How much better can one really make today’s liter-class sportbikes? Stock machines are now capable of turning the dyno with as much as 180 rear-wheel horsepower and in some cases come standard with trick bits like traction control, Ohlins suspension and carbon fiber bodywork. Even the cheapest of modern big-bore sportbikes make upward of 160 hp and feature parts that put a decade-old factory Superbike to shame. Thus, is it even worth the time and money to modify your literbike for street or track use these days? Let’s find out...
For this three-way motorcycle comparison we added varying levels of performance modifications to three of today’s hottest sportbikes – from totally stock, to modified street bike, to fully-kitted Superbike. As for the bikes, we made sure to include one of each popular sportbike engine type – a traditional Japanese Inline-Four and a pair of Italians Vs – one a V-Twin and the other a V-Four – each class-leading in their respective categories.
For this three-way motorcycle comparison we added varying levels of performance modifications to three of today’s hottest sportbikes – from totally stock, to modified street bike, to fully-kitted Superbike. As for the bikes, we made sure to include one of each popular sportbike engine type – a traditional Japanese Inline-Four and a pair of Italians Vs – one a V-Twin and the other a V-Four – each class-leading in their respective categories.
Aprilia’s all-new RSV4 Factory remains untouched, coming in as one of the most anticipated and hyped sportbikes to hit U.S. shores in the past decade. The Suzuki GSX-R1000 gets a host of Yoshimura modifications, while Ducati’s 1098R hits the track with nearly everything Ducati Performance sells – this is the bike for the guy who has everything and wants more. A true track-only Superbike.
As for costs, both the stock Aprilia and modified Suzuki come in at roughly 20-large, while the Ducati tips the scales at an if-you-have-to-ask-you-can’t-afford-it 70-grand. To put them through the paces we took all three to the ultra-fast Willow Springs International Raceway, the perfect place to let these high-horsepower steeds stretch their legs. Our VBox data acquisition system was also fitted to each to bring you as much juicy track-based information as possible. That was followed up with quarter-mile performance and dyno testing, as well as usual weights and measurements.
Now we know that by modifying each to different degrees as well as different price points opens an endless can of worms for criticism and backlash. Why pick one bike to modify over the other? What would happen if the shoe were on the other foot?...etc, etc. It’s for this reason that while we have done more than enough data to pick a winner, due to the massive differences of each bike, this will be a comparison, not a shootout; the winner would be too far to cost-biased. Think of it as three separate full-tests all bunched into one. Then you be the judge and jury as to what best fits your wants and needs, as well as your pocketbook – we’re just showing you the hard data and rider opinions to help you decide.
