'Superbikes - 40 glorious years' on sale now

By MCN

Updated: 19 November 2014

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A new MCN special edition bookazine celebrating 40 years of the fastest motorcycles ever built is on sale in all good newsagents now.

‘Superbikes – 40 glorious years’ charts the evolution of the superbike from its beginnings in 1969 right through to the present day with a detailed look at over 50 bikes that pushed the limits and moved us forward.

It also includes features on the key performance-boosting technical milestones, superbikes in racing and a guide to superbike jargon and acronyms. Plus the latest crop of 2009 superbikes are ridden and rated.

The 130-page tribute to superbikes, with an exclusive foreword by Carl Fogarty, costs £6.99 from your local newsagent.

The early years: 1969-1979
“1969 was the year the superbike era began, heralding a decade of frantic development in the pursuit of power and performance.”

40 years of superbike technology
“Technical advances have allowed ever greater levels of performance. We examine five milestone developments.”

The eighties: 1980-1989
“Technology came to the fore as Kawasaki launched the ground-breaking GPz900R, Honda unveiled the legendary RC30 and Yamaha’s Exup superbike arrived.”

The class of 2009
“2009 has delivered a rich crop of superbikes from costly exotica to technical show-pieces. We put them all through their paces.”

The nineties: 1990-1999
“A decade when the Fireblade redefined the word ‘superbike’, Ducati’s iconic 916 arrived and Yamaha’s R1 moved it all to a new level.”

Sport – The flops!
“Some superbikes have blown away the opposition on track. Others have just blown their chances in spectacular fashion. Here are some of the most hapless title contenders for racing glory.”

The modern era: 2000-2009
“Rival Japanese manufacturers chased Yamaha’s R1 while Ducati, Aprilia, Benelli and KTM unveiled stunning European superbikes.”

Top speed milestones
“Nothing defines a superbike like its straight line performance. So here, for the schoolboy in all of us, is a brief top speed history of the superbike.”

By MCN