All Fast Bikes Are Not Superbikes –But They All Need Discipline

Riding a superbike or even a fast sports bike requires special training and discipline. It’s not for everyone.

The Ducati 959 Panigale would be classified as a superbike. 

Photo: Ducati India

Every time a rider crashes on a fast bike, the bikes are blamed for, well, being fast. And then, if the bike has an engine capacity over a couple of hundred cc or has a multi-cylinder engine, it is called a superbike.

Fact is, not all fast bikes are superbikes. Neither are all multi-cylinder motorcycles superbikes. At best, the can be called sports bikes. A few days ago, a 24-year-old biker died after he crashed his Benelli TNT 600i. Reports called it a superbike, which it clearly is not. It is a mid-capacity motorcycle – a sports bike at best. It is technically called a middleweight street fighter design.

The Benelli TNT 600i is a mid-capacity street-fighter bike. (Photo: DSK Benelli India)

The Benelli TNT 600i is a four-cylinder 600 cc motorcycle that puts out 82 bhp of power and 54 Nm of torque, with a six-speed transmission. The bike is capable of hitting a top speed of just over 200 kmph, accelerating from 0-100 in just about 5 seconds. ABS is optional though.

What Is a Superbike?

The Hayabusa is a 1.3-litre superbike. Photo: Suzuki Motorcycles

So what exactly is a superbike? While there is no clear definition as such for a superbike, general acceptance of the term is for motorcycles over 800 cc. Again, it does not apply universally to all bikes. There are large capacity cruiser motorcycles that cannot be called superbikes.

To adhere to the unofficial definition of a superbike, not only should a bike have a large capacity engine, it should have sporty handling, have high-performance brakes, and likely adjustments for the suspension and engine management system.

Does Riding a Superbike Require Special Skills?

A woman riding a Honda CBR1000 RR Fireblade in an advanced level group, at the race track. (Photo: iStock)

A couple of years ago the Ministry of Road Transport in India was reportedly looking at a separate licence category for bikes over 500cc. However, that proposal has not yet been implemented. In other countries, there are different licence categories, depending on the cubic capacity of the motorcycle. In the UK, you need to hold an A2 licence – a licence for bikes under 500 cc or up to 46 bhp – for two years before you can get an unrestricted A licence.

Also read: India’s roads are unsafe as only 41% have taken a driving test

The US and UK offer advanced bike riding courses and certificate programmes before you can ride your superbike on the road. This is to familiarise you with the handling of these bikes and make you a safer rider. There is no such course in India, and the country could do well to have such a certification programme. Wait, it would actually do well to have a proper foolproof driving licencing system in place first.

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