Ecosse top the list with a bike that was intended to revolutionise motorbike design. It was the brainchild of Dick Glover, technical director of McLaren Automotive. Glover reasoned that instead of relying on raw power, he’d use F1 technology to improve performance. He applied new materials to strip away the weight and improve aerodynamics and electronics to improve handling and performance. The only thing he couldn’t optimise was the price tag, so for now, the future of motorbike design remains ahead of its time.

The ‘Million dollar Harley’ is a custom bike by legendary builders Bartels with a paint finish by maverick artist Jack Armstrong, using his signature Cosmic-style painting. "As an artist, Harley is James Dean, Brando, Elvis and Steve McQueen, and is more American than ice cream," said Armstrong. It’s unique and it’s yours for one million dollars.

Who knew that Dodge makes motorcycles? Well not even Dodge because according to them, they don’t. The Tomahawk is a concept vehicle and is only "a piece of automotive sculpture". The 8.3L V10 engine was lifted out of a Viper and dropped into an Art Deco-body. Dodge initially claimed that the Tomahawk is capable of travelling at 680km/h (420mph) They later admitted it was more like a theoretical 500km/h, before emphasising that the bike isn’t for riding at all.

Art and engineering combine to create a masterpiece of high camp. This gold-plated Chopper is handbuilt around a 1.7 Yamaha Roadstar engine. And don’t let the looks fool you, this is a superbly engineered machine that accelerates effortlessly up to its cruising speed. When coming to a halt, the swing arm rear suspension lowers 25cm to the ground so the rider can step off, so you don’t even need a kick stand.

Ecosse is so exclusive that you’ve probably never even heard of them. Based in Denver, Colorado, the company is masterminded by former racer and engineer Donald Atchison. He wanted to bring the same level of precision engineering, finesse and sheer luxury that he saw in top-end cars (particularly Aston Martins) to two-wheels. The Titanium’s aluminium 2.4 litre engine develops 225bhp, the chassis and exhaust is made from, well, titanium but at least it comes with a free BRM Titanium watch.