He Won On It — Then Voted To Ban It Forever

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He Won On It — Then Voted To Ban It Forever

In the golden eras of motorsport, the line between legendary innovation and illegal advantage was drawn by a single stroke of a regulator’s pen. Throughout racing history, a rare class of motorcycles emerged that didn’t just push the limits of speed—they shattered the framework of competition entirely. From screaming six-cylinder engines revving to 18,000 RPM and supercharged pre-war monsters to aerodynamic fairings so radical they were deemed too dangerous to steer, these five iconic machines proved so dominant or unmanageable that official governing bodies had no choice but to ban them forever.

he_won_on_it_5_bikes
he_won_on_it_5_bikes

1. Yamaha TZ750 Flat Tracker

The Yamaha TZ750 Flat Tracker was created by stuffing a 750cc, four-cylinder, two-stroke Grand Prix engine into a lightweight dirt track chassis without a front brake [01:42]. Producing around 135 to 145 horsepower and reaching speeds over 145 mph on dirt ovals, it was notoriously dangerous to control [11:00]. Rider Kenny Roberts famously rode it to a dramatic, last-lap victory at the 1975 Indianapolis Mile [01:57]. Following the race, the AMA restricted flat-track machines to twin-cylinder engines, effectively banning the machine [02:00]—a decision supported by Roberts himself, who famously declared the bike uncontrollable [02:04].

2. Honda RC166

The Honda RC166 is a mechanical masterpiece from the 1960s, engineered to dominate the 250cc World Championship [01:18]. It features an inline six-cylinder engine capable of revving up to 18,000 RPM, producing roughly 60 horsepower and linked to a 7-speed transmission [01:21]. In 1966, legendary rider Mike Hailwood rode the RC166 to win all 10 Grand Prix races it entered [01:31]. To halt expensive engineering arms races, the FIM introduced strict regulations capping 250cc engines at a maximum of four cylinders and six gearbox speeds, banning the design from future competition [01:35].

3. BMW Type 255 Kompressor & Gilera Rondine

During the 1930s, forced induction transformed Grand Prix motorcycle racing through models like the supercharged BMW Type 255 Kompressor and the four-cylinder Gilera Rondine [00:54]. The supercharged BMW twin famously took Georg Meier to victory at the 1939 Isle of Man TT, while the Gilera exceeded 90 horsepower—doubling the output of its naturally aspirated rivals [01:07]. In 1946, the FIM enacted a blanket ban on supercharging and forced induction in Grand Prix racing to reduce speeds and control costs, cementing naturally aspirated engines as the standard for decades [01:02].

4. Moto Guzzi 500 V8 (with Dustbin Fairing)

Introduced in 1955, the Moto Guzzi 500 V8 was a radical racing motorcycle powered by a liquid-cooled 500cc V8 engine encased in an aerodynamic aluminum and magnesium “dustbin” fairing [00:30]. The full-coverage fairing wrapped completely over the front wheel to drastically drop aerodynamic drag, enabling top speeds exceeding 175 mph [00:35]. However, the massive fairings created severe instability under crosswinds, contributing to multiple high-speed crashes [00:46]. Citing safety concerns, the FIM banned dustbin fairings starting in the 1958 season, requiring that front wheels and rider limbs remain visible from the side [00:38].

5. Norton RCW588

The Norton RCW588 was a British superbike powered by a liquid-cooled, twin-rotor Wankel rotary engine [00:11]. The engine delivered an incredible power-to-weight ratio and distinctive exhaust note, leading Ian Simpson and Steve Hislop to victory in major events, culminating in the 1994 British Superbike Championship [00:15]. Because calculating displacement equivalency between rotary and conventional four-stroke engines was highly controversial, regulatory bodies revised engine capacity formulas for 1995, ruling the reigning champion bike out of competition [00:20].