Sportbikes are designed for high speeds, tight corners, and pushing the envelope. Good ones need to be true track-focused machines, but still be able to do the job on the street. The best sportbikes need to be able to do both well.
With all that said, I wanted to pull together a list of the absolute best sportbikes out there on sale right now. These are the good ones that you should consider if you want to very best sportbike the world has to offer.
1. Ducati Panigale V4
Ducati’s Panigale V4 is the sharp end of the stick for the Italian company and the pinnacle of what the brand stands for. The motorcycle features a V4 90-degree engine with a displacement of 1,103cc. That engine makes 214 hp at 13,000 rpm. Pair that with the top-quality sport suspension and Brembo brakes and you have a bike that is fantastic for road riding or the racetrack. Ducati sells various versions of the bike and they get more extreme (and expensive) as you climb the ladder. Any of them will provide you with all the thrilling performance you need, honestly.
- Company Website
- Price: $21,995
2. Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R
Kawasaki’s sportbike lineup of bikes is amazing. The Ninja 1000 is a fantastic sportbike, but the ZX-10R is the best bike in the lineup in my opinion. Yes, the Ninja H2 is the bike you can get if you need insane amounts of power, but I see the ZX-10R is the sweet spot in the Kawasaki lineup. The bike features a four-cylinder liquid-cooled 998cc fuel-injected engine that makes about 200 hp. It has a six-speed transmission with quick upshifting. The bike also gets some impressive sport suspension and Brembo brakes with Kawasaki’s Intelligent Braking system. The fact that it’s only a little over $16K helps it stand out, too.
- Company Website
- Price: $16,099
3. BMW S 1000 RR
The BMW S 1000 RR is a bike that I find particularly handsome. It’s the sportbike that sits at the top end of the Bavarian company’s sport lineup. The motorcycle is no joke and on par with the other literbikes in this segment. The engine is a liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder that’s fuel-injected and makes 205 hp. Power gets to the wheel via a six-speed gearbox. The motorcycle also has some of the best sporty suspension and brakes out there. You can get the M Package, too, which adds M performance wheels, battery, seat, and more.
- Company Website
- Price: $16,995
4. Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP
Okay, this one isn’t out yet and isn’t a 2020 motorcycle. It’s technically a 2021 model year bike, but the thing is that Honda will begin deliveries of these in June of 2020, so I’m counting it. It’s the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP. Despite having a dumb convoluted name, the bike should be an insane machine. Honda is here to compete in the literbike segment now. The motorcycle features an engine pulled from Honda’s MotoGP Champion RC213V racing motorcycle. It’s a 999cc liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder engine that’s fuel-injected and makes a claimed 215 hp. Pair that with Ohlins electronic suspension and Brembo Stylema brakes, and the CBR1000RR-R will take it to everything else out there.
- Company Website
- Price: $28,500
5. Yamaha YZF-R1
I can’t leave the Yamaha YFZ-R1 off a list of the best sportbikes on sale. It has been right up at the top since the latest generation bike hit the showrooms. There’s no denying that this is a killer machine. The motorcycle features a 998cc liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder engine that’s fuel-injected and makes 200 hp. That engine is mated to a six-speed transmission with a slipper clutch. The KYB suspension and impressive brakes help make this a seriously impressive machine.
- Company Website
- Price: $17,399
Are there other great sportbikes out there? Yes, of course. There are even great sportbikes under 500cc. You definitely don’t have to go with one of the best sportbikes I’ve listed here, but if you want the best of the best out there, then these are the motorcycles you should choose. I’ll cover smaller displacement sportbikes and middleweight sportbikes in future articles.
