[Closed] What defines a 'superbike'?

I think all mine are super, others would disagree though.

Surely 'superbike' just means really expensive!! The performance of the bike is down to the rider.

It's not a term people use in the real world, is it?

I suppose I've always imagined it to be a bike beyond the financial or practical reach of Joe Soap. A pro racer's factory ride or something that has been built with money no object, to be the fastest/lightest/strongest etc it can physically be.

It's not a term people use in the real world, is it?

Part of me hopes so.

'Nice bike...'

'Oh, it's not a bike, it's a superbike'

The well worn phrase when it comes to bikes is you can pick two from the following three criteria; cheap, strong, light. superbike = [s]cheap[/s], strong, light

If something was described as a superbike then my interpretation would be that it was built to be as good as it can possibly be (in the mind of the builder/designer) without being constrained by cost.

"Superbikes" used to be a thing but now 99% of bikes are pretty damned good and all bloody expensive so the playing field is somewhat leveled. They are all just "bikes" now 😀

Enve

Strong, light and probably expensive. Think you have a few that qualify 😉 Or don't you like the term?

Built to be the best they can be regardless of cost, in what ever material the builder chooses.

Think Parlee, Crumpton, Time, Moots, Passoni, Mosaic, Waterford, Pegoretti, Zullo, Jaegher etc......

Not much on the MTB front any more though is there?

A 1000cc motor. There are no [i]super[/i] bicycles.

[/smartarse]

Anything that includes the words cinelli and laser.

5thElefant has it. If you have to pedal, it's not a superbike however nice it may be.

While most MTB's are bloody brilliant these days, there are superbikes for sure - I'd define them as the ones with either cost no object or ridiculously well thought out tweaks. Remember seeing Nico's Spicy Team up close in Feb - custom linkage, personal shock tune, needle rollers instead of DU bushes, wide carbon front rim and standard alloy rear. The whole thing looked battered as it was his testbed/preseason local racing bike, but was anything but normal. That for me, is the essence of a superbike.

The Rider.

Super cos it's race-winning and something you can't have
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Something somebody else is [u]paid[/u] to ride.

This is as close asi have came to an actual super bike, Brendon Fairclough's Honda gearbox bike from the worlds at Fort William back in 2007

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Unobtainable yes, but just a normal mech in a fancy shiny casing and far less exciting than all the various rumours of what it could have been.... :/

Meaningless word! I pray it doesn't catch on.

The level of unobtainable does it for me, or the bike you look at and and think of a way to improve any part of it even with unlimited funds.

And Al I reckon it's a word that's been knocking around for a long time now.