The fastest production motorcycle for a given year is the unmodified, street-legal motorcycle

Motorcycle

A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...

 with the highest tested top speed that was manufactured in series and available for purchase by the general public. Modified or specially produced motorcycles are a different class, motorcycle land-speed record. Unlike those records, which are officially sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme

Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme

The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme is the governing body of motorcycle racing. It represents 103 national motorcycle federations that are divided into six regional continental unions....

 (FIM), production model tests were conducted under a variety of unequal or undefined conditions, and tested by numerous different sources, mainly motorcycling magazines. This has led to inconsistent and sometimes contradictory speed statistics from various sources.

Gentlemen's agreement to end competition

The competition to create the fastest production motorcycle ended in a truce, after just over a century of one-upmanship by motorcycle manufacturers that began with the 1894–1897 Hildebrand & Wolfmüller

Hildebrand & Wolfmüller

The Hildebrand & Wolfmüller was the world's first production motorcycle. Heinrich and Wilhelm Hidebrand were steam-engine engineers before Alois Wolfmüller agreed to finance them to produce their internal combustion Motorrad in Munich in 1894....

 and ended with the 1999–2000 Suzuki Hayabusa. A gentlemen's agreement

Gentlemen's agreement

A gentlemen's agreement is an informal agreement between two or more parties. It may be written, oral, or simply understood as part of an unspoken agreement by convention or through mutually beneficial etiquette. The essence of a gentlemen's agreement is that it relies upon the honor of the parties...

 was reached among the major motorcycle manufactures to limit the speed of their machines to 300 km/h (186 mph), starting with some 2000 models, and becoming widespread by the 2001 model year.

After the 1999 Hayabusa sent shockwaves by exceeding the Honda CBR1100XX

Honda CBR1100XX

The CBR1100XX Super Blackbird is a Honda motorcycle made from 1996 to 2007. The bike was developed to challenge the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-11 as the world's fastest production motorcycle, and Honda succeeded with a top speed of . Two years later the title passed to the Suzuki Hayabusa, which reached...

's record by more than 10 mph, and rumors and leaks from Kawasaki hinted that their upcoming 2000 Ninja ZX-12R

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-12R

The ZX-12R is a sport bike that was made from 2000 to 2006 by Kawasaki. It was known as a contender to be the fastest production motorcycle, and for its role in bringing to a truce the escalating competition to build a faster motorcycle....

 would pass the 200 mph milestone, some regulators and politicians in Europe called for an import ban against high speed motorcycles. There were fears that there would be, "an outbreak of illegal racing as riders try to break the 200 mph barrier." To preempt regulation and avoid negative publicity, the manufacturers voluntarily ended the race to ever higher speeds.

Sources vary as to whether this unofficial agreement is precise or only approximate, and whether it is defined as 300 km/h or as 186 mph, though the European and Japanese manufactures normally use metric units. While Honda

Honda

is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...

 did announce that its motorcycles would not go faster than 300 km/h, Suzuki

Suzuki

is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...

 and Kawasaki would not speak on record about this issue. The agreement between them and the other brands has never been officially acknowledged by the manufacturers, though media sources report it via unnamed informants, and by testing the top speed of motorcycles known to be capable of exceeding the arbitrary maximum.
So for 2001 models and later motorcycles, the question of which brand's bike was fastest could only be answered by tampering with the speed limiting system, meaning that it was no longer a contest between stock, production motorcycles, absolving the manufacture of blame and letting those not quite as fast avoid losing face. But the speed war continued underground, out of the spotlight, with fierce competition among enthusiasts of the "200 mph club", albeit with the slight technical modification necessary to bypass the speed limiter, separating that war from the ostensibly at-peace world of stock motorcycles.

Fastest production motorcycles

Several models went out of production before being surpassed by a contemporary with a higher top speed. Until a model was introduced that was faster than any previous motorcycle, the fastest bike on the market for a given year was actually slower than an earlier, out of production bike. Models which are actual top speed record holders have their make, model, and speed in bold font, while slower models which were only the fastest in their own time are in italic. For example, in 1956, the Vincent Black Shadow

Vincent Black Shadow

The Vincent Black Shadow was a hand-built motorcycle produced by Vincent HRD from 1948. The series "C" which was introduced in 1949 had a 50 degree OHV V-twin engine running a 7.3:1 compression ratio.-Model history:...

 remained the fastest motorcycle to date, with a 125 mph (55.9 m/s) top speed, but it was no longer in production. The fastest model on the market in 1956 was the BSA Gold Star Clubman, which at 110 mph (49.2 m/s) was not a record holder, but is listed for the sake of illustrating a more complete timeline.

Make & model	Model years	Engine	Displacement	Power	Top speed	Notes
Hildebrand & Wolfmüller Hildebrand & Wolfmüller The Hildebrand & Wolfmüller was the world's first production motorcycle. Heinrich and Wilhelm Hidebrand were steam-engine engineers before Alois Wolfmüller agreed to finance them to produce their internal combustion Motorrad in Munich in 1894....	1894–1897	Parallel twin	1500 cc	2.5 hp	25 mile per hour
Werner Werner Motors The Werner Brothers Michel and Eugene were French nationality but originally from Russia. They started to experiment with moto bicycles in 1896. They are credited with the first use of the word "Moto Bicyclette" in 1897.-History:...  Motocyclette	1898–1900	Single Single cylinder engine A single-cylinder engine is a basic piston engine configuration of an internal combustion engine. It is often seen on motorcycles, auto rickshaws, motor scooters, mopeds, dirt bikes, go-karts, radio-controlled models and has many uses in portable tools and garden machinery...			15.5–22 mph (6.9–9.8 )
Werner Werner Motors The Werner Brothers Michel and Eugene were French nationality but originally from Russia. They started to experiment with moto bicycles in 1896. They are credited with the first use of the word "Moto Bicyclette" in 1897.-History:... New Werner	1901–1908	Single Single cylinder engine A single-cylinder engine is a basic piston engine configuration of an internal combustion engine. It is often seen on motorcycles, auto rickshaws, motor scooters, mopeds, dirt bikes, go-karts, radio-controlled models and has many uses in portable tools and garden machinery...	230 cc	2 bhp	30 mph (13.4 m/s)
FN Four	1911–1931	Inline four	491 cc	4 bhp	40 mph (17.9 m/s)
Scott two speed The Scott Motorcycle Company The Scott Motorcycle Company was owned by Scott Motors Limited, Shipley, West Yorkshire, England and was a well known producer of motorcycles and light engines for industry...	1912–	Parallel twin	532 cc	3 bhp	50 mph (22.4 m/s)
Williamson Flat twin Williamson Flat Twin The Williamson Flat Twin was motorcycle made in Coventry, UK by Willaim Williamson, who had been managing director of the Coventry-based Rex company. He teamed up with William Douglas The Williamson Flat Twin was motorcycle made in Coventry, UK by Willaim ('Billy') Williamson, who had been...	1913–1920	Flat twin	964 cc		55 mph (24.6 m/s)
Pope V-twin Pope Manufacturing Company Pope Manufacturing Company was founded by Albert Augustus Pope in Hartford, Connecticut. The company began with the introduction of the "Columbia High Wheeler" bicycle in 1878.-History:...	1914–1920	V-twin	999 cc	12 bhp	70 mph (31.3 m/s)
Cyclone V-twin Cyclone (motorcycle) Cyclone was a brand name of motorcycle were manufactured by Joerns Motor Manufacturing Company located in St. Paul, Minnesota from 1912 through 1917.-History:...	1916–1917	V-twin	996 cc	25 bhp	85 mph (38 m/s)
Excelsior V-twin Excelsior Motor Manufacturing & Supply Company Excelsior Motor Manufacturing & Supply Company was a U.S. motorcycle manufacturer operating in Chicago from 1907 to 1931. It was purchased by Ignaz Schwinn, proprietor of bicycle manufacturer Arnold, Schwinn & Co. in 1912. The Henderson Motorcycle Company became a division of Excelsior when...	1918–1931	V-twin	992 cc	20 bhp	80 mph (35.8 m/s)
Brough Superior Brough Superior Brough Superior motorcycles, sidecars, and motor cars were made by George Brough in his Brough Superior works on Haydn Road in Nottingham, England, from 1919 to 1940. They were dubbed the "Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles" by H. D. Teague of The Motor Cycle newspaper. Approximately 3,048 of 19 models...  SS100 Brough Superior SS100 The Brough Superior SS 100 was designed and built by George Brough in Nottingham, England in 1924. Although every bike was designed to meet specific customer requirements—even the handlebars were individually shaped—sixty-nine SS100s were produced in 1925 and at £170 were advertised by Brough as...	1925–1940	V-twin	988 cc	45 bhp	100 mph (44.7 m/s)
Crocker V-twin Crocker Motorcycles The Crocker Motorcycle Company was an American manufacturer of single-cylinder speedway racing motorcycles from 1932, powerful V-twin road motorcycles from 1936, and the "Scootabout," one of the first modern styled motor scooters, in the late 1930s. Production ceased in 1942...	1936–ca. 1941	V-twin	998 cc	50 bhp	110 mph (49.2 m/s)
Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson , often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression...  F Knucklehead	1941–1947	V-twin	989 cc	40 bhp	100 mph (44.7 m/s)
Vincent Vincent Motorcycles Vincent Motorcycles was a British manufacturer of motorcycles from 1928 to 1955. Their 1948 Black Shadow was at the time the world's fastest production motorcycle...  Black Shadow Vincent Black Shadow The Vincent Black Shadow was a hand-built motorcycle produced by Vincent HRD from 1948. The series "C" which was introduced in 1949 had a 50 degree OHV V-twin engine running a 7.3:1 compression ratio.-Model history:...	1949–1954	V-twin	998 cc	55 bhp	125 mph (55.9 m/s)
BSA Birmingham Small Arms Company This article is not about Gamo subsidiary BSA Guns Limited of Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham B11 2PP or BSA Company or its successors....  Gold Star Clubman	1956–1963	Single Single cylinder engine A single-cylinder engine is a basic piston engine configuration of an internal combustion engine. It is often seen on motorcycles, auto rickshaws, motor scooters, mopeds, dirt bikes, go-karts, radio-controlled models and has many uses in portable tools and garden machinery...	499 cc	42 bhp	110 mph (49.2 m/s)
Norton 650SS Norton 650SS The 650SS was a Norton motorcycle made by between 1962 and 1967 at Norton’s Bracebridge Street works in Birmingham. Developed from the Norton Dominator, the Featherbed frame was altered so that the top rails were closer together to create what became known as the 'slimline featherbed'. A 650cc...	1962–1967	Parallel twin	646 cc	49 bhp	110 mile per hour
BSA Rocket 3/Triumph Trident BSA Rocket 3/Triumph Trident The BSA Rocket Three / Triumph Trident was the first true modern superbike and the last major motorcycle developed by Triumph Engineering at Meriden. It was badge-engineered to be sold under both the Triumph and BSA marques. The Rocket3 / Trident was part of Triumph's plan to extend the model...	1968–1975	Inline three	740 cc	58 bhp	125 mph (55.9 m/s)
Kawasaki Z1 Kawasaki Z1 The Z1 Kawasaki was a motorcycle introduced in 1972 by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. It has sometimes been described as the world's first superbike. The Z1, along with Honda's CB750 from 1969, introduced the four-cylinder, across the frame, disc-braked layout to a wider public...	1973–1975	Inline four	903 cc	82 bhp	132 mph (59 m/s)
Ducati 900SS Ducati SuperSport The Ducati SuperSport and SS are names applied to a series of Pantah based air-cooled four stroke desmodromic 2-valve 90-degree V-Twin motorcycles manufactured from 1988 onwards. A limited edition SuperSport called the SuperLight was sold in 1992. The name harked back to the round case 1973 Ducati...	1975–1982	V-twin	864 cc	79 bhp	135 mph (60.4 m/s)
Laverda Laverda Laverda was an Italian manufacturer of high performance motorcycles. The motorcycles in their day gained a reputation for being robust and innovative....  Jota Laverda Jota Laverda Jota is a Laverda 1000cc motorcycle modified by the importers Slater Bros. of Collington, England. The Jota made a big impression in 1976. Producing 90 hp and reaching speeds of more than 140 mph, it was the fastest production motorcycle to date.The Laverda Jota model ran from...	1976–1981	Inline three	981 cc	90 bhp	140 mph (62.6 m/s)
MV Agusta MV Agusta MV Agusta is a motorcycle manufacturer founded in 1945 near Milan in Cascina Costa, Italy. The company began as an offshoot of the Agusta aviation company formed by Count Giovanni Agusta in 1923. The Count died in 1927, leaving the company in the hands of his wife and sons, Domenico, Vincenzo,...  Monza	1977–1978	Inline four	837 cc	85 bhp	145 mph (64.8 m/s)
Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...  VF1000R	1984–1988	V-four V4 engine A V4 engine is a V form engine with four cylinders and three main bearings.-Automobile use:Lancia produced several narrow-angle V4 engines from the 1920s through 1960s for cars like the Lambda, Augusta, Artena, Aprilia, Ardea, Appia, and Fulvia....	998 cc	122 bhp	150 mph (67.1 m/s)
Kawasaki GPZ900R Ninja Kawasaki GPZ900R The Kawasaki GPZ900R was a sport bike manufactured from 1984 to 2003. The 1984 GPZ900R was a revolutionary design that became the immediate predecessor of the modern-day sport bike. Developed in secret over six years, it was the world's first 16-valve liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder motorcycle...	1984–1996	Inline four	908 cc	113 bhp	151 mile per hour
Bimota Bimota Bimota is a small, Italian manufacturer of custom and production motorcycles. It was founded in 1973 in Rimini, Italy by Bianchi, Morri and Tamburini. The company name is a portmanteau derived from the first two letters of each of the three founders' surnames, i.e...  YB6 EXUP	1989–1990	Inline four	1002 cc	147 bhp	170 mph (76 m/s)
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-11 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-11 The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-11/ZZ-R1100 was produced from 1990-2001. It was marketed as the ZX-11 Ninja in North America and the ZZ-R1100 in the rest of the world.The C-model ran from 1990-1993 while the D-model ran from 1993-2001...	1990–2001	Inline four	1052 cc	145 bhp	169 mile per hour
Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...  CBR1100XX Super Blackbird Honda CBR1100XX The CBR1100XX Super Blackbird is a Honda motorcycle made from 1996 to 2007. The bike was developed to challenge the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-11 as the world's fastest production motorcycle, and Honda succeeded with a top speed of . Two years later the title passed to the Suzuki Hayabusa, which reached...	1996–2007	Inline four	1137 cc	162 bhp	170 mile per hour
Suzuki Suzuki is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...  Hayabusa	1999–2000	Inline four	1298 cc	173 bhp	188 mile per hour
Kawasaki ZX-12R	2000–05	Inline four	1198 cc	178 bhp	185.8 mph (83.1 m/s)
Kawasaki ZX-14 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 The ZZR1400 is a motorcycle made by Kawasaki and is currently their most powerful sport bike. It was introduced at the Tokyo 2005 show and released for the 2006 model year as a replacement for the ZX-12R. The ZZR1400 is capable of accelerating from 0–60 mph in 2.5 seconds...	2006–	Inline four	1352 cc	163.3 hp	186 mph (83.1 m/s)
Ducati Desmosedici RR Ducati Desmosedici RR The Ducati Desmosedici RR is a limited production road-legal version of the Desmosedici MotoGP racebike.Ducati made 1,500 Desmosedici models for public purchase. The bike was launched at the 2006 Italian MotoGP event...	2007–08	V4 V4 V4 or V-4 may also refer to:* V4 engine* Visual area V4* Rheinbote V-4, a German World War II four-stage missile* Klein four-group in mathematics* the International Telecommunications Union prefix for Saint Kitts & Nevis...	989 cc	197 bhp	188.2 mile per hour
BMW BMW Motorrad BMW Motorrad is the motorcycle brand of the German company BMW, part of its Corporate and Brand Development division. The current General Director of the unit is Hendrik von Kuenheim....  S1000RR BMW S1000RR The BMW S1000RR is a sport bike initially manufactured by BMW Motorrad to compete in the 2009 Superbike World Championship, that is now in commercial production...	2010–	Inline four	998 cc	193 bhp	188 mph (84 m/s)

*Other models that tied the Trident at 125 mph (55.9 m/s) are the 1972 Laverda SFC and Moto Guzzi V7 Sport.

†Rear wheel horsepower. See Motorcycle testing and measurement

Motorcycle testing and measurement

Motorcycle testing and measurement includes a range of more than two dozen statistics giving the specifications of the motorcycle, and the actual performance, expressed by such things as the output of the engine, and the top speed or acceleration of the motorcycle. Most parameters are...

.