When a learner rider goes to a motorcycle driving school, the key to effectively learning how to ride a bike safely is consistency.

A great learner bike, much like a great learner car, will feel consistent, forgive small mistakes, be comfortable to ride at relatively low speeds and are well-balanced, and there are some phenomenal examples such as the ever-popular Honda CB125F range.

However, some bikes are too powerful, too unusual or are outright terrible to ride for beginners still learning the basics of riding safely.

Ducati Streetfighter 1098

Whilst you can place essentially any superbike on a list like this because the power is too difficult to handle and its delivery can throw even expert riders, the Streetfighter 1098 also matches this with a surprisingly awkward design and a lack of a windshield.

This means that even if you can get it going, riders are riding headfirst into exceptionally strong winds, which can easily wear out a beginner rider.

Harley Davidson Sportster Iron 883

Harley Davidson bikes tend to be quite difficult to ride because of their sheer weight and the unusual riding position a chopper-style bike invariably puts you in, which actually makes it difficult to control even at the relatively slow speeds 45 horsepower will reach.

There are some good beginner Harleys such as the Sport 500 if the name is all that matters, but they are far more conventional bikes than most enthusiasts are looking for.

Suzuki Hayabusa GSX1300R

Hyperbikes are obviously awful choices for beginners in the same way a learner driver would not show up to a driving test in a Ferrari, but the Hayabusa and its 1999-spec model in particular was so fast, so difficult to ride and so hard to maintain that it changed the biking world forever.

When it reached an alleged top speed of 194 mph in testing, a gentleman’s agreement would be agreed between the top European and Japanese manufacturers to limit the top speed of bikes to 186 mph starting in 2001.

Beyond the staggering and terrifying speed, the Hayabusa’s weighty handling characteristics make it a struggle for a learner to handle even at lower speeds, and its growing reliability problems as a two-decade-old bike do not make it a long-term prospect.