Superbike shootout: The tale of the tape

It’s that time of year again, when we take the best superbikes on the planet and put them through their paces, and this year our superbike shootout is more thorough than ever before. Over seven days we tested every aspect of each bike to find our 2017 superbike top dog.

The sportsbike class is more competitive than ever, with the all-new Honda Fireblade SP and Suzuki GSX-R1000R looking to knock last year’s winner – the Ducati 1299 Panigale S off the top spot. Alongside those three we had the new Kawasaki ZX-10RR, Aprilia RSV4 RF, Yamaha R1M and BMW S1000RR

TOP STORIES

• MCN Fleet: Yamaha R6 one month away!
• Event: Novice-only trackday with Chris Walker
• Ducati Scramblers available with £500 deposit contribution
• 6 motorcycle gifts you need in your life
• Thinking about temporary insurance?

We spent two full days putting the bikes through their paces at Rockingham Motor Speedway to find out which is the fastest on track – these bikes are sportsbikes after all.

Once the track riding was done we took the bikes on a two day road trip to Wales in torrential rain. They may be sportsbikes but they need to be able to cope with poor weather and bumpy UK roads – and the road trip certainly had plenty of both.

We also put the bikes through their paces at the drag strip – measuring 0-60mph times, top speed and braking performance before weighing them and strapping them to the dyno to see how much power they really make.

The specifications for all seven bikes are below – which do you think is the top dog for 2017?

To see the full results of our exhaustive road, track, and drag strip test, pick up a copy of the April 5 issue of MCN, out now.

	Engine: 1285cc 8v L-twin Power: 189bhp@10,500rpm Torque: 99ftlb@8500rpm Suspension: 43mm Ohlins NIX fork and single TTX shock. Electronic semi-active Brakes: 2 x 330mm front discs with Brembo four-piston M50 monobloc radial calipers. 245mm rear disc with twin-piston caliper. Tyres: 120/70×17 front. 200/55×17 rear. Weight: 196.2kg (kerb) Tank capacity: 17 litres Price: £21,995
	Engine: 999cc 16v inline four Power: 179bhp@12,500rpm Torque: 81ftlb@8750rpm Suspension: 43mm Ohlins NIX fork and single TTX shock. Electronic semi-active. Brakes: 2 x 320mm front discs with Brembo four-piston monobloc radial calipers. 220mm rear disc with twin-piston caliper. Tyres: 120/70×17 front. 190/55×17 rear. Weight: 195.2kg (kerb) Tank capacity: 16 litres Price: £19,125
	Engine: 999cc 16v inline four Power: 184bhp13,000rpm Torque: 83ftlb@9500rpm Suspension: 43mm Showa gas forks fully adjustable. Single Showa shock fully adjustable. Brakes: 2 x 320mm front discs with Brembo four-piston M50 monobloc radial calipers. 220mm rear disc with single-piston capiler. Tyres: 120/70×17 front. 190/55×17 rear. Weight: 204kg (kerb) Tank capacity: 16 litres Price: £16,099
	Engine: 999cc 16v inline four Power: 189bhp@13,500rpm Torque: 81ftlb@11,000rpm Suspension: 43mm Ohlins forks and single shock. Electronic semi-active. Brakes: 2 x320mm front discs with monobloc radial calipers. 220mm rear disc with twin-piston caliper. Tyres: 120/70×17 front. 190/55×17 rear Weight: 201kg (kerb) Tank capacity: 17 litres Price: £19,399
	Engine: 999.6cc 16v V4 Power: 192bhp@13,000rpm Torque: 84ftlb@9000rpm Suspension: 43mm Ohlins NIX forks fully adjustable. Single Ohlins TTX shock fully adjustable. Brakes: 2 X 330mm front discs with Brembo four-piston M50 monobloc radial calipers. 220mm rear disc with twin-piston caliper. Tyres: 120/70×17 front. 200/55×17 rear. Weight: 211kg (kerb) Tank capacity: 18.5 litres Price: £19,999
	Engine: 999cc 16v inline four Power: 191bhp@13,000rpm Torque: 86ftlb@11,000rpm Suspension: 43mm Sachs fork and single shock. Electronic semi-active. Brakes: 2 x 320mm front discs with Brembo four-piston monobloc radial calipers. 220mm rear disc with twin-piston caliper. Tyres: 120/70×17 front. 190/55×17 rear. Weight: 211.4kg (kerb) Tank capacity: 18.5 litres Price: £17,140
	Engine: 998cc 16v inline four Power: 191bhp@13,000rpm Torque: 83ftlb@11,000rpm Suspension: 43mm Showa gas forks fully adjustable. Single Showa shock fully adjustable. Brakes: 2 x 330mm front discs with Brembo four-piston M50 monobloc radial calipers. 220mm rear disc with single-piston caliper. Tyres: 120/70×17 front. 190/55×17 rear. Weight: 206kg (kerb) Tank capacity: 17 litres Price: £16,949

Looking for the perfect two-wheeled companion? Visit MCN Bikes For Sale website or use MCN’s Bikes For Sale App.