Now for some really old stuff. In 1966 I bought a 1961 Norton 650 that
was the first bike that made me think "Wow, this thing handles really
well." The brakes were pretty good for a Brit bike of the day, too. Of
course, the suspension, brakes, and tires were really primitive by todays
standards.
I raced a Honda 160 in tt scrambles that I thought handled really well.
Interestingly, the basic frame layout (except for the rear shocks) was
very similar to a modern 125 gp bike.
Now I ride a SV650 with a modified suspention that I think gets around
corners in a very fine manner, too.