Best MotoGP manufacturers in history

While MotoGP riders gain most of the focus when it comes to ‘Greatest of All Time’ debates, especially in the modern era, manufacturer success is often seen as a secondary consideration.

Ultimately, there would be no motorcycle world champions without the manufacturers who continue to contest the fiercest battles both on and off track which have duly shaped the sport’s rich history.

Best MotoGP manufacturers in history

While MotoGP riders gain most of the focus when it comes to ‘Greatest of All Time’ debates, especially in the modern era, manufacturer success is often seen as a secondary consideration.

Ultimately, there would be no motorcycle world champions without the manufacturers who continue to contest the fiercest battles both on and off track which have duly shaped the sport’s rich history.

From the British and Italian forefathers of AJS, Norton, Gilera and MV Agusta to the Japanese invasion and subsequent domination by Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha, the sport is rich with world class engineering and innovation as each constructor aims to become the best of the best.

In the modern MotoGP era, new manufacturers have stepped up to create new technology races with KTM going up against Honda in Moto3, while in Moto2 chassis constructors Kalex look to see off a new challenge from Speed Up.

The manufacturer wars through history are well documented, with each world championship class providing a unique narrative on the same story: to build the fastest bike and become world champions.

Below is a breakdown of the world titles won by each manufacturer across the five major categories, based and ranked on the total number of riders’ world crowns, as it provides the most consistent and reliable set of results through the deep history of the sport stretching back to 1949.

Best MotoGP/500cc manufacturers in history
ManufacturerNationalityRiders World Titles
HondaJapan21
MV AgustaItaly18
YamahaJapan17
SuzukiJapan6
GileraItaly6
NortonGreat Britain1
DucatiItaly1
AJSGreat Britain1
Best 350cc manufacturers in history
ManufacturerNationalityRiders World Titles
MV AgustaItaly10
HondaJapan6
YamahaJapan3
KawasakiJapan4
Moto GuzziItaly5
NortonGreat Britain2
VelocetteGreat Britain2
BimotaItaly1
Harley-DavidsonUnited States1
Best Moto2/250cc manufacturers in history
ManufacturerNationalityRiders World Titles
HondaJapan16
YamahaJapan14
ApriliaItaly9
KalexGermany8
MV AgustaItaly4
KawasakiJapan4
Moto GuzziItaly3
Harley-DavidsonUnited States3
NSUGermany3
BenelliItaly2
MondialItaly1
MorbidelliItaly1
MoriwakiJapan1
GileraItaly1
SuterSwitzerland1
Best Moto3/125cc manufacturers in history
ManufacturerNationalityRiders World Titles
HondaJapan18
ApriliaItaly10
MV AgustaItaly6
GarelliItaly6
DerbiSpain5
YamahaJapan4
MondialItaly4
KTMAustria3
SuzukiJapan3
MorbidelliItaly3
MinarelliItaly2
NSUGermany2
MBAItaly2
KawasakiJapan1
GileraItaly1
JJ CobasSpain1
Best 80cc/50cc manufacturers in history
ManufacturerNationalityRiders World Titles
DerbiSpain7
SuzukiJapan6
KreidlerGermany5
BultacoSpain4
KrauserGermany2
Kreidler Van VeenThe Netherlands2
ZundappGermany1
HondaJapan1

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