There’s truly never been a better time to be a motorcycle enthusiast.
Modern engineering has created some amazing beasts that captivate the imagination. In fact, many motorcycles are faster than race cars were not that long ago. The fastest production motorcycles in the world would be able to beat even modern racecars on certain tracks, and when it comes to acceleration it’s rarely even a contest.
Let’s take a look at five modern motorcycles that are faster than race cars. Getting on the back of one of these is sure to provide an adrenaline rush like you’ve never experienced before.
Our Criteria: F1 Cars
For the sake of consistency, we need to compare these bikes to a specific type of race car. To do this, we are using modern F1 cars. According to Zero to 60 Times, a newer F1 hits 60 MPH in less than 2.7 seconds.
All of the bikes on our list will do the same or better, so let’s get started.
5. Yamaha R1
This Japanese manufacturer uses a forward inclined parallel four-cylinder DOHC, liquid-cooled engine in this bad boy. That’s what helps some years to hit 186 MPH as a top speed. More importantly, this bike can hit 60 mph in just 2.6 seconds thanks to the help of the 128.2 horsepower and not a lot of weight.
With simple mods you could see 200 HP easily. That’s what has made the Yamaha R1 one of the fastest motorcycles on Earth for nearly two decades. It’s a prime choice for those competing in road racing events in the United States and abroad, and that crossplane power from certain generations is incredible.
Check out how fast this bike is for yourself.
Of course, this superbike has more going for it than just speed. It also features a sophisticated Traction Control and Slide Control System, linked antilock brakes, anti-wheelie Lift Control System and Quick Shift System. Its Slide Control System was the first on a production motorcycle.
Information gets fed to the bike through its six-axis gyro and other sensors. This is done more than 100 times each second for maximum responsiveness.
Of course, you are going to spend near $17,000 to get on the back of this bike, but the rush is worth every penny since the Yamaha R1 is faster than an F1 car.
4. Honda CBR1100XX Blackbird
It might be older now, but just like the R1, this bike will hit 60 mph in just 2.6 seconds. Plus, it features a top speed of 190 MPH. It utilizes an 1137 cc, liquid-cooled four-cylinder that produces 153 horsepower. The trans on this bike is a close-ratio six-speed that helps it to shift fast.
This bike was one of the last contenders in the motorcycle speed wars of the 1990s and early 2000s. This was a time when major manufacturers were competing for bragging rights that their bike was the fastest motorcycle on Earth. Most modern sport bikes were born from the spirit of this savage competition.
Sadly, this bike hasn’t been in production since 2007 and we all miss it. Initially, it was created to rival the Ninja ZX-11, which it successfully did. Still, it only held the record as the fastest production motorcycle for two years. Then, the Hayabusa took the title.
Despite being older than the other bikes on this list, the Honda CBR1100XX Blackbird is still faster than a race car today.
While you aren’t going to find a new model to go racing with, you can buy one used. Depending on the condition, you might find one for less than $3k, but the majority of them seem to cost around $5k instead.
To be clear, you can buy a motorcycle that’s faster than an F1 car for just $5,000.
What a time to be alive.
3. Kawasaki Ninja H2
On the other side of the cost spectrum, we have the Ninja H2. The track-only version is currently the fastest production motorcycle in the world, but even the street legal version packs a serious punch.
This supercharged supersport hits 60 MPH in less than 2.9 seconds plus it features a top speed in excess of 225 MPH. It’s been in production since 2015 and it produces up to 210 horsepower with ram air.
With the H2 and H2R, it’s more about bragging rights than anything else. We don’t know a single person alive who would track one of these beasts and risk laying it down. That would probably end up being a $10,000 bill just to make the bike look decent again.
But boy, would it be fun.
There is a variable-speed centrifugal-style supercharger and the track-only H2R has even more horsepower. This bike also holds a few records. In fact, in 2018, it landed a speed record at the Bonneville Speedway.
Before I tell you the price, you might want to sit down. A brand new Ninja H2R runs $55,000! The street legal version is only $29,500. Only.
We don’t know too many people that have that kind of money for a motorcycle. However, we aren’t going to deny that we dream about owning one.
2. Suzuki Hayabusa
Taking second place in our journey of motorcycles that are faster than race cars is the venerated Suzuki Hayabusa, complete with Japanese writing on the side.
The fastest modified Hayabusas produce a top speed of 248 MPH and hit 60 MPH in under 2.5 seconds. The power comes from a 1340 cc, four-stroke, liquid-cooled DOHC engine that pumps out 197 horsepower. That’s paired with a six-speed transmission with constant mesh.
Even a stock Hayabusa can hit nearly 190 MPH, but the top speed of the Hayabusa was limited by an agreement between manufacturers. That relates to those motorcycle speed wars we talked about earlier.
By this time the companies had decided to stop all the madness and agree that certain speeds would cause panic among the public, or at very least would cause people to risk their lives attempting to reach those speeds.
Who in their right mind would think of attempting such a speed?
That’s right, everyone.
Because of the speeds, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol used the Suzuki Hayabusa as a pursuit vehicle. It featured a radar unit, police siren and light. There was a lot of great response from the community, so OHP bought two more to replace some Harleys in their fleet.
At this time, the bikes are mainly used for community outreach and public relations. If you are looking for a job in law enforcement, you might consider transferring to Oklahoma.
A new Hayabusa costs about $15k, which is reasonable considering the power you receive and the fact that a Hayabusa is way faster than a modern F1 car.
1. Suzuki GSX-R1000
Wait, a 1000 has defeated the mighty Hayabusa?
There’s a 1000 on the top of this list? How in the world?
Hold your horses, fanboys.
The GSXR 1000 tops our charts because the fastest ones hit 60 MPH in just 2.35 seconds. Not only that, it features a top speed of 173 MPH.
It has been in production since 2001 and replaced the GSX-R1100. Power comes from the liquid-cooled 999 cc inline four-cylinder engine that’s known the world over.
This bike also holds many championship titles. It was the winning bike during the 2005 Superbike World Championship season and the 2006 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup season among others.
MSRP on a brand-new Suzuki GSXR-1000 hovers right around $15,000. That’s pretty good considering how much faster the GSXR is than a modern race car.
With a zero to 60 time of just 2.35 seconds, a stock Suzuki GSXR-1000 accelerates more than 3/10 of a second faster than a modern F1 car. That earns it the top spot on our list of 5 Modern Motorcycles that are Faster Than Race Cars.
What’s your favorite superbike?
At the end of the day, many sports bikes are capable of beating race cars in acceleration.
Do you have a favorite that we didn’t list?
We would love to hear about the models you are passionate about. Leave us a comment and we might feature it in another article.
About the Author
Brian Jones is an ASE Certified Master Tech that lives outside of Dallas, TX with his wife and children. He has a passion for old muscle cars, big pickup trucks and anything motorsport related. In his spare time, he does a lot of traveling and writing for dealerships across the country through CarBlogWriters.com.