A motorcycle that redefines parameters set in terms of performance and handling only comes along every handful of years. And based on what detail is known of the impending release of the Kawasaki H2, it will be one of those motorcycles. But sportsbikes are where innovation typically makes its way from R&D departments, usually in racing, to production motorcycles you buy off the showroom floor. Things like single-sided swingarms, slipper clutches, radial-mounted brakes, electronic steering dampers, traction control, to name a few, have made their way from the racetrack to showroom. Other motorcycles redefine the norm, and are just as deserving of kudos as the bikes that bring new technology to the street. Bikes like Kawasaki’s ZX-6R 636 that, with no class to race in, was a supersport machine purely for road riders. Bikes like Aprilia’s RS250 and first Honda CBR1000RR spurred a move towards grand prix-influenced design, MV Agusta’s F4 was as much art as performance, while Yamaha’s big-bang engine R1 and Triumph’s 675 Daytona made the world sit up and take notice that there is success in engine formats outside of what is regular. On the back of building anticipation of what Kawasaki’s Ninja H2 will be, we look at the modern-day sportsbikes that have shaped the production sportsbike market to what it is today.

Source: Supplied.

1. 1992 Honda NR (RC40):
Yes, it was a limited production model, but it had a big point to make 22 years ago. This was the machine that showcased Honda’s technologies at the time: carbon-fibre bodywork, sprag clutch (predecessor to the slipper clutch), underseat exhaust, PGM-FI fuel injection and upside down forks were just a taste for what was to come for the sporstbike world. Its V4, oval piston engine was complex and not fast enough, the bike was heavy and expensive. The NR was ahead of its time and two years later the RC45 brought a lot of these technologies, immensely improved, to production.

Source: Supplied.

2. 1992 Honda CBR900RR:
The original Fireblade, designed by Tadao Baba, is legendary. Lighter and more powerful than any litre bike at the time, the original Blade was only a couple of kilos heavier than a supersport at the time. This is the machine that required everyone else go lighter, faster and, ultimately, better handling as a result.

Source: Supplied.

3. 1994 Ducati 916:
Sharing a lot of design influences of the Honda NR, Ducati’s 916 is one of the most influential motorcycle designs of all time. More compact, adjustable and beautiful than ever previously imagined, the traditional Ducati trellis frame was moved into the 21st century with the aid of R&D from then company owner Cagiva’s research centre (CRC) on the back of its experience in grand prix. The Ducati four-valve V-twin was an evolution of a design traceable back to the late 70s and, in an evolved form, still powers most of the Ducati range until this day.

Source: Supplied.

4. 1997 Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird:
Built to be the world’s fastest production motorcycle, the Blackbird was the catalyst for an era of uber-fast production motorcycles as Suzuki and Kawasaki later retaliated. Fast, good handling and comfortable, the Blackbird was the speed machine of its day but it would soon end with the introduction of thre hayabusa two years later.

Source: Supplied.

5. 1998 Yamaha YZF-R1:
The 98 R1 was a paradigm change in chassis packaging, handling and engine performance. Like the Blade six years earlier, the R1 was as big as a supersport. The R1’s chassis was compact thanks to a stacked gearbox and super light as it used the engine as a stressed member. This was the perfect platform for the stonking five-valve per cylinder inline four and the bike quickly gained a reputation as being the wild child of the sportsbike world.

Source: Supplied.

6. 1999 Suzuki Hayabusa:
This is a machine that signified a new era for a company, a new direction in style and a new benchmark in outright performance. The master of speed and radical aerodynamic styling, the Busa went for Honda’s ‘fastest production motorcycle’ scalp and took it. In doing so, Suzuki created a motorcycle with an almost unprecedented cult following. It’s design has stood the test of time and today’s model still has the feel of the original though much evolved over the past 15 years.

Source: Supplied.

7. 2001 Suzuki GSX-R1000K1:
On the back of great success with the Hayabusa just a few years earlier, and a misfire with the TL1000R to end Ducati’s 916-996 dominance, Suzuki needed a superbike to match it with the then current crop 1000cc machines. With a superb GSX-R600 and 750 already in production, Suzuki drew on their bike-handling expertise – somewhere the R1 was lacking – and worked wonders with a stonking new 1000cc powerplant. Better handling than the other litre bikes, and more powerful, the GSX-R went to the forefront of production superbikes on road and track.

Source: Supplied.

8. 2008 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade:
While the first 1000cc Fireblade brought a host four-stroke era MotoGP technologies to the street in 2004, the 2008 Fireblade was a hugely revamped model with much of the focus on handling and engine control. Like the 916, YZF-R1 and GSX-R1000 did years earlier, this machine’s handling and engine control could not be beat. It was refinement par excellence. Arguably other manufacturer’s attempts to achieve the characteristics of the Blade ushered in a new era in electronics was about to be realised.

Source: Supplied.

9. 2009 Aprilia RSV4 Factory:
Ultra-compact, with a great amount of chassis adjustability and new electronics, the RSV4 Factory felt like the result of four years work of the defunct MotoGP team. There’s no doubting the level of R&D that had gone into making this machine the ultimate superbike for the road and a World Superbike Championship in their second year is testament to that. Grand prix R&D had gotten closer to the real-world than ever before.

Source: Supplied.

10. 2009 BMW S 1000 RR:
BMW nailed it on their first go at a production superbike. Great power, handling and electronics are the hallmarks initially of the S1000RR that other manufacturers have all followed suit with in the past five years. Using their experience with ABS, they threw it on their new superbike and made it work, and work well. Combined with the other rider aids, it instantly made the S 1000 RR the superbike that anyone could ride.