The only things required in the modern-day superbike are the essential go-fast elements of mass horsepower, wicked handling, and a heck of a lot of technology developed at the highest levels of racing. Anything else? Scrap it. Extra interferes with the ultimate goal of the ideal lap time. This is the category that has revolutionized outright road-going motorcycle performance as we know it.It’s what has made superbikes so super. And every so often, one of these machines comes along and defies the perception of what is possible on two wheels, completely changing our expectations for a high-performance race-bred streetbike. To put things in perspective, a former Cycle World staffer purchased a late-’70s Suzuki GS1000, leaving it in the crate, convinced that performance of such an astonishing level would not be outdone. Boy, was he wrong.Era-defining motorcycles like the legendary 1986 GSX-R750 followed with its remarkably low weight, high rpm, and unflinching sporting focus for the period. Other milestone machines include the wicked 1998 Yamaha YZF-R1, then the fabled 2005 Suzuki GSX-R1000 otherwise known as the K5, and more recently the technologically sophisticated 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1. Each represents a new realm in conceivable performance relative to its period and was built with the rules of production-based Superbike racing in mind, in order to win on Sunday and sell on Monday. Because if you want a great racebike, you have to start with a great streetbike.What’s different in this test is that two bikes arrive here flouting any racing rules while one aims to perform within superbike regulations to deliver the best possible racetrack experience. None of these motorcycles are cheap, but considering their relative performance and their high-level industrial art, you could argue there’s a ton of value here. There is nothing better available on two wheels for total sportbike performance—these bikes are it.

The Ducati Panigale V4 SP2 is the best example of no-holds-barred performance, packed with the oversized 1,103cc Stradale 90-degree V-4 and a whole lot of carbon fiber. Think of it as Ducati building upon the performance of the super-exotic Superleggera V4, Cycle World Ten Best Superbike 2021 champion, and delivering it in a package that’s 60 percent cheaper and more readily available to the customer. It feels as if it was hand built on the workbench alongside Bologna’s World Superbikes.

Aprilia’s RSV4 Factory has a similar story. The winner of Cycle World’s last superbike shootout has a lot on the line. Since that time, Aprilia has bumped displacement of its unrestricted 65-degree V-4 to 1,099cc, fitted top-shelf semi-active Öhlins suspension, and an updated swingarm, among other changes. Aprilia may not be actively competing in superbike racing, but recent MotoGP results are proof of its ongoing expertise.

In this group, BMW’s M 1000 RR is an outlier by being a homologation-special racing model. It has to be 1,000cc, but it’s the finest, fastest machine Motorrad has to offer. That means it’s the competition-minded descendant of the capable S 1000 RR with every bit of the design focused on finding advantages within the scope of the World Superbike rules package. Yes, there is street-spec equipment, but BMW is just squeaking through DOT and EPA requirements to qualify the M as a for-sale streetbike so it can go racing at one of the highest levels.

Evaluating the true performance of these open-class machines is a serious task, and for the 2022 Cycle World Superbike Shootout, that meant two full days of highly focused testing on Thunderhill’s 3.0-mile road course. It is a lot of fun and also very intense, particularly with ambient temperatures around 100 degrees. This track is demanding. Packed with dramatic elevation changes, a variety of tight and fast sweeping corners, heavy braking zones, and fifth-gear straightaways, it puts every aspect of these superbikes under the magnifying glass of our handpicked testers. Legendary CW road test editor Don Canet returned to deliver objective evaluations and do the timed hot laps, while in-market editor and experienced professional roadracer Bradley Adams and motorcyclistonline.com senior editor Adam Waheed also handled testing duties.Prior to on-track testing, we ran every bike on the Cycle World’s in-house Dynojet 250i dynamometer to measure horsepower and torque, then completed objective straight-line performance testing at our private facility. To ensure equal and remarkable grip, we fitted the contenders with the latest Pirelli Diablo Superbike WSBK-spec racing slick (125/70 front and 200/65 rear profiles) and had West Coast Pirelli racing tire distributor CT Racing on-site to lend expertise in keeping the mass power of these superbikes hooked up.

Raw power and performance is cool and everything, but rideability is always key, and that’s what makes these motorcycles so amazing. It’s not about being the best in a single area, but the most well-rounded in all areas.How good are these bikes? “I’m truly in awe,” Canet exclaimed while debriefing over the finest local cuisine in Willows, California. “Not only of the performance capabilities of current liter-class sportbikes, but of their approachability—with credit to relentless refinement of electronic rider aids—that’s allowed a much larger rider base to experience the thrill of charging a corner entry, nailing an apex at deep lean, and driving out of an exit with heroic gusto.”

There’s nothing more heroic than deliberately scraping an elbow on the asphalt for the first time at 60 years old, as Canet did in the sweeping Turn 2 while aboard the $39,500 Ducati Panigale V4 SP2. Among many amazing qualities of the Ducati, none is greater than its superb chassis. Phenomenal balance and composure lend themselves to maximum rider confidence at ridiculous lean angles, and the bike doesn’t budge in any circumstance. At 415 pounds with an empty fuel tank, the Ducati isn’t the lightest in the test, but it is the most nimble through side-to-side transitions and has impressive midcorner steering. It has a laserlike focus on apexes, compared to the lightness and precision of an inline-four middleweight by testers, thanks to its carbon fiber wheels. Smash apexes quickly and move on.

The Ducati has ripping horsepower and a whole lot of charisma built into its mighty V-4 engine. The 1,103cc Stradale’s 182 hp and 79 lb.-ft. of torque is smack in the middle of the Aprilia and BMW, but it feels and sounds as if it produces the most of everything. The clatter of the STM-EVO dry clutch is a nod to Bologna’s racing roots. As Waheed put it, “Carl Fogarty could have only dreamt of the borderline psychotic acceleration that this bike offers. Yet true to its roots it has the soul of Ducati’s previous V-twins. It’s truly remarkable.”

The Ducati’s beauty is a balance of thrill and tractable delivery. Immediate throttle response promotes a strong connection between man and machine, the most of any bike in the test, without feeling overly aggressive or abrupt. It’s a controlled use of power with a lot of credit due to the superb electronic rider aid interventions. Ducati’s ultraprecise traction, slide, and wheelie control systems are simply unmatched, allowing optimal flat-track-like wheelspin for relentless corner exits and elegant low-trajectory wheelies under extreme acceleration. The advantage is recognizable via quickest split times in hard-acceleration sectors four and five and outright quickest lap time. At wide-open throttle, a hard hit in the midrange makes it feel the fastest despite trap speeds overshadowed by the BMW.

Taking advantage of the Ducati’s sheer acceleration is one thing, but slowing it down is another. It’s easy to make friends with the SP2′s top-spec Brembo Stylema R caliper’s (plus an OE-fitted remote adjuster on the left handlebar!) outstanding power and lever feel paired with rock-solid chassis composure for mind-warping corner entry speeds in total confidence. But that takes energy. A lot of it. Ducati claims to have revised the smooth curvature of the fuel tank shape to better utilize lower body strength for support, but testers noted that hard deceleration induces tiring pressure on your arms and wrists. Add that to the higher speed and extra Gs that the Ducati’s steadfast control is capable of, and the SP2 is demanding through pure force. Get in shape! Your Ducati deserves it…

Opposite to the Ducati in terms of physical exertion, at least at corner entry, is the BMW M 1000 RR. The M RR is the lightest of the test at 403 pounds empty of fuel—that’s 10 pounds under the Ducati and 32 pounds less than the Aprilia—and its extremely nimble chassis is proof. Our muscles thank you, Motorrad! Snapping through side-to-side transitions and hunting apexes requires little more than a thought of when and where you want to go. It’s the most precise steering motorcycle in the test. The BMW is capable of a solid chassis balance and composure, but required ongoing damping and ride height adjustments to find the sweet spot. Once dialed in, there’s no arguing its corner carving prowess.

There’s something to be said for the ergonomic fit of the M RR in relation to its handling. A comfortable riding position for testers of all shapes and sizes (trick, OE-fitted billet adjustable rearsets help with the positioning) with enough leverage helps to muscle the motorcycle through demanding sections of track. The end result is a motorcycle that requires less physical exertion throughout the course of a trackday. That means more laps in anger.

Good thing, because where the chassis reduces physical effort, keeping the BMW’s 999cc inline-four powerplant spinning will require brain power. The 179 hp and 76 lb.-ft. of torque peak performance is no joke, albeit the least of the trio and less than the previous S 1000 RR we had on our dyno. Midrange power delivery is electronically reduced to make the bike meet US sound regulations, as clearly shown on the dyno chart. Power delivery off idle is strong, then suddenly drops between 6,000 and 8,000 rpm to quiet the bike before regaining oomph as it rips toward its 15,100 rpm redline. It’s a bipolar personality and frustrating when you’re trying to nail a fast lap. And there’s a relentless engine vibration at every rpm. Maintaining midcorner speed means attacking corners like an inline-four middleweight and hustling lots of precise shifts—even utilizing first gear in the tight Turn 11. Get it right, and be rewarded with quick and consistent times. But keeping the revs up induces physical and mental fatigue, even throughout a single lap.

The BMW’s engineering reminds you that it’s built for racers looking to extract every ounce of performance. The $37,490 sticker price is the result of a whole lot of exotic material, CNC-machined components, a titanium Akrapovič exhaust, and the countless hours and extensive cost of engine development, including titanium con-rods and other trick internal pieces. Perfect your riding technique, dial in the chassis setup just right, and Motorrad is destined to fight for victory.

The $25,999 Aprilia is the old reliable of the group, at least that’s what Adams has to say. “The RSV4 is starting to feel like a trusty old friend,” he notes. “It’s an easy bike to get up to speed on, and still an incredibly capable package. And yet in a class where manufacturers are pushing the limits of what’s possible on a motorcycle, the bike feels like it’s slowly starting to fall behind.”

Class-leading engine performance and relentless power delivery is most of what keeps the RSV4 Factory in the fight. Its measured peak 189 hp and 85 lb.-ft. of torque is ridiculous considering it’s a completely stock road-legal motorcycle, but its user-friendliness and overall flexibility are the most appealing traits. An aggressive throttle connection combined with immediate torque allows it to jump off a corner while the ripping mid-to-top-end power seemingly never stops. Despite gearing being noticeably taller than that of its competitors, gear selection is less crucial for a quick lap time—there is just so much power available everywhere in the rpm range.

Aprilia’s overall performance is compromised by being the heaviest bike in the test. We couldn’t help imagining the BMW’s light weight paired with the Aprilia’s V-4 power. Outright speed aside, the Aprilia doesn’t do much in hiding the heft through Thunderhill’s sweeping, side-to-side sector two, nor in the hard braking zones entering Turns 1 and 14. The initial bite of the Aprilia’s brakes is softer and the lever asks for more pressure. Stopping distances are about 2 feet longer from 60–0 mph than the other bikes.The Aprilia also simply takes more effort in side-to-side transitions, and demands more patience steering though the final stage of corners before opening the throttle. That’s partly because of how critical it is to reduce lean angle in avoiding the soft rear suspension becoming unhinged during all-out acceleration. Simply put, it’s just not as knifelike as the BMW and Ducati.

The RSV4′s Aprilia Performance Ride Control (APRC) electronic rider-aid suite has continuously evolved over the years, but lacks that next step the others have taken. Ham-fisting the throttle with confidence on any superbike means relying on the electronics for lap-to-lap consistency, but the Aprilia doesn’t allow this. Of all the bikes tested, the traction control indicator flashed the most on the RSV4, even when it wasn’t expected. Thank goodness for the linear nature of its V-4 powerplant, allowing us to dial back the levels of electronic intervention and rely on the control of our right wrists, but it gave up tenths of a second to the competition in the process.

We knew the Aprilia RSV4 Factory would have trouble defending its title in the face of newer competition. The “other” Italian superbike remains a superb machine with wicked-yet-approachable power delivery and an overall well-balanced package. It’s a great motorcycle for the trackday warrior, but BMW’s and Ducati’s relentless development and striving for absolute racetrack performance has left the RSV4 a step behind.BMW came out swinging with the M 1000 RR homologation special built for WSBK competition. It has all the trick parts but BMW has left a ton of untapped potential within the M RR, as the next stop in chassis setup and engine tune truly come through race-team wizardry. Its superbike-legal displacement (and sound-legal midrange soft spot) puts the bike on its back foot, and even the advanced trackday artist will be more challenged to keep this amazing chassis in its tuning sweet spot.

Ducati’s oversize-displacement, track-focused Panigale V4 SP2 enters a new realm of on-track performance. The SP2 isn’t exactly all new, but represents the refinement of Ducati’s ultimate road-legal and readily available superbike to date. Ruthless power delivery is made rideable by sophisticated electronic intervention, and it’s got a chassis so finely tuned that CW testing legend Don Canet dragged his elbow for the first time. All that, and its personality will make you think you’re the next Pecco Bagnaia.When you put the deposit down for the SP2, have the dealership add in a pair of elbow sliders as a bonus. You might need them.2022 Aprilia RSV4 Factory Specs