Speed in the 21st century is not necessarily something that manufacturers like to shout too loudly about. Back in the late 1990s, Japanese manufacturers signed a gentleman’s agreement to limit top speeds to 186mph (300km/h) to stave off any anti-sports bike legislation from the Europeans (because any accident at 186mph was going to be much more survivable than one at 195mph…!) Even today, top speeds are rarely quoted by either manufacturer or even independent media outlets and, let’s face it, they are largely irrelevant. Still, top speed is still a number that many owners are interested in, if only for bar-room bragging rights. The only semi-reliable way to calculate what is the fastest bike is to look at power-to-weight ratio and even this has its problems due to having to rely on manufacturers claimed power outputs (at the crank) and then using only the dry weights of models: whether these figures are also reliable is another matter, but we have to start somewhere.
10 Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa
| Peak Power | Dry Weight | Power-to-Weight Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 187.4 HP | 486.2 LBS | 0.397 HP/LB |
How ironic that the bike that precipitated the speed restriction, (even if it didn’t actually start the speed wars), the Suzuki Hayabusa HSX1300R, has the lowest power-to-weight ratio of the bikes on this list, making it, ostensibly, the slowest bike! The third generation of the Suzuki Hayabusa has much less polarizing styling and is fully updated in the electronics department, but it is no faster than the 1999 original. It is relatively heavy in this company, which accounts for its position and, while it would be beaten in terms of top speed by the new breed of superbikes, the in-gear acceleration is nothing short of warp speed, all accompanied in comfort, stability and uncanny mechanical smoothness.
9 Norton V4 SV
| Peak Power | Dry Weight | Power-to-Weight Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 185 HP | 424.6 LBS | 0.434 HP/LB |
‘Modern’ Norton has struggled to be taken seriously, a process not helped by the financial shenanigans of owner Stuart Garner. Despite this, the company succeeded in producing the UK’s first superbike, the V4 RR, which is not only one of the best Norton Motorcycles ever made but has also morphed into the V4 SV following the takeover by Indian company TVS. If the SV is less powerful and weighs slightly more than the old V4 RR, at least it should be reliable and the stunning good looks have, thankfully, remained. It's not cheap and Norton claims it to be the most ‘luxurious’ British superbike ever, even though that is not difficult being the only British superbike ever! As ultimate top speed is academic, having something so rare and beautiful in your garage will make up for its relative lack of speed!
8 Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja
| Peak Power | Dry Weight | Power-to-Weight Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 200 HP | 455 LBS | 0.439 LB/HP |
Kawasaki’s recent run of World Superbike success has certainly helped to put the ZX-10R into the limelight and, luckily, the reality lives up to the racing hype. An update in 2021 saw it sprouting aerodynamic winglets and tweaks to the engine, chassis, geometry and suspension. What the updates didn’t address was the ultra-cramped riding position, which also became much more race-focussed, meaning more weight over the front end. Mind-blowing on track but also remarkably tractable on the road, even if it will break every speed limit in first gear! There is even cruise control….!
7 MV Agusta Rush
| Peak Power | Dry Weight | Power-to-Weight Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 212 HP | 409 LBS | 0.518 HP/LB |
It might be an MV Agusta, with the attendant exotic air, not to mention being limited to 300 units, but it is also stupendously ugly (that should get the comments section firing on all cylinders…!) as well as being very fast. Based on the Brutale 1000, claimed horsepower is 208, rising to 212 with the race kit fitted. The problem with the Rush is that it is a naked bike, devoid of any form of fairing whatsoever - not even a small fly-screen, so were you to attempt to reach the claimed 186 mph top speed, you’d need arms like Popeye to hang on in the wind blast. As an exercise in pointless excess, it is brilliant.
6 Honda Fireblade SP
| Peak Power | Dry Weight | Power-to-Weight Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 215 HP | 396 LBS | 0.543 LHP/LB |
Having invented the modern concept of the sports bike, Honda for a long time lagged far behind in the power stakes to its rivals. All that changed in 2020, with the arrival of the Fireblade SP, with 215 horsepower, finally giving Honda a seat at the top table. The Fireblade remains one of the most accessible superbikes and the SP’s power output has done nothing to alter that fact, despite it being the most powerful and uncompromising track-oriented Fireblades ever. As with so many super bikes today, the Fireblade SP was developed to win in World Superbikes, the premier production-based series on the planet. The fact that it hasn’t returned Honda to the winners’ circle doesn’t detract from its efficacy as a light-speed sports bike.
5 BMW M1000RR
| Peak Power | Dry Weight | Power-to-Weight Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 212 HP | 395 LBS | 0.550 HP/LBS |
Prior to 2021, the ‘M-Sport’ tag was reserved for BMW’s four-wheeled creations. Then BMW applied the ‘M’ thinking to the S1000RR super bike with predictably exotic results. Power is up to 212 horsepower from the 205 horsepower of the S1000RR. What you also get is less weight - 45 pounds less, thanks to liberal use of carbon fibre - and lots of aerodynamic add-ons to keep the front end down when accelerating and improve braking stability. As with the Honda Fireblade SP, the M1000RR is a limited edition homologation special for World Superbike racing, even though a true World Superbike motorcycle would still need lots of work to prepare it for competition. In reality, the standard S1000RR is just as fast, not to mention a lot cheaper - $17,895 for the ’S’ against $32,495 for the ‘M’.
4 MV Agusta Brutale 1000 Nurburgring
| Peak Power | Dry Weight | Power-to-Weight Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 215 HP | 389 LBS | 0.552 HP/LB |
Another special edition from MV Agusta, it is hard to see the differences between this and the Rush model listed above: both are naked sports bikes and therefore completely unsuitable for sustained high speeds but, as a flagship model, it is spectacular as well as being (subjectively) more attractive than the Rush. 208 horsepower rises to 215 with the race kit fitted, while weight reduces to 389 pounds from 402 pounds wit the same kit, thanks to the use of lots of carbon fibre and titanium. $44,498 is the price you’ll pay for the privilege, compared to $33,900 for the standard Brutale 1000. What we say is, if 208 horsepower isn’t enough for you, then MotoGP is looking for you!
3 Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory
| Peak Power | Dry Weight | Power-to-Weight Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 217 HP | 389 LBS | 0.558 HP/LB |
Quite how a small factory such as that of Aprilia in Noale, Italy, can compete with the likes of Ducati, Honda, and BMW no-one has ever managed to explain, but the RSV4 Factory is one of the finest sports bikes money can buy. Previously 1000cc, the engine has been enlarged to 1100cc, while the suspension has been uprated to semi-active electronic suspension, and the rest of the electronics package is similarly sophisticated. The RSV4 1100 Factory is super-compact and certainly not for tall riders but for those who can fold themselves into it, you’re in for a treat, with brilliant handling, huge power and better build-quality than you might expect from a small Italian manufacturer.
2 Ducati Panigale V4R
| Peak Power | Dry Weight | Power-to-Weight Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 237 HP | 378 LBS | 0.627 HP/LB |
With the arrival of the V4 engine, Ducati moved into it’s first new phase since 1970, when the original V-Twin was introduced. If Ducati purists were alarmed, then it certainly did nothing to harm sales, which were more buoyant than ever. With a displacement of 1103cc, it was no good for World Superbike racing, so Ducati revealed the 998cc V4R, with a claimed 237 horsepower (up from the V4S’s 214 horsepower) while weighing three pounds less. Even the non-World Superbike versions have an ultra-lightweight monocoque chassis, while the suspension and brakes are the best that money can buy. Of course, there’s plenty of aerodynamic add-ons with the V4R and has any motorcycle ever looked better than a Ducati sports bike finished in Italian racing red? $44,995 is the cost but, despite being a thinly-disguised race bike, it is fully road legal.
1 Kawasaki H2R
| Peak Power | Dry Weight | Power-to-Weight Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| 322 hP | 424 LBS | 0.760 HP/LB |
The ultimate and, so far, the fastest production motorcycle ever built. World Supersport champion Kenan Sofuoglu rode a stock example over a bridge in Turkey to a straight-line production bike speed record of 400km/h (240mph)! In essence, it is the road-legal H2 but de-restricted, with a race exhaust system and without lights: it even comes with racing slick tires as standard just to emphasize the fact that it’s really too fast for normal road use. Actually, it’s too heavy to beat a well-ridden liter sports bike around a track but, when a bike looks this good and is this fast in a straight line, who needs to go fast around corners?