Motorbikes are the perfect virility symbol. For many owners their throbbing cylinders signify unwavering masculinity (even though in some cases theirs may be on the brink of fading). And you can buy the very best of the bike world for a fraction of the cost of joining the supercar league.

If you want to present you virility or show you have muscle under your pinstripes, no harm to cast an eye over the following models.

Ecosse Heretic
The Ecosse Heretic is a bike made without regard for accounting principles, conventional wisdom, or production quotas. Every piece of the Heretic’s bodywork is a precision machined, hand-painted work of art. It costs around ₤50,000 – almost unheard of in the motorbike world.

There are only 30 Ecose Heretic in existence. The Heretic combines a highly engineered chassis, massive torque, wicked attitude, sleek lines, exquisite detail and race-bred components in a refined package. Download the spec from here.

Ecose Heretic

Ecose Heretic

If out and out power isn’t your thing, try a top-notch bike from Harley-Davidson – but no any old Harley. If you have the money, you should head straight for the CVO range (Custom Vehicle Operations).

This features bikes that have been hand-assembled by a specialist team and fitted with all the latest gadgets from dual heated seats to saddlebags that open at the touch of a button to the 40W audio system incorporating sat nav.

For example, the 2007 Screamin’ Eagle Ultra Classic Electra Glide is designed to be a state of the art tourer, complete with commemorative CVO key and presentation box, all for only ₤22,995.

Harley-Davidson: Screamin’ Eagle Ultra Classic Electra Glide

The dream of a true GP replica has finally come true and the Desmosedici RR is the first-ever road-going motorcycle to offer the stunning wealth of performance and technology that comes directly from Ducati‘s experience in MotoGP. The RR is derived from the Ducati Corse Grand Prix racing Desmosedici GP6, the same bike which Loris Capirossi and Sete Gibernau have used to compete in the 2006 MotoGP World Championship.

Drivers commented that it’s not the size of the hammer but the force of the blow: similarly, a bike’s true sex appeal is all in the perofrmacne.

The road version costs ₤9,000 and with 160bhp is fiery enough but for the ultimate thrill you can spend another ₤70,000 on upgrading suspension and brakes, adding more power and better cooling.

Ducati Desmosedici RP