Motorcycles come in a variety of different flavors. For many gearheads, the simple thrill of speed and a roaring engine will get your heart going. Now take that factor and up the ante, because sportbikes will give you all that and then some. They are not for the faint of heart.
Of course, not all bikes are created equal. There is a unique group that commands attention and respect at every corner. To illustrate, we have compiled a list of the coolest special edition sportbikes ever.
Many of these extraordinary bikes are bred from world championship race bikes. They are in a separate league in the motorbike world. Performance, rarity, and brilliant engineering. We also pay homage to the machines from the homologation era. These superbikes were designed to take advantage of the World SuperBike racing rulebook which states manufacturers can only race bikes that are available for purchase.
14 Kawasaki Ninja H2R
Although the H2R is strictly a track bike, it is a beast of a machine and available for consumer purchase. Kawasaki introduced the world to this monstrous hyperbike in 2014. The 998-cc four-cylinder engine with a centrifugal-type supercharger is a superbike engineering miracle. The unique supercharger was crafted in house and designed to compress air with the least amount of heat. The numbers are staggering. It develops up to 20.5 psi of boost pressure, producing a maximum of 310 horsepower (230 kW) and 326 horsepower (243 kW) with ram air.
13 Bimota Tesi H2
Bimota is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer that is well-known for engineering the best racing chassis. The Bimota Tesi is not your average bike. Evidence can be found in that strange-looking front swing-arm. Instead of using forks for the front wheel, the Tesi has a hub-centered steering system.
Kawasaki—the company that brought us a supercharged hyperbike—acquired Bimota in an effort to save the failing company. They are working together to create the Bimota Tesi H2. Imagine harnessing the power of the H2 motor and combining it with the unique lightweight chassis from Bimota. It is a recipe for race engineering wizardry and we are all here for it!
12 Honda RC 213V-S
Honda released the RC 213V-S which is the street-legal version of the HRC championship race bike. If you don't already know, it is the bike that legendary riders like Casey Stoner and Marc Marquez have won races with. As you can imagine, the cost of owning a MotoGP street-legal bike is not cheap. Honda only made 250 of these special bikes and you will need to fork out at least $184,000 to get your hands on one.
11 Ducati Desmosedici RR
Ducati is known for using V-twin (L-twin) engines in their race bikes. So when the Desmosedici debuted in 2004 with the newly designed V4 motor, it was the start of a new era of race bikes for the Italian manufacturer.
Over 10 years have passed since the world was introduced to Ducati's new V4 racebikes. The Desmosedici RR is special because of that reason. It was the first MotoGP inspired bike that was available for sale to consumers. There were only 1,500 bikes produced and cost about $75,000. It still remains as one of the most sought after bikes by collectors.
10 Honda RC30
The Honda VFR750, affectionately known as the RC30, is the Godfather of homologation specials. It started it all. The RC30 was introduced to the Japanese market in 1987 and then went on to dominate the competition, taking home the WSBK championship title in 1988 and 1989.
Other motorcycle brands like Yamaha and Kawasaki realized they needed to create their own homologation bikes in order to win. Honda only built about 3,000 of these bikes, making it a rare classic that any collector needs in their garage.
9 Yamaha R7
The Yamaha OW-02 aka the R7 is one of the rarest special edition bikes in the world today. We are all familiar with the massively popular YZF-R6 and YZF-R1, but the elusive R7 is extremely hard to find. Yamaha only produced 500 of these bikes, the minimum amount needed for it to compete in WSBK. The supply was so limited, you had to be special to get on the waiting list and order one.
8 Honda RC45
Honda's RVF750R, better known as the RC45, was the successor to the beloved RC30. Both bikes shared the same V4 four-stroke motor but the RC45 was upgraded with fancy new electronic fuel injection. Honda built 200 of these bikes in 1994. The only year of production, making this another extremely rare bike.
7 Ducati Panigale V4 25th Anniversaro Edition
Starting with the original 916 in 1994 and then the subsequent 996 and 998 models, the Bologna beast celebrated 10 years of production in this iteration. This period marked a legendary rise to prominence for Ducati in the World Superbike Championship with 8 constructors titles and 6 riders championships.
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the iconic Ducati 916, this limited run of 500 bikes gets sprinkles of performance bits from the V4R. The iconic paint scheme is derived from Carl Fogarty’s 996 he rode to the World Superbike championship in 1999.
6 Moto Guzzi MGS-01 Corsa
The Moto Guzzi MGS-01 is a head-turner for sure. That is, if you ever get the opportunity to see one! In 2005 after Piaggio bought out Aprilia, which at that time held the rights to the Moto Guzzi brand, the sportbike project was ultimately cut and the MGS-01 never produced in the much anticipated street-legal trim.
However, around 150 bikes in race trim were produced before the project met its untimely demise. A far cry from the cruiser and standard designs that Moto Guzzi had become known for, the MGS-01 boasts sleek curves, top-shelf Ohlins suspension bits, and Brembo brake components.
5 Ducati 1299 Panigale R Final Edition
The Panigale R “Final Edition” is the last homage to an incredible era of sporting V-twin motorbikes produced by Ducati. Sporting a 2-cylinder engine, this bike will go down on record as the most powerful twin ever fully homologated. The Superquadro 1299-cc engine boasts 209 hp at 11,000 rpm and a healthy torque output of 104.7 ft-lbs.
Legends like Carl Fogarty and Troy Bayliss brought home unforgettable world championships on Ducati twins. This Final Edition Panigale R is the culmination of all of those years of development and the epitome of a V-Twin Superbike. Bellisima.
4 MV Agusta F4 Claudio
This limited-production run of 100 bikes is a gorgeous tribute to the late Claudio Castiglioni, the charismatic leader of MV Agusta. Indeed, Castiglioni’s name is synonymous in the motorcycling world with beautiful, innovative, and exquisite bikes. His partnership with the late, great designer Massimo Tamburini bore such fruit as the Cagiva Mito, Ducati 916, and the MV Agusta F4.
The F4 Claudio (or F4CC) does honor to his name with a laundry list of top-shelf components, World Superbike- rivaling performance, and just unmatchable aesthetics that MV Agusta has become known for. Power figures at 205 hp and 111 ft/lbs of torque along with a plethora of performance goodies place this bike in the ultra-superbike category. Still, it surely would do just as well in a glass box in the living room.
3 Ducati 848 Nicky Hayden Special Edition
Race in peace Nicky Hayden. The Kentucky Kid won the hearts of race fans all over the world with his humble beginnings that eventually lead to a successful career in both MotoGP and WSBK. Before the tragic accident that ended his life, Ducati released a special edition 848 bike in honor of Independence day.
The special edition with the Nicky Hayden livery was introduced at the Red Bull Grand Prix at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (now known as Weathertech Raceway). They created a limited amount and only sold it in the U.S. market.
2 Ducati 916 Carl Fogarty Special Edition
The Foggy replica is a tribute to the great racing legend Carl Fogarty and serves as a reminder to Ducati's dominance during the 90s. On the 916, he won 55 races and 4 championships. It became Ducati's flagship bike, making it one of the most iconic bikes in history.
1 Ducati V4 Superleggera
The V4 Superleggera is the most powerful street-legal bike ever produced by Ducati. Directly translating to “super light,” the Superleggera is the only road-going bike in the world with the entire load-bearing structure of the chassis made from carbon fiber. Other components found on this ultra-premium model range from titanium and aluminum to ultra-lightweight magnesium. All of this results in a claimed dry weight of 159 kg (350 lbs) in street trim!
With 220 hp on tap from an engine that is lighter than the standard V4, this gives the Bologna Bullet a power to weight ratio of 1.41 hp/kg. Only 500 units are being produced, and the cost of entry is steep at $100,000.