can’t explain, the 2004 model is worth twice as much. So we are going to call out the 2005 model for no other reason other than the fact that it is cheaper. The Rune is what happens when engineers are given a blank check. Everything on this bike was overengineered, with a host of one-off parts, all of which cost Honda millions of dollars. To some, this is the ultimate cruiser; to others, it is just an engineering masterclass. One day it will be collectible, but for now it remains pretty affordable. At least the 2005 model is; the 2004 model costs twice as much. 2006 Yamaha YZF-R6 Price Range: $4,000 - $6,000 Brian Snelson from Hockley, Essex, England, CC BY 2.0 Out of all the truly incredible supersports to get built through the decade, it is desperately hard to look past the 2006 R6. While the 06 update certainly introduced several innovations – including a ride-by-wire throttle – it was Yamaha’s ambitious marketing that really stands out. Claiming a redline of 17,500 RPM, this was the highest revving supersport by some margin. Only, it came to light that the tachometer was actually over-reading by more than 1,000 RPM, with the ECU limiter set at 15,800 RPM. Yamaha was so embarrassed by the whole fiasco that the brand offered to buy back bikes if customers were not satisfied. The bike was incredible, though, and we are not sure if anyone actually took them up on that offer! 2009 Yamaha VMax Price Range: $6,000 - $8,000 Yamaha With the first-generation V-Max starting to show its age, Yamaha finally made the decision to update the model in 2009. It was the mother of all updates. The venerable muscle bike – arguably the original muscle bike – was well and truly brought into the 21st century. With almost 200 horsepower on tap, it made the competition look rather weak by comparison. The decision to discontinue the model in 2020 is still baffling, and today, bikes in good shape are coveted. Most owners know what they have and won’t easily let go.