Supersports Motorcycles

MV Agusta celebrate their most famous rider with the ultra limited-edition Superveloce.

Since pioneering the modern era of superbikes, Honda has rather lost its way when compared to its rivals. New patent drawings show a radical approach to the next generation of Fireblade.

The most important model in Ducati’s history? Of course, it must be the 916. Or the 851? Actually, no. Without the bike we’re thinking of, neither of those would even exist and neither would Ducati in all likelihood.

The shock announcement that Ducati will become the supplier of motorcycles for the MotoE race series after Energica pulls out at the end of 2022

Many of the major players offer a pure-D racetrack hypersport for the public’s consumption, and for Kawasaki, that honor falls to the freshly updated Ninja H2 R. The H2 R brings to the table the best Kawi has to offer along with top-flight aerodynamics and a supercharged engine on top of a full electronics suite making it a threat on the track right out of the box. That’s about the only place it’s a threat though, since the H2 R is far too awesome to be street legal, and as a track-only bike, it wastes not an ounce on any silly old mirrors, headlights, or turn signals. Carbon-fiber components complete the package with their own brand of lightweight strength.

When the Kawasaki H2R came out, the makers claimed a top speed of 380km/h (236mph). World Supersport champion Keenan Sofuoglu reckoned he could get 400km/h out of one. Here’s his attempt.

KTM has a lot of brands it needs to push into the public eye. Not only is there Husqvarna and GasGas but also CFMoto, its Chinese partner, which is keen to make in-roads into the European market. Could the Austrian manufacturer be about to follow Ducati’s example and put more bikes on the MotoGP grid?

Segway are better known for producing stand-on electric perambulators, commonly seen transporting mall cops around. After a buy-out by Chinese robotics company Ninebot, they’ve surprised everyone with this latest development.

Put a car and a bike on the same track and they should be pretty evenly matched: the bike can accelerate quicker but the car can brake later and harder and, in theory, corner faster. But there has to be a winner and, in this time trial between a Ducati Panigale 1199S and a McLaren MP4-12C around the tight and tortuous Cadwell Park in the UK, it’s closer than you might think.

There are drag races and there are drag races: this is one of the latter. Take two of the fastest and most expensive hypercars and one of the most expensive and fastest hyperbikes, go to an airstrip and put pedal to the metal. Let battle commence.

Australia has produced more than its fair share of racing greats on two and four wheels. Here, three of the best go head to head in their respective vehicles: Casey Stoner on his Honda MotoGP bike, Mark Webber in his Red Bull Formula 1 car and Jamie Whincup in his V8 Supercar. Five laps and the F1 car has to lap the other two before the finish line.

When production of Buell Motorcycles stopped in 2016, most thought that was the last we would see of the iconic American sports bike brand. Now, it’s new owners have confirmed that the production lines will re-start on November 1st, 2021, bringing new life to the American sports bike.

It’s been four years since the last update to Ducati’s SuperSport 950 platform, and now it’s on the receiving end of a fairly major rework ahead of MY2021. Tuned-up fairings enclose a more emission-compliant engine along with beefed-up electronics to complete the package. The SuperSport comes in the base 950 package, but if you’re a bona fide pegdragger, the 950 S version takes things up a notch or three.

What happens when you take the world’s fastest production bike, the Kawasaki H2R and put it up against a series of the fastest production cars in the world? Then why not throw in a car vs. fighter jet race as well?

The international launch of the new Yamaha R7 is under way and we get our first detailed look at the game-changing MT-07-based sports bike.

Kawasaki stepped up its game ahead of the 2020 model year with new body components, updated electronics, and a smoother-running engine for its Ninja 1000SX. The factory also tuned up the ergonomics to improve long-range comfort and even chucked on an adjustable clutch lever for a little bit of lagniappe. Improvements in rideability, control, and aesthetics join the liter-plus engine and Ninja pedigree to deliver a refined product to the masses.

Carlos Lago from Edmunds pits a brand new Tesla Model S Plaid, with 1000bhp against a Suzuki Hayabusa and a Kawasaki ZX-14R on the drag strip. We might be used to motorbikes pretty much destroying any supercar you care to mention but it seems that electricity might have the edge here.

First seen in 2013, Kawasaki’s Concept J took motorcycle design to the next level, with three wheel layout, shape shifting riding position and electric power. New details are emerging about the futuristic technology.

As the World Supersport Championship announces that 800cc triple-cylinder bikes will be eligible to run alongside the 600cc four-cylinder bikes, MV Agusta unveils an updated and track-focussed F3 RR.

Back in 1961, Yamaha entered the world stage of Grand Prix motorcycle racing. In 2021, the Iwata, Japan, based company is celebrating 60 years of Grand Prix success with a line up of special-liveried ’R’ models recalling the livery of those first racing motorcycles.

After a gap of almost 30 years, Norton came back to the Isle of Man TT races with the rotary-engined NRS588 race bike. Riding it was Steve Hislop and against him was the blunt brilliance of Carl Fogarty on a Yamaha OW01 750cc. What followed was one of the greatest TT races ever.

We all know that MotoGP bikes are the pinnacle of motorcycle engineering and the riders who tame them are the superheroes of the sport. They can reach 210mph on the straights but it is their performance in the corners that stretches credulity.