If you’re looking for some speed, you’re looking for the fastest motorcycle that can legally hit the pavement. Sometimes after a long week of stop and go commuting, averaging 45 miles per hour, you need real speed. We understand.
Instead of spending the weekend raking the lawn or painting the shutters, it’s time to embrace your inner Red Rocker, let your hair down, and bring out your bike.
Here are 10 contenders for fastest motorcycle for those who really feel the need – the need for speed.
Let’s start this list with the most famous of all the street demons. As the subject of countless drag races and YouTube police chase videos, the Suzuki Hayabusa’s performance is well known.
A top speed of 186 mph and a 0-60 time at 2.6 seconds are much more than you’ll ever need, not that it’s stopped anyone before. Largely keeping to the same formula since its introduction in ’99, the Hayabusa still gives some of the best performance per dollar around.
The current iteration of MV Agusta has only existed for a couple of decades, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know how to build fast bikes. You get 201 horsepower from a 1,000cc hemispherical (like what made Mopar, well, Mopar) powerplant. But a stat like that doesn’t mean much unless the bike can walk the walk.
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With a top speed a tick under the Hayabusa’s at 185 mph and a quarter mile blown away in under 10 seconds, you won’t be left wondering whether the 418 pounds dry the F4 RR carries will slow you down. And with a price tag north of $26,000, you wallet won’t weigh you down either.
Valentino Rossi rides one. Kind of. The R1M is Yamaha’s top of the line supersport, derived from their M1 MotoGP bike. It certainly earns the mountains of accolades on its trophy wall.
This liter bike gets off the line and to highway speeds at 2.5 seconds and will pass 180 mph in under 17 seconds. Before Buford T. Justice can grab the radio and his hat, you’ll be two counties over.
I personally have a thing for the Italians; something about the passion and I’ll-go-my-own-way attitude resonates with me. So does the exhaust note of the RSV4 RF, the end result of a 201-horsepower, one-liter V4.
Though this Aprilia definitely isn’t the lightest bike, clocking in at 400 pounds dry, that doesn’t mean it can’t hustle. With a top speed of 185 mph, there isn’t much holding this rocket back. Not that you’d want to. Whoo doesn’t want to hear that bass heavy soundtrack and watch those beautiful lines scream by?
As the lone German entry on this list, the S 1000 RR has the pride of Bavaria resting on its shoulders. In true BMW fashion, nothing from front to back is less than blindingly fast and well-engineered. Would you expect anything different from the boffins in Stuttgart?
Weighing in at 459 lbs wet, the S 1000 RR’s 199-horsepower 83 lb-ft four banger will get you from here to there faster than most anything else under $16,000. And with the grownup styling, you won’t look like a 17 year old who just received their motorcycle endorsement.
The CBR1000 RR somehow flies under the radar, if such a thing is possible, when it comes to the fastest bikes category. It really doesn’t seem to get the adoration or neck-snapping reactions of a Hayabusa or an R1M.
Sleeping on this bike would be a big mistake, because the SP2 trim is an FIM homologation special built for racing. Featuring semi-active suspension, gyro-assisted ABS and a titanium fuel tank, only 500 will be built. If you can get your hands on one, take it, because the Honda CBR1000 RR SP2 won’t be around for long.
Slowly but surely electric vehicles are becoming more and more common. Electric motorcycles are no different, with the Lightning Motorcycles LS-218 leading the charge. Under the fairings sits a 150KW motor connected to 20kwh of battery, capable of roughly 170 miles before needing a plug. Charging times are between 30 minutes to a couple of hours, depending on the method used.
Though the LS-218 is a bit lacking in the range department, it makes up for it on performance. The top speed of, wait for it… 218 mph is certainly impressive, but personally, the 168 lb-ft of instant torque (wow) is this bike’s party piece. At a shade under $39,000, it’s certainly not a cheap toy, but it is a fun one.
Debuting in 2015, Kawasaki’s supercharged sport bike made instant waves with its carbon fiber fighter jet styling and its stupid quick performance. 200 ponies pumping out of the four stroke’s two stage centrifugal supercharger connects to a 200 section rear wheel for a quick 2.6 second 0-60.
The H2 is a properly fast bike, but if a 183 mph top speed is too slow for you, there’s always the H2R, with its 310 horses developed to rearrange your face. Unfortunately, or fortunately to be honest, the H2R is a track-only bike, so your DIY facelift isn’t available during the morning commute.
Ducati doesn’t play games when it comes to the fastest bikes category. With the Panigale 1299 S, the story isn’t any different. The sweet Desmodromic sounds from this 1285cc combine with over 200 horsepower for some serious fun at 420 pounds wet.
Ducati also equips their superbike with nothing but the best, including semi-active steering dampening and one of the best ABS systems on the road. Sure, maintenance is more than expensive and Ducatis have a bit of a temperamental reputation, but that’s the price to pay for having an Italian supermodel in your personal collection.
A MotoGP bike with turn signals and mirrors. That is essentially what the RC213V-S is. Hand built on the same architecture that won Honda back-to-back World Championships in ’13 and ’14, there isn’t much debating this bike’s athletic abilities. Especially with the optional Sport Kit cranking out 215 horses instead of the standard 157.
A nine level traction control system lays down the power with utmost precision. You’re also getting a liter bike with the handling prowess of a 250cc, perfect for dropping knees and kissing the apex. Lightweight is the name of the game with the RC213V-S, at 418 pounds. Unfortunately, it’ll also leave your investment accounts much lighter, with a price tag of $184,000 right off the showroom floor.
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