Suzuki Hayabusa - Best Used Bikes

Years sold:12 (1999-2009; 2011)

MSRP new:$10,499 (1999) to $13,699 (2011)

Blue Book retail value: $5215 (1999) to $10,255 (2009)

Basic specs: A 1299cc, dohc inline-Four supersport that screamed out 161 rear-wheel horsepower and 100 ft.-lb. of torque, enough to propel this 521-pound (dry) space shuttle to a 9.86-second quarter-mile time and a phenomenal, all-time-high top speed of 194 mph. The displacement grew to 1340cc in 2008, but due to an electronically controlled 300-kph (186-mph) top-speed limit self-imposed by all the major bike manufacturers, the newer 'Busa never quite matched the original in engine performance.

Why it won: Need you even ask? The Hayabusa put the "super" in superbike back then, not only making every other bike on the planet seem slow by comparison but also offering handling that was sporty enough to do justice to the mind-fogging engine performance.

From the 1999 Ten Best story: "We're accustomed to superbike performance improving by leaps and bounds, but never have we seen a leap like this before!"

Useful resources: There is very little about Hayabusas that you won't find somewhere on the Internet. From a wide variety of road tests to dedicated forums to pages of splashy 'Busa-based customs to all manner of engine and chassis hop-up sites to useful tech information to enough accessories to make your brain seize, it's all there, along with volumes of other stuff you probably aren't warped enough to imagine.

Despite having been manufactured in fairly big numbers, stock Hayabusas for sale are relatively scarce, since they are one of the most customized and hot-rodded motorcycles of all time. But if you can locate an early model that is still in reasonable condition, you won't find anything else on two or four wheels that will even come close to offering as much raw performance per dollar.