The fastest production motorcycle for a given year is the unmodified motorcycle with the highest tested top speed that was manufactured in series and available for purchase by the general public. Modified or specially produced motorcycles are a different class, motorcycle land-speed record. Unlike those records, which are officially sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), production model tests were conducted under a variety of unequal or undefined conditions, and tested by numerous different sources, mainly motorcycling magazines. This has led to inconsistent and sometimes contradictory speed statistics from various sources.
Several models went out of production before being surpassed by a contemporary with a higher top speed. Until a model was introduced that was faster than any previous motorcycle, the fastest bike on the market for a given year was actually slower than an earlier, out of production bike. Models which are actual top speed record holders have their make, model, and speed in bold font, while slower models which were the fastest only in their own time are in italic. For example, in 1956, the Vincent Black Shadow remained the fastest motorcycle to date, with a 125 mph (201 km/h) top speed, but it was no longer in production. The fastest model on the market in 1956 was the BSA Gold Star Clubman, which at 110 mph (180 km/h) was not a record holder, but is listed for the sake of illustrating a more complete timeline.
This article needs to be updated.(July 2022) |
Make & model | Model years | Engine | Displacement | Power | Top speed | Image | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BMW S 1000 RR (second generation) | 2019-present | Inline four | 999 cc (61.0 cu in) | 205 hp (153 kW) | 193 mph (310 km/h) | By some measures, faster than MV Agusta F4 R 312. [1] | |
BMW S 1000 RR (first generation) | 2009-2018 | Inline four | 999 cc (61.0 cu in) | 199 bhp (148 kW) | 188 mph (303 km/h) | By some measures, faster than MV Agusta F4 R 312. BMW considered to have initiated the "gentlemen's agreement"; first party to agreement to exceed self-imposed limit. [2] | |
MV Agusta F4 R 312 | 2007-08 | Inline four | 998 cc (60.9 cu in) | 183 bhp (136 kW) | 185–193 mph (298–311 km/h) | First European motorcycle exceeding "gentlemen's agreement"; MV Agusta not known to have been a party. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] | |
Kawasaki ZX-14 | 2006– | Inline four | 1,352 cc (82.5 cu in) | 163.3 hp (121.8 kW) † | 186 mph (300 km/h) | Speed limited [8] | |
Kawasaki ZX-12R | 2000–05 | Inline four | 1,199 cc (73.2 cu in) | 178 bhp (133 kW) | 186 mph (300 km/h) | 2000 model year not speed limited, 2001 & later speed limited [9] [10] [8] | |
Suzuki Hayabusa (first generation) | 2000–2007 | Inline four | 1,299 cc (79.3 cu in) | 173 bhp (129 kW) | 186 mph (300 km/h) | Speed limited [10] [8] [11] [12] | |
Suzuki Hayabusa (first generation) | 1999 | Inline four | 1,299 cc (79.3 cu in) | 173 bhp (129 kW) | 188–194 mph (303–312 km/h) | Last model before gentlemen's agreement. [10] [8] [11] [12] | |
Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird | 1996–2007 | Inline four | 1,137 cc (69.4 cu in) | 162 bhp (121 kW) | 170–180 mph (270–290 km/h) | [10] [8] | |
Bimota YB8 Furano | 1992-1993 | Inline four | 1,002 cc (61.1 cu in) | 164 hp (122 kW) | 172 mph (277 km/h) | By some measures, faster than Kawasaki Ninja ZX-11. [13] | |
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-11 | 1990–2001 | Inline four | 1,052 cc (64.2 cu in) | 145 bhp (108 kW) | 169–176 mph (272–283 km/h) | [10] [8] [9] [14] | |
Bimota YB6 EXUP | 1989–1990 | Inline four | 1,002 cc (61.1 cu in) | 147 bhp (110 kW) | 170 mph (270 km/h) | [10] | |
Yamaha FZR1000 "EXUP" | 1989-1995 | Inline four | 1,003 cc (61.2 cu in) | 145 hp (108 kW) | 167 mph (269 km/h) | [15] | |
Kawasaki Tomcat ZX-10 | 1988–1990 | Inline four | 997 cc (60.8 cu in) | 135 hp (101 kW) | 165 mph (266 km/h) | [9] [16] | |
Yamaha FZR1000 "Genesis" | 1987-1988 | Inline four | 989 cc (60.4 cu in) | 135 hp (101 kW) | 158.4–160 mph (254.9–257.5 km/h) | By some measures, faster than Honda CBR1000F. [17] [18] | |
Honda CBR1000F | 1987-1999 | Inline four | 998 cc (60.9 cu in) | 132 hp (98 kW) | 154–164 mph (248–264 km/h) | [17] [19] [20] | |
Suzuki GSX-R 1100 (G-H-J) | 1986-1988 | Inline four | 1,052 cc (64.2 cu in) | 125 hp (93 kW) | 160 mph (257 km/h) | [17] | |
Kawasaki GPZ900R Ninja | 1984–1996 | Inline four | 908 cc (55.4 cu in) | 113–115 bhp (84–86 kW) | 151–158 mph (243–254 km/h) | [10] [21] [22] | |
Honda VF1000R | 1984–1988 | V-four | 998 cc (60.9 cu in) | 122 bhp (91 kW) | 150 mph (240 km/h) | [10] First to exceed Vincent Black Lightning after 35 years | |
Laverda Jota | 1976–1981 | Inline three | 981 cc (59.9 cu in) | 90 bhp (67 kW) | 140–146 mph (225–235 km/h) | [10] [23] [24] | |
Ducati 900SS | 1975–1982 | V-twin | 864 cc (52.7 cu in) | 79 bhp (59 kW) | 135 mph (217 km/h) | [10] [25] | |
Kawasaki Z1 | 1972–1975 | Inline four | 903 cc (55.1 cu in) | 82 bhp (61 kW) | 132 mph (212 km/h) | [10] [26] | |
BSA Rocket 3/Triumph Trident | 1968–1975 | Inline three | 740 cc (45 cu in) | 58 bhp (43 kW) | 125 mph (201 km/h) * | [10] | |
Harley-Davidson XLCH Sportster | 1958–1971 | V-twin | 883 cc (53.9 cu in) | 55 bhp (41 kW) | 122 mph (196 km/h) | [27] | |
BSA Gold Star Clubman | 1956–1963 | Single | 499 cc (30.5 cu in) | 42 bhp (31 kW) | 110 mph (180 km/h) | [10] | |
Vincent Black Lightning | 1949–1952 | V-twin | 998 cc (60.9 cu in) | 70 bhp (52 kW) | 150 mph (240 km/h) | [10] [21] [28] [29] First to exceed Brough Superior SS100 Pendine after 22 years. Record held for 35 years. | |
Vincent Series A Rapide | 1936–1940 | V-twin | 998 cc (60.9 cu in) | 45 bhp (34 kW) | 110 mph (180 km/h) | [10] | |
Crocker V-twin | 1936–ca. 1941 | V-twin | 998 cc (60.9 cu in) | 50 bhp (37 kW) | 110 mph (180 km/h) | [10] | |
Brough Superior SS100 Alpine Grand Sports | 1934–1940 | V-twin | 996 cc (60.8 cu in) | 75 bhp (56 kW) | 110 mph (180 km/h) | [30] [ page needed ] | |
Brough Superior SS100 Pendine | 1927–1940 | V-twin | 981 cc (59.9 cu in) | 45 bhp (34 kW) | 110 mph (180 km/h) | [30] [ page needed ] Record held for 22 years | |
Brough Superior SS100 | 1925–1940 | V-twin | 988 cc (60.3 cu in) | 45 bhp (34 kW) | 100 mph (160 km/h) | [10] [21] | |
Excelsior V-twin | 1918–1931 | V-twin | 992 cc (60.5 cu in) | 20 bhp (15 kW) | 80 mph (130 km/h) | [10] | |
Cyclone V-twin | 1916–1917 | V-twin | 996 cc (60.8 cu in) | 25 bhp (19 kW) | 85 mph (137 km/h) | [10] | |
Pope Model L | 1914–1920 | V-twin | 999 cc (61.0 cu in) | 12 bhp (8.9 kW) | 70 mph (110 km/h) | [10] [23] | |
Williamson Flat Twin | 1913–1920 | Flat twin | 964 cc (58.8 cu in) | 55 mph (89 km/h) | [10] | ||
Scott two speed | 1912– | Parallel twin | 532 cc (32.5 cu in) | 3 bhp (2.2 kW) | 50 mph (80 km/h) | [10] | |
FN Four | 1911–1931 | Inline four | 491 cc (30.0 cu in) | 4 bhp (3.0 kW) | 40 mph (64 km/h) | [10] [21] | |
Werner New Werner | 1901–1908 | Single | 230–333 cc (14.0–20.3 cu in) | 2–3.25 bhp (1.49–2.42 kW) | 30 mph (48 km/h) | [21] [31] [32] [33] | |
Werner Motocyclette | 1898–1900 | Single | 216 cc (13.2 cu in) | 15.5–22 mph (25–35 km/h) | [31] [32] [33] [34] | ||
Hildebrand & Wolfmüller | 1894–1897 | Parallel twin | 1,500 cc (92 cu in) | 2.5 hp (1.9 kW) | 25–28 mph (40–45 km/h) | First production motorcycle. [10] [21] |
These motorcycles are mentioned here because they meet some of this list's criteria, and are often discussed in media in the same context as production, street-legal motorcycles, but they do not strictly meet all of the criteria, being limited production or made to order, or not generally available for immediate sale to the public, or are track-only and not generally street legal in Europe, Asia, and North America.
Make & model | Model years | Engine | Displacement | Power | Top speed | Image | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kawasaki Ninja H2R | 2015-present | Inline 4 | 998 cc (60.9 cu in)[ citation needed ] [35] | 310 / 326 hp (231 / 243 kW) (without/with ram air)[ citation needed ] | 250 mph (400 km/h)[ citation needed ] | Excluded as the record-beating H2R variant is track-only and not street-legal. [36] [ better source needed ] | |
Lightning LS-218 | 2014-present | Electric motor | N/A | 200 bhp (150 kW) | 216 mph (348 km/h) | The 216 mph record was set using an LS-218 modified from street-legal form, with "high-speed gearing and fairing". The top speed of the stock production vehicle has not been clearly defined by an independent, verifiable source. Otherwise, first electric vehicle to be considered for the position of the world's fastest street-legal production motorcycle, [37] [38] [39] to have won against ICE motorcycles in a professional road-based event and to have won any such race using only solar power. [40] | |
Ducati Panigale R | 2013-2017 | V-twin | 1,198 cc (73.1 cu in) | 202 bhp (151 kW) | 202 mph (325 km/h) | Top speed achieved with OEM track-only exhaust system. [41] [42] |
After just over a century of one-upmanship by motorcycle manufacturers, beginning with the 1894–1897 Hildebrand & Wolfmüller, the competition to create the fastest production motorcycle reached a truce, with the arrival of the 1999 Suzuki Hayabusa, that lasted about 8 years. [43] [9] [44] [45] A gentlemen's agreement was made among the major motorcycle manufacturers to limit the speed of their machines to 300 km/h (186 mph), starting with 2000 models. [43] [9] [46]
After the 1999 Hayabusa sent shockwaves by exceeding the Honda CBR1100XX's record by more than 10 mph (16 km/h), and rumors and leaks from Kawasaki hinted that their upcoming 2000 Ninja ZX-12R would pass the 200 mph (322 km/h) milestone, some regulators and politicians in Europe called for an import ban against high speed motorcycles. [43] There were fears that there would be "an outbreak of illegal racing as riders try to break the 200 mph barrier". [47] [48] To preempt regulation and avoid negative publicity, the manufacturers voluntarily ended the race to ever higher speeds. [43] [46]
Sources vary as to whether this unofficial agreement is precise or only approximate, and whether it is defined as 300 km/h or as 186 mph, though the European and Japanese manufacturers normally use metric units. While Honda did announce that its motorcycles would not go faster than 300 km/h, Suzuki and Kawasaki would not speak on record about this issue. [49] The agreement between them and the other brands has never been officially acknowledged by the manufacturers, though media sources report it via unnamed informants, and by testing the top speed of motorcycles known to be capable of exceeding the arbitrary maximum. [49] [50] So for 2000 [9] models and later motorcycles, the question of which brand's bike was fastest could only be answered by tampering with the speed limiting system, meaning that it was no longer a contest between stock, production motorcycles, absolving the manufacturer of blame and letting those not quite as fast avoid losing face. [50] But the speed war continued underground, out of the spotlight, with fierce competition among enthusiasts of the "200 mph club", albeit with the slight technical modification necessary to bypass the speed limiter, separating that war from the ostensibly at-peace world of stock motorcycles. [46] [51]
MV Agusta advertised their 2007 F4 R 312 as capable of 312 km/h (194 mph), hence the "312" in the name, "because MV sees no reason to abide by the manufacturers' agreement ... Politics be damned: MV is Italian and the Italians have a national imperative to make their bikes as fast as possible," in the opinion of motoring journalist Roland Brown. [3] [4] Italian magazine Motociclismo claimed to have achieved 193.24 mph (310.99 km/h) testing the F4 R 312, more or less confirming the claimed speed and tying, if not exceeding, the 1999 Suzuki Hayabusa's tested speeds of 188–194 mph (303–312 km/h), [5] whereas Sport Rider were only able to achieve a 185.4 mph (298.4 km/h) top speed, stating that "it would take a major horsepower boost in order to make up the 8 mph deficit". [52]
Cycle World reported that "the same BMW who instigated the 'agreement' in the first place" had broken it with the 188-mile-per-hour (303 km/h) BMW S1000RR, whose top speed was reported in July, 2010. [9]
The 2013 Ducati 1199 Panigale R was delivered with an electronic speedometer that blanked when the motorcycle exceeded 186 mph (300 km/h), leading commentators to question if Ducati was signaling their withdrawal from the gentlemen's agreement. [53] [54]
In 2014, Kawasaki announced that the upcoming Ninja H2 will have a non-street legal "track-only" version (Ninja H2R) making 296 hp (221 kW) that will not have a speed limiter, reaching 210 mph (340 km/h) in testing, but Kawasaki did not specify whether they planned to speed limit the street-legal version, which has about 200 hp (150 kW), to conform to the gentlemen's agreement. [55]
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link){{citation}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Nicky Hayden, who also attended the launch and who presumably gets an even better drive out of T11, tells us the Panigale R continues to accelerate even after the screen goes blank, suggesting that Ducati has opted out of the gentleman's agreement that electronically limits top-speed to 300 km/h, or 186 mph.
[T]he R doesn't have an electronic governor to prevent it from exceeding the 186-mph limit agreed upon by the motorcycle manufacturers for more than a decade... This may well be the fastest stock, production model currently made.
The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-12R is a motorcycle in the Ninja sport bike series made by Kawasaki from 2000 through 2006. The 1,199 cc (73.2 cu in) inline-four engine produced 178 hp (133 kW) at low speed, and increased to 190 hp (140 kW) at high speed due to its ram-air intake, making it the most powerful production motorcycle up to 2006 and the release of the ZX-14. It was a contender to be the fastest production motorcycle, and played a role in bringing to a truce the escalating competition to build an ever-faster motorcycle. Its top speed was electronically limited to 186 mph (300 km/h), tying it with the Suzuki Hayabusa and Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 as the fastest production motorcycle on the market, after the 303–312 km/h (188–194 mph) 1999 Hayabusa was replaced with a speed-limited version as part of a gentlemen's agreement between motorcycle manufacturers that lasted until the 298–311 km/h (185.4–193.24 mph) 2007 MV Agusta F4 R 312.
MV Agusta is a high end motorcycle manufacturer founded by Count Domenico Agusta on 19 January 1945 as one of the branches of the Agusta aircraft company near Milan in Cascina Costa, Italy. The abbreviation MV stands for Meccanica (mechanics) Verghera, the hamlet where the first MVs were made. The modern headquarters and main production facilities are located in Varese, Italy on the shore of Lake Varese.
The Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa is a sports motorcycle made by Suzuki since 1999. It immediately won acclaim as the world's fastest production motorcycle, with a top speed of 303 to 312 km/h.
The Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird is a Honda motorcycle, part of the CBR series made from 1996 to 2007. The bike was developed to challenge the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-11 as the world's fastest production motorcycle, and Honda succeeded with a top speed of 177 mph (285 km/h). Two years later the title passed to the Suzuki Hayabusa, which reached 193 mph (311 km/h). The Blackbird is named after the Lockheed SR-71, also a speed record holder.
The ZZR1400 or Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 and ZX-14R (2006–present), is a motorcycle in the Ninja sport bike series from the Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki that was their most powerful sport bike as of 2006. It was introduced at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show and released for the 2006 model year as a replacement for the Kawasaki ZZ-R1200 (2002-2005). The ZZR1400 is capable of accelerating from 0–60 mph in 2.5 seconds. The top speed is electronically limited to 186 mph (299 km/h) as a result of an agreement between the major Japanese and European motorcycle manufacturers.
The British Superbike Championship (BSB), known for sponsorship reasons as the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, is a road racing championship for superbike class machines in the United Kingdom, and is acknowledged to be the premier domestic superbike racing series in the world.
The MV Agusta F4 is an inline four-cylinder sport bike made by MV Agusta from 1999 until 2018. It was the motorcycle that launched the resurrection of the brand in 1998. The F4 was created by motorcycle designer Massimo Tamburini at CRC, following his work on the Ducati 916. The F4 has a single-sided swingarm, large diameter front forks and traditional MV Agusta red and silver livery. The F4 engine is also one of the few production superbikes to have a hemi-spherical cylinder head chamber design with 4 valves per cylinder.
The Ducati singles were single cylinder motorcycles, made by Ducati from 1950 to 1974. Chief Engineer Fabio Taglioni developed a desmodromic valve system in these years, a system that opens and closes the valves using the camshaft, without the need for valve springs. This valve system has become a trademark feature of Ducati motorcycles.
The Ducati 1098 is a sport bike made by Ducati from 2007 to 2009, in three versions, the 1098, 1098S, and 1098R. The 1098 was succeeded by the 1198 in 2009, though the 1098R remained in production that year.
The Kawasaki Z1 is a four-cylinder, air-cooled, double-overhead camshaft, carbureted, chain-drive motorcycle introduced in 1972 by Kawasaki. Following the introduction of Honda's CB750 in 1968, the Z1 helped popularize the in-line, across-the-frame four-cylinder, a format that became known as the Universal Japanese Motorcycle or UJM.
The ZZ-R1100 or ZX-11 is a sport bike in Kawasaki's Ninja series made from 1989 to 2001, as the successor to the 1988–1990 Tomcat ZX-10. With a top speed of 272–283 km/h (169–176 mph), it was the fastest production motorcycle from its introduction until 1996, surpassed by the 270–290 km/h (170–180 mph) Honda CBR1100XX. It was marketed as the ZX-11 Ninja in North America and the ZZ-R1100 in the rest of the world. The C-model ran from 1989 to 1993 while the D-model ran from 1993 to 2001, when it was replaced by the ZZ-R1200 (ZX-12C) 2002-2005
Motorcycle testing and measurement includes a range of more than two dozen statistics giving the specifications of the motorcycle, and the actual performance, expressed by such things as the output of the engine, and the top speed or acceleration of the motorcycle. Most parameters are uncontroversial and claims made by manufacturers are generally accepted without verification. These might include simple measurements like rake, trail, or wheelbase, or basic features, such as the type of brakes or ignition system.
The Kawasaki Ninja 1000 SX is a motorcycle in the Ninja series from the Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki sold since 2011. Other than its name, it is unrelated to the Ninja 1000R produced from 1986–89, or to other Ninja motorcycles.
The Ducati 1199 Panigale was a 1,198 cc (73.1 cu in) Ducati sport bike introduced at the 2011 Milan Motorcycle Show. The motorcycle is named after the small manufacturing town of Borgo Panigale. Ducati had announced a larger displacement 1,285 cc (78.4 cu in) 1299 Panigale for the 2015 model year.
Forced induction in motorcycles is the application of forced induction to a motorcycle engine. Special automotive engineering and human factor considerations exist for the application of forced induction with motorcycles compared to other forms of motorized transportation.
The Kawasaki Ninja H2 is a supercharged four-stroke supersport-class motorcycle in the Ninja sports bike series manufactured by Kawasaki, featuring a variable-speed centrifugal supercharger.
The Ducati Panigale V4 is a sport bike with a 1,103 cc (67.3 cu in) desmodromic 90° V4 engine introduced by Ducati in 2018 as the successor to the V-twin engined 1299. A smaller engine displacement version complies with the Superbike category competition regulations which state "Over 750 cc up to 1000 cc" for three and four cylinder 4-stroke engines.
The MV Agusta Turismo Veloce is a motorcycle produced by the Italian motorcycle manufacturer MV Agusta. The machine premiered at the 2013 EICMA, but production was delayed due to the financial crisis being experienced by the manufacturer. The motorcycle was first made available to the press for road tests in April 2015.