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When it comes to Superbikes, the criteria when deciding the best bike has to be power, handling, aesthetics and pure excitement. Keeping that in mind I have compiled this list of the best superbikes (in my opinion!) of the 2021. Let’s begin!
6. Suzuki GSX-R 1000
The legendary Gixxer. Suzuki has been amongst the best manufacturers for a long time, and this year is not a exception. It’s a solid performer year after year, but it has fallen to the same trap as couple other manufacturers and has been relying on their old reputation too much. That has lead Suzuki not developing their top-of-the-range sportbike enough.
Although capable bike, the gixxer also has a reputation of not being the easiest bike to control and well, unpredictability when going 250 km/h is not something you really want from a superbike.
5. Kawasaki ZX-10R
Kawasaki is one of those manufacturers from the land of the rising sun that just doesn’t know how to make a bad bike. The completely overhauled 2021 ZX-10R is not an exception to the rule. It has all the latest technology from the Kawasaki race bikes from the SBK Championship. Engineers at Kawasaki have managed to squeeze the magic limit, 200 horsepower from the bike by using a new kind of valve train with finger followers and a totally new state-of-the-art exhaust system.
To keep up with the competition you have 6-axis IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit. I know, the terms here start to resemble more space ship than a motorbike), cornering ABS and up/down quickshifter built-in. For the aerodynamics part the ZX has spent countless hours in the wind tunnel, and as a result Kawasaki claims that the new winglet solution and alike produce 17% more downforce than the previous years bike.
When evaluating the ZX-10R we also shouldn’t forget that the bike is the base for the +400 hp H2R, which frankly speaking would need it’s own article to cover..
4. Yamaha YZF-R1
Yamaha is an another solid performer year after year. It’s 5 Constructors Championships in the MotoGP speak volumes of the quality that Yamaha holds in its production.
As with many other manufacturers The R1 got a totally new looks couple years ago and along with that they upped the power output. The latest R1 is powered by a 998cc crossplane crank inline-four, that produces 198 BHP. That is just a little shy of the 200 magic limit which top of the line bikes now have. Not to say that that Yamaha is slow by any means, but sportbikes being as flamboyant as they come, when the industry sets some new unofficial standards they become the new unspoken norm.
After all, Yamaha is a killer bike and even though it certainly isn’t cheap, it’s way more affordable than some other bikes on this list. The base model comes in around 18000$ and the race-spec R1M around 26000$. If you can afford that, who really wouldn’t want to roleplay being the one and only #46?
3. Ducati Panigale V4
The all new Panigale V4 is so good on many levels. The Italians have really thought outside the box and tried all kinds of new solutions on this bike. The vicious heart of this bike is a 1,103 cc Desmosedici Stradale 90° V4, and it is capable of 215 BHP at 13,000 RPM. But the power is nothing if the chassis is not on-par with the motor. Therefore V4S’s massive power output is paired with active suspension by Öhlins. On top of that the all new throttle-by-wire system adjust to rider inputs and the bike has accelerometers that tracks the bike along six axes. It makes real time adjustments to the suspension which makes the bike ride unbelievably good.
As with all bikes even the Ducati has downsides. One of the biggest is being the build quality, which historically speaking hasn’t been that great. The Italians are so ambitious, they often put technology on their bikes that is not sure to work after a while of vigorous riding.
2. BMW S1000RR
Since way back in the 2009 when S1000RR first hit the market, it has been pushing boundaries and re-inventing the sportbike genre. It took almost 10 years from the other manufacturers to get their game on-par with the BMW.
What then makes S1000RR so special? European sophistication, massive amounts of power, sleek looks, electrical suspension and other quirks play a crucial role. Speaking of the electrical quirks, that’s stuff that nobody wouldn’t even dream on having on a bike circa 2010. BMW did something to superbikes that all the other manufacturers had to follow suit if they wanted to even be in the same ballpark. All this combined makes the S1000RR not only a beast on the track, but unbelievably easy to control and surprisingly nice to ride in lower speeds and city centres. Some could say it’s the perfect SuperBike. Added bonus is that they finally changed the asymmetrical headlights, which made so many people not like the looks of the bike.
Price of one these bad boys is right in the middle of the superbike spectrum. The starting price for the base model S1000RR is 17000$, but as a typical German product, the price starts to jump with the extras. Beefed-up-on-steroids M1000RR will set you back 33000$.
1. Honda CBR 1000 RR-R
The golden spot has to go to the Honda and not least because of the unbelievable change they managed to perform on the Fireblade in recent years. Once a pioneer, the fireblade had stagnated for years. It had quite modest power output, the looks were tad bit outdated and Honda wasn’t doing really anything much about it. Honda was going the same way as aforementioned Suzuki. It all changed in 2017 when at Fireblades 25th birthday Honda revealed an all new bike with many improvements. Then in 2020 they came out with a bang with the Fireblade RR-R and the whole world was taken aback. Honda had managed to pull off one of the all time comebacks. They were right there amongst the best with the power, handling, looks and all the electronic software.
The heart of the RR-R is a 999cc inline-four motor which produces 215 BHP. Sounds like a lot of power? One of the reason for that is that the motor shares the same bore and stroke of the RC213V race engine, which is used in the MotoGP. Active Öhlins suspension and racing-grade Brembo ABS braking lend you a helping hand when controlling that massive power. At the end of the day, this bike is one the most aerodynamically stable bikes ever made.
The only downside comes with the price. Honda used to be on the most affordable side of the supersports. That will be a distant memory going forward, as the new top of the line Triple R’ will set you back almost 30 grand. Thats is insanely lot of money for a motorbike, but in the other hand you are getting a street legal MotoGP bike and is that really something you can put a price tag on?
One also can’t forget that from the last 10 of the Constructors Champions in MotoGP, 8 has been handed to Honda. That speaks volumes of the build quality, skill and devotion to the sport. When the RR-R Fireblade is essentially the same track machine as what they use in the motoGP, one could not go wrong with choosing a Honda.
Conclusion
As stated before, there are no bad bikes in this list. All of them being such capable machines, you are bound to be happy rider with any of them. However we all have our own preferences, wants and needs and that’s why I want to hear your opinions. What is your pick? Which bike do you think is the best superbike of 2021? Let me know in the comments below!
And as always, Ride Safe.
