The first one that comes to mind is the Yamaha FZR1000.
When this bike first came onto the scene in 1987, it boasted 135bhp, revolutionary Genesis head which had an unheard of 5 valves per cylinder and a wet weight of just over 500lbs and a very modern chassis.
The chassis was dubbed "Delta Box" and it is still being used by Yamaha today. The theory behind this was that a triangle (delta) was more rigid than a square. Armed with this theory, engineers were able to make the engine hang in the frame as opposed to being "cradled" like GSX-Rs at the time. The mounting of the motor from above allowed the motor to be placed as low as possible in the frame allowing for a low center of gravity. They achieved this by using a diagonal from the steering tube down to the swing arm pivot making the frame triangular.
The original color schemes were a red/white and a blue/white. I would prefer the blue/white but I would take either one.
The first major revision came in 1989 and was priced at $7,599 which was $1,200 more than the GSX-R1100. Adjusted for inflation that is the equivalent of $13,856 in today's prices; considering a 2013 Yamaha YZF-R1's MSRP was $14,490, the old FZR was a bargain. Yamaha increased the displacement to just over 1,000CC and equipped it with an electronically controlled exhaust valve giving the engine great power at midrange RPMs and other internal improvements giving a bump in power to 145bhp.
Yamaha also improved on their revolutionary chassis design by making the engine a full stressed member and removing the downtubes.
This complete package made for an out of the box bike that would do 167 miles per hour and it gained the title of "Bike of The Decade" by Cycle World in 1989. Quite the feat.
Aside from minor changes like headlamps, paint schemes and the fitting of upside down forks in 1991, the FZR1000 went on to terrorize the streets until 1995.
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