Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a sports bike and a Superbike? If you have, thankfully, you are not alone, and it’s a really valid question to be asking if you’re in the market for a new motorcycle, want to improve your general knowledge, or you just want some answers to some questions that have been sitting at the back of your mind for a while, hopefully everything you need, and some, is somewhere here, below. If, by the end of this article, you still don’t have what you need, then take a trip to a dealer near you for a chat;
Table of Contents
It’s not as clear as it might seem
If you’ve already looked into the matter, then like most people you’re probably none the wiser, or have mixed answers which is perfectly understandable, because there is a lot of misinformation about. Sadly, it’s part and parcel of, having something like the Internet. The great thing about the Internet is that anybody, and everybody can add almost anything they like to it, the problem with the Internet is… wait for it… just that! Anyhow, in an effort to clear things up and provide you with some facts, let’s look at the definitions between sport bikes and Superbikes.
Do, however bear in mind that, over the years the rules that determine the two have changed in line with safety and tech advancements, you could take a look at Wheels Motorcycles, as you’re reading, they’ve got various examples to show off. What’s more, the lineup is enhanced year upon year, so you might get an end of year bargain, or get your hands on an early release, if you’re lucky that is.
Officially undefined
When you think of a sports bike, or Superbike you might think of racing, and you wouldn’t be too far wrong, which leads us to the Auto Cycle Union (ACU), for short. The ACU was formed in the early 1900’s and is responsible for setting rules, regulations and guidelines associated with official motorcycle racing in the UK. Their responsibilities require them to oversee a wide variety of races throughout the British Isles, and the races could be on a temporary setting, like the Isle of Man TT which uses public roads that have been cordoned off for the purpose of the event, or a permanently fixed track, similar to Silverstone, or Brands Hatch.
To complicate things further, the races could be on almost any surface, a good example would be, the differences between that of motocross race and a high-speed race on tarmac where the riders lean so far to the side when going around corners that they have to wear knee protection due to their knees scraping on the track. Interestingly enough, there doesn’t appear to be any clear definition between a sport bike and a Superbike though. Hence the reason that there is a lot of mixed information flying around on blogs and social media platforms.
If they don’t know, then who does?
To find the answer, one has to travel a bit further than the British Isles and the ACU, on to the world scene and the World Superbike Association (WSBK) for short. The WSBK oversees all ‘Superbike’ specific races throughout the world and, although, according to a Chief Marshal of an American motorcycle governing body called MotoAmerica, the rules can vary slightly from country to country.
The overall consensus, though, is that there is no ‘real’ definition of a ‘Superbike’, it just so happens to be a suitable, productive use of the name for really powerful sport bikes, which could house an engine anywhere from 650cc upwards, the important things that contribute to the name are, simply the style, the power and the fact that they are not road worthy and, used for official racing.
Anything similar, that is road worthy may look almost identical, but will normally have an ‘R’ at the end of the model’s name, to let everybody know that it is a replica of a fully fledged racing machine. That’s not to diminish replica bikes because, usually they have the same power, but they are road worthy, allowing you to ride them on the roads, because they have things like indicators and various other features that are required by law in order to make them road safe.
Some prime examples
When it comes to motorcycles, they don’t come much better than brands like Suzuki, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Ducati to name but a few, although, these guys are probably the best of the best. Take the Suzuki GSX-R1000 (R) Phantom, notice the (R) at the end of the model’s name (GSX-R1000), the R at the end indicates that this machine is a road legal replica of the GSX-R1000 the GSX stands for ‘Grand Sport, Experimental’ the ‘R’ stands for ‘racing’ and, then the numbers 1000 tell us the power of the bike. Notice how they both have a 1000cc engine, so even though the GSX-R1000R is road going, it’s still technically a Superbike, capable of eating some Skylines, or Supra’s for breakfast, and come back for seconds!
If you travel a lot, you might also need specialised motorcycle shipping.
