The pursuit of speed can be traced back to ancient civilizations. The Greeks pushed the limits of the human body at the Olympic games. The discovery of horseback riding gave the animal a new purpose as a fast method of transportation.
During the Roman Empire, chariot racing was one of the most popular sports. Circus Maximus, the largest chariot racing stadium built in Rome, allowed over 150,000 spectators to enjoy the show. In some ways, chariot racing can be considered the world’s first motorsport.
The invention of the motorcycle would take place nearly two millennia later when Daimler and Maybach created a “Riding car” in 1885. Since then, technological advancements have progressed rapidly, with several production models capable of breaking the 186 mph barrier.
The Gentlemen’s Agreement
The 1990s are viewed with nostalgia, seen as the golden era of the bike and automobile industry. The safety and emission standards could not keep up with the rapid technological breakthroughs.
Despite being blessed with some of the best production and racing bikes ever created, the growing concerns about safety and the rise in accidents marked the end of the era. Manufacturers formed a gentlemen’s agreement to limit all future sport bikes to a top speed of 186 miles per hour.
The artificial limitation of top speed makes it much more challenging to establish the criteria for the fastest sportbike. Failing to mention them would be a disservice to the engineers and workers that have built these bikes to be not only the fastest, but also the safest and most maneuverable.
Sport Bike Criteria
The sportbike class doesn’t have a clear definition, but it needs to be a production-built road-legal vehicle to be deemed fitting. This greatly restricts the candidates for the fastest sportbike, as concepts, prototypes, and track bikes are not included in the conversation. Still, we will briefly mention a few that have made a significant impact in the world of motorcycles.
Ack Attack has been purpose-built to break the motorcycle land-speed record. The design has more resemblance to a wingless fighter jet than a bike and weighs 2,000 pounds. With over 1000 horsepower delivered from two turbocharged 79.3 cubic-inch inline-four engines, it set the record speed of 394.084 miles per hour.
The Dodge Tomahawk is infamous for being known as the fastest sport bike ever made. Built as a concept with only nine units, it was never officially tested. Dodge changed the top speed several times, from 420 mph to over 300mph, finally settling on “nearly 400 miles per hour.” Many experts expressed strong doubts about these claims.
Kawasaki Ninja H2R has been falsely labeled as the fastest sport bike by many websites. It set an unofficial speed record of 250 miles per hour and is undoubtedly one of the fastest bikes ever made. The Ninja H2R doesn’t meet the criteria as a dedicated closed-course sportbike, but its road-legal variant in the Ninja H2 does.
The Kawasaki Ninja H2
Even though it is a less powerful version of the Ninja H2R, the Kawasaki Ninja H2 still set the highest top speed for a road-legal sportbike.
On August 12, 2018, Shigeru Yamashita and Team 38, consisting of Kawasaki employees, set a record speed of 202.743 mph at the Bonneville Speedway. Just three days later, they managed to beat their own record by reaching 209.442 mph.
Record management was performed by the Southern California Timing Association, a reputable non-profit organization. Team 38’s Kawasaki Ninja H2 entered the measurements under the P-PB 1000 class for supercharged bikes with an engine displacement of under 1,000 cubic centimeters and with limited modifications.
To make the Ninja H2R road-legal, Kawasaki replaced track-only wings with rearview mirrors and the carbon body fiber panels with plastic. Most of the engine components remained the same, with the exception of the head gasket, exhaust system, cam profile, timing, and clutch.
Power comes from a 60.9 cu in inline-four engine with a four-valve, dual overhead cam, and a two-speed centrifugal supercharger. The supercharger remained the same, and it is seemingly a big reason why Ninja H2 has a power output of 200 horsepower, while the Ninja H2R has 310. Although an official top speed for the stock model is unknown, with minor modifications, the H2 can easily cross 186 miles per hour.
Summary
The Kawasaki Ninja H2 (and its track-only counterpart Ninja H2R) has held the title as the world’s fastest sportbike since 2015. The gentlemen’s agreement has deterred most manufacturers from competing with the Ninja, but even those that have ignored the agreement failed to reach the same speed.
An honorable mention goes to the first generation of Suzuki Hayabusa. Powered by a 79.3 cu in inline-four, it could reach a top speed of 194 miles per hour. What is even more impressive is that the record was set in 1999, and it took 19 years for the Ninja H2 to surpass it officially.
If you have learned something new, feel free to let us know, and take a look at the other articles to find out more about the world of motorbikes!
