The 6 Fastest Road Bikes For £3000

Suzuki Hayabusa: 190mph, £3000

The Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde, Bugatti Veyron and Suzuki Hayabusa were all designed with a common goal, to be the fastest machines in their respective sector. Before the Hayabusa was released in 1999, the fastest production motorcycle was the legendary 176mph CBR1100XX Super Blackbird. The Blackbird had gained critical acclaim for managing to be a reliable sports tourer and a supercar destroyer all at the same time. As far as automotive journalists were concerned, the Honda was the pinnacle of Japanese engineering. So you can imagine the response when Suzuki released its 175bhp and 190mph Hayabusa in 1999; the automotive press went into collective meltdown.

Suzuki had managed to move the goalposts forward by a massive 14mph (176mph plays 190mph), promptly taking the title of the ‘world’s fastest production bike’. The motorcycling world had never seen anything like it.

One of the keys to achieving that groundbreaking top speed was the 175bhp 1299cc liquid cooled inline-four engine. The motor itself wasn’t actually that technologically advanced, but unlike other engines of that period, the fuel injection is smooth and refined - impressive considering the power on tap. The engine was also over engineered, which is good news for second-hand buyers as faults are very rare.

On the aesthetic front, the ‘Busa has come in for some criticism due to its bulbous and ungainly fairing. However, that huge fairing does allow the bike to reach its top speed and it keeps the rider well protected from wind blast. It certainly is a case of function over form.

You can pick one of the early examples up for around £3000, but if you’re looking for a clean and well maintained example, expect to pay closer to £4500.

Suzuki GSX-R1000 K1: 186mph, £2500

The Suzuki GSX-R1000 K1 was a real game changer when it was unveiled back in 2001. The 1998 Yamaha R1 had been dominant on road and track since its release, but the K1 effectively blew it out of the water. The Suzuki won every group test, dominated almost every domestic superstock championship, and even triumphed at the fearsome Isle of Man TT.

Much of this success was down to the K1’s 160bhp, 1000cc inline-four, and even today the motor is still surprisingly strong. The bike was also lighter than all of its competitors, weighing in at an impressive 170kg. These two elements resulted in a machine that could rocket up to an easy 180mph.

Unfortunately, like most Suzukis of the period, the bike does suffer from a few build quality problems. Paint is pretty cheap and the bikes are prone to rust. The gearbox and clutch can also be a problem after heavy track use, so it’s worth finding a clean example.

The brakes are also well outdated so we would recommend braided lines, fresh fluid, racing pads and a Brembo brake master cylinder (I have fitted one to my K8 Suzuki GSX-R 600 and the improvement in stopping power and feel is well worth the money). The market hasn’t really woken up to the idea that these bikes might be future classics, so buy one now while prices are still cheap!

Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird: 176mph, £2000

Before the Suzuki Hayabusa came along, the CBR1100XX was the daddy. In the same vein as the Suzuki, the Blackbird was designed to best the fastest bike of the day, the 175mph Kawasaki Ninja ZX-11; which it did. With a class-leading 164bhp, liquid cooled 1137cc four-cylinder engine, the Blackbird pipped the green machine by a measly 1mph. But that was enough to make it the fastest production motorcycle in the world.

However, don’t be fooled into thinking that the bike is particularly ‘sporty’. Weighing around 223kg the Blackbird is quite portly by modern standards, and hustling it down a fast road would take some effort. The bike is best viewed as a fast and capable ‘sports tourer’.

Like most Hondas, build quality has been reported to be excellent, but this can cause a problem in itself. Because the bikes are so reliable most owners use them for long distance trips, so finding one with low milage can be difficult. But if you search carefully and buy a good example, you’ll have yourself a bike that can do a bit of everything. It is a true all-rounder.

Kawasaki ZX-9R: 175mph, £1800

The Hayabusa and Blackbird were so successful that they overshadowed one of their key rivals, the Kawasaki ZX-9R. With a healthy 143bhp and an impressive top speed of 175mph, the Kawasaki is a seriously competent machine. Unfortunately the earlier models (ZX-9R B 1994 - ZX-9R C 1998) were heavy, had soft rear suspension, and suffered from lazy handling.

However, this was all rectified for the E and F models which were introduced in 2000 and 2002 respectively. The big Kawasakis were finally competitive, but by this point most buyers had completely forgotten about them. Which is bad news for Kawasaki, but great for second hand buyers. Values of the ZX-9R have stayed low which means you can pick up the ultimate autobahn blaster for less than £2000.

Suzuki GSX-R 750 SRAD: 164mph, £1800

The premise of a 750cc motorcycle is very simple; you have the lightness of a 600cc while retaining the low down torque of a 1000cc. The 1996 Suzuki GSX-R 750 SRAD demonstrated this theory perfectly.

The SRAD was released in 1996 and it stuck to the the ethos of Suzuki’s very first 750cc (the bike that re-wrote the sportsbike rulebook). By using an all-new engine and race inspired frame, the Suzuki had the magic combination of handling, power (130bhp) and lightness. Surprisingly, for a bike that was giving away 250cc to the ‘litre class’, the Suzuki could reach an impressive 164mph.

In recent years the bike’s styling has been criticised for being badly dated. However, we think that the SRAD has done a bit of a 360 and actually looks very pretty (in a retro kind of way). Like the other Suzukis on this list, the bike suffers from poor build quality so finding a good one can be difficult, but that doesn’t stop us wanting one.

Suzuki TL1000S: 165mph, £1700

When the Ducati 916 was released in 1994, it completely dominated the market. It had a winning formula of good looks, impressive power and fine handling. Suzuki realised that it needed to pen a new bike in order to compete, and that bike was the TL1000S. When the TL was released in 1997 it certainly had the bike from Bologna beat for power and torque (125bhp and 76lb ft plays 123bhp and 72lb ft). And for a semi-faired bike its top speed of 165mph was deeply impressive.

However, it wasn’t all good news. The early bikes with their high torque, soft rear ends and no steering dampers suffered from pretty horrendous tank-slappers. After a handful of riders were killed, the bike was recalled and a new steering damper was fitted. That didn’t completely rectify the problem but owners and third party suspension companies have come up with a number of solutions - the main one being to replace the rear shock.

Every TL owner I’ve spoken to absolutely loves their bike, and you still see plenty out on the roads so they can’t all be ending up in a hedge. You can pick up a fairly tatty example for dirt cheap, but we would recommend spending a bit more (look for one with an uprated rear shock) to get a bike that you know you can rely on.