Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: Crotch rockets, kawasaki zx 12r, triumph rocket iii

Question
What is the largest cc bike made, and how fast does it top out?

Answer
Ry,

Your question is titled "crotch rockets", but your question is what bike is the largest made, so I'll give you too answers.

The largest "crotch rocket" (or, sportbike) you can buy is the Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa. It has a 1299cc engine (1.3 liters). In magazine tests in 1997, the first year it was produced, it had a top speed of 194mph. This is the fastest a stock production motorcycle has ever gone. After 1997, speed limiters were installed on most large sportbikes, limiting their top speed to 186mph. So the 1998 Hayabusa could "only" go 186, even though it was the same bike (and is still the same bike). Today, the Kawasaki ZX-12R (1200cc), Yamaha R1 (1000cc) and Honda CBR1000RR (1000cc) can all come close or match the 186mph mark. It remains to be seen if anyone will ever make a bike faster than the Hayabusa.

As for the "largest cc" bike made, that title currently belongs to the Triumph Rocket III, which just came out. It has a 2300cc (2.3 liter) 3-cylinder engine. However, it's a cruiser, not a sportbike. Even so, it is expected to be able to go 150mph or more, which is very fast for a cruiser. It should be tested by the leading motorcycle magazines in the next few months.

Thanks for writing,

Bill Roberson