The philosophy behind the Superbike category, which was created half-way through the 1970s, was to race bikes that were very powerful but were in any case similar to production models on sale to the general public.
The possibility for the general public to identify themselves with the bikes in this championship that were so close to production models has been the basis for the success of the Superbike category.
These are some of the most powerful and fastest Superbikes available in the market ranked by its maximum speed:
The Suzuki GSX1300R, also known as the Hayabusa, is a hypersport motorcycle introduced by Suzuki in 1999. It has a 1299 cc inline-4 engine rated 175 bhp (129 kW), and was consistently tested as the fastest production motorcycle in the world. The name Hayabusa is the Japanese term for the Peregrine Falcon, known for its speed, and perhaps a joke at the expense of the Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird which was the fastest production motorcycle prior to the Hayabusa: the Peregrine Falcon is a predator of the common blackbird.
Honda CBR 1100 XX Super Blackbird is a sport-touring motorcycle built by Honda. It combines big engine power, Easy operational error-tolerance with touring comfort. The Blackbird production started in 1997 and the last year of production was 2006. The Blackbird was the result of Honda's attempt to build the world's fastest production motorcycle, stealing the crown from Kawasaki.
MTT Turbine Superbike, also known as Y2K Turbine Superbike, is the world's second wheel driven motorcycle powered by a turbine engine, created by Ted McIntyre of Marine Turbine Technologies Inc. Powered by a Rolls Royce Allison 250 series turboshaft engine, producing 238kW (320hp), this motorcycle has a recorded top speed of 227 mph (365 km/h), with a price tag of US$150,000. It is recognized by Guinness World Records as the "Most powerful production motorcycle" and the "Most expensive production motorcycle".Unlike other contemporary motorcycles(such as the Hayabusa), 2001 and later models of MTT Turbine SUPERBIKE do not have the 300 km/h speed limit self-imposed by Japanese manufacturers.
The Yamaha YZF-R1 motorcycle, introduced in 1998, was the first significant motorcycle in the true litre class (1,000 cc) "handling arms race" between the Japanese Big Four motorcycle manufacturers (Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha). When introduced, it took the class closer to a true racing motorcycle, and increased the handling capabilities.
