Ducati 1198
Thanks to a healthy dose of Italian design flair, Ducati has earned a reputation for creating the world’s most beautiful motorcycles, and the new for 2009 1198 shows that the company is definitely back on top form. And if you ever watch the world superbikes, you’ll know that Ducatis don’t just look pretty - they’ve got what it takes to win races. Based on a 1198cc (duh) twin cylinder engine, the bike puts out 170bhp and like all big twin cylinder motors it produces a massive amount of torque. With a dry weight of 171Kg, this stunning machine offers twice the power to weight ratio of a Ferrari Enzo at a fraction of the cost. Although, to be fair, you’d probably pick up a lot more chicks with an Enzo.
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Aprillia RSV4
Another stunning piece of machinery from Italy, the brand new RSV4 is one of the most agressive looking superbikes ever designed - it looks like it wants to punch you in the nuts and then take your girlfriend for a good hard ride. This bike uses an exotic 999cc V4 engine to deliver 182bhp, whilst keeping the weight down to a respectable 179kg, giving it a very slight power to weight advantage over the Ducati. If you want to see the RSV4 in action this year, Max Biaggi will be racing one in the 2009 world superbikes season.
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BMW HP2 Sport
The Germans might have a well deserved reputation for producing superbly engineered high performance cars, but their motorcycles are as boring as Belgium. With the HP2 Sport, they’re at least making an effort to be a little more exciting, although with the 1170cc Boxer twin motor pumping out just 130bhp, this bike isn’t exactly going to rock your crotch as hard as some of the others here. Still, if you’re a fan of sturdy German engineering, or you just want to buy a superbike that your grandmother can enjoy, this could be what you’re looking for.
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Buell 1125R
Like the Germans, the Americans aren’t really known for producing mental sports bikes. Buell traditionally turns out bad-ass muscle-bikes based on Harley-Davidson V-twin engines, which look pretty awesome but not so much with the cornering. The Buell 1125R represents the company’s first serious attempt to produce a balls-out sportsbike to compete with the Japanese screamers. Cranking out 146bhp and weighing in at 170kg, it’s certainly got some grunt, and with the right colour scheme the styling looks pretty good too.
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Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade
Sixteen years after Honda tore up the rulebook and redefined sportsbikes, the Fireblade continues to moisten panties around the world. The 2009 model styling might not be to everybody’s taste (we think the front end looks a little wierd) but you can’t question the pedigree, and the fact that the Fireblade still wins world superbikes races - this is the bike that changed everything, and for that we salute it. The engine is a howling 1000cc inline four-cyclinder lump that pumps out 175bhp - more than enough to hurl 199kg of bike down the road at a frightening pace.
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Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja
1000cc and 185bhp of bright green awesomeness.
“What bike do you ride?”
“Ninja.”
“Please bone my wife and daughters. And then me.”
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KTM RC8
Austrian manufacturer KTM is best known for its off-road bikes, and the RC8 is the company’s first entry into the superbike market, designed to compete directly with other European manufacturers like Ducati and Aprillia. With unique, razor-sharp styling and a gutsy 1148cc V-twin motor producing 151bhp, the RC8 is bound to win a lot of fans.
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MV Augusta F4 1078 RR 312
Some people think this is one of the most desirable bikes in the world, while others argue that the front end looks like a bucket of soapy frogs. But whatever you think of the styling you can’t argue with the 190bhp produced by this monster’s 1078cc inline four-cylinder engine which was designed with help from Ferrari Formula One engineers.
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Suzuki GSX-R1000
Widely regarded amongst superbike riders as the ultimate toy for lunatics, the GSX-R1000 is guaranteed to put an insane grin on your face (and to send you to an early grave if you don’t treat it with total respect). The 2009 model in the picture has only just been unvieled and Suzuki hasn’t released official bhp figures yet, but you can rest assured that it will be somewhere in the region of shit-loads.
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Triumph Daytona 675
By far the smallest capacity bike here, Triumph’s Daytona 675 is also a lot lighter than the others at just 162Kg, making it ideal for flicking around those narrow, twisty English country lanes. Its engine uses the three cylinder configuration favoured by the British manufacturer and produces 126bhp, giving it a power to weight ratio far higher than most super-cars. Easily the best thing made in Britain since the Spitfire.
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Yamaha YZF R1
When it was originally launched in 1998, Yamaha’s R1 moistened a record number of gussets with its groundbreaking power to weight ratio and game-changing handling, and since then it’s just got better and better. The 2009 model looks sharper than ever and features an all new 998cc inline four cylinder engine capable of producing 180bhp.
March 6th, 2009
23 Comments at "The 11 hottest superbikes in the world"
R1 Rulz
It’s one way to go to either hospital or the graveyard, foresure. This is to no fault of the machine or the manufactures, but due to the people that climb on them.
Uh….where is the Hayabusa?
Suzuki Hayabusa is also known as GSX1300R in some countries
i’m right here
um, i’m not on this list because i’m ugly… duh
Bucket of soapy frogs? I’ll keep my 1976 KZ900 LTD thanks. It does just fine when I put the spurs to her. Cruises at 80+. It’s cost? Priceless…
you throw the Buell in there, but forget the ZX14, Hayabusa, BMW S1000RR (granted not in production yet), Ducati Desmosedici RR, MV Agusta F4CC, MV Brutale? what did you do, google fast bikes? you must not know much or anything. and the RC8 looks awesome in all white
I only wanted to include one bike from each manufacturer to keep the list to a manageable length, and I wanted to focus on the generally accepted definition of a superbike - i.e. a cutting edge high performance race-derived machine with shit-hot handling.
The ZX14 and Hayabusa are touring bikes (I wouldn’t want to chuck either of them around a race track rather than any of the bikes on this list). A massive motor does not make a superbike.
I considered the MV F4CC, but decided to go with the newer F4 model because it incorporates many of the F4CC developments and it’s a more realistic proposition for the man in the street, even though it’s admittedly not quite as exotic.
The BMW S1000RR does look very nice, but you can’t buy it.
Although Jake has a point…. what a way to die!
Yamaha YZF R1
If i could afford this id have it in a heart beat
Hayabusa, zx14 and the brutale are not really superbikes as they are not really meant to be driven on track. As simple as that.
Well desmosedici should definitely be on that list.
awesome yaar,,,,,,,,,
damn that BMW S1000RR looks sick! also, good list. i think the HP2 is nice as well, except i can’t get over the fact that it’s shaft driven, as opposed to chain driven like the rest (except for the buell).
Dang.
How many of you are qualified to actually competently pilot any of these? Christ! It’s suicide to even consider riding ANY of those without years of experience. And in a way, they are a blessing to the species, because we are going to definitely thin the heard with this batch. Killing the stupid, clumsy, and wealthy off creating an evolutionary trickle down effect.
You mean “herd” not “heard”. Simpleton.
I’ll take the Kawi any day!
man. i dont even like crotch rockets in the first place so why would i like 11 more of them? plus, they all look the same, besides a few trim details and some framing.
sandwiche, you are an idiot.
sandwiche, why the fuck would you even look at this then? Go somewhere that people like you.
Nobody, I got on an R1 after under a year of experience and I am still alive. Fuck off.
ZX14s and Busas are fucking ugly. Too bad your dick is too small to care how they look, only their reputation.
who the fuck told that busa is ugly busa is a legend in itself
i own busa and i know what it has got
This is just a list of all the new bikes, not the hottest.
waou
Bucket of soapy frogs?Try hold 200bhp with one shit arm at 280 kmh tilted 45 degress to the left!
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