Yes: a MotoGP bike is faster than a Superbike. The MotoGP top speed record is 368.6 km/h (Jorge Martín, Aprilia, Mugello, 30 May 2026); the WorldSBK record cited by MotoGP.com is 339.5 km/h (Tom Sykes, Kawasaki, Monza, 2012). At Phillip Island the MotoGP lap record (1’26″465, Fabio Quartararo, 2025) is 1.45 seconds faster than the WorldSBK Superpole record (1’27″916, Nicolò Bulega, 2024). A MotoGP bike is a 1,000cc prototype with 270-300 horsepower and a minimum weight of 157 kg; a Superbike is derived from a production bike, has 230-250 horsepower and weighs at least 168 kg.

Updated October 2026.

On 30 May 2026, in the second practice session at Mugello, Jorge Martín hit 368.6 km/h on the straight: the highest top speed ever recorded in MotoGP, beating the 366 km/h of Brad Binder (2023) and Pol Espargaró (2024). The comparison with the Superbike, however, does not stop at the numbers: one bike is built to win a championship, the other to resemble the one you can buy. This guide compares speed, lap times, power, weight and regulations, with data updated to 2026.

MotoGP or Superbike: the short answer

• Top speed: MotoGP 368.6 km/h (2026), WorldSBK 339.5 km/h.
• Lap time at Phillip Island: 1’26″465 in MotoGP (2025), 1’27″916 in WorldSBK Superpole (2024), a 1.45-second difference.
• Type of bike: prototype in MotoGP, production-derived in WorldSBK.
• Power: 270-300 horsepower against 230-250.
• Minimum bike weight: 157 kg against 168 kg.
• Engine speed: about 18,000-19,000 rpm against 15,000-16,000.

What MotoGP and Superbike are

MotoGP is the premier class of the Grand Prix World Championship: manufacturers bring prototype bikes, designed from scratch for racing and not on sale. In 2026 there are five manufacturers: Ducati, Aprilia, KTM, Honda and Yamaha.

Superbike is the WorldSBK World Championship: the bikes are derived from production models that can be bought, modified for racing. In 2026 Ducati, BMW, Yamaha, Honda and Kawasaki compete. It is a different championship, with its own organisation, and when people in Italy say “Superbike” they usually mean this one.

Engine size, power and weight

• Engine size: in MotoGP 1,000cc four-stroke; in WorldSBK up to 1,000cc for four-cylinder bikes and up to 1,200cc for twins.
• Power: 270-300 horsepower in MotoGP, 230-250 in WorldSBK (indicative estimates from MotoGP.com).
• Engine speed: in MotoGP about 18,000-19,000 rpm, with a 20,000 limit added to the regulations on 23 September 2026; in WorldSBK 15,000-16,000 rpm, with different limits for each manufacturer.
• Minimum bike weight: 157 kg in MotoGP, 168 kg in WorldSBK.
• Ballast: in WorldSBK the reference rider weighs 80 kg and a lighter rider adds 0.5 kg of ballast for every kilo below that; MotoGP has no equivalent rule.

Top speed

MotoGP top speed records come at Mugello, in 2023, 2024 and 2026. The record is 368.6 km/h (Martín, 2026). Before him, Brad Binder (2023) and Pol Espargaró (2024) had reached 366.1 km/h, and Enea Bastianini 364.8 km/h (2023). In WorldSBK the record cited by MotoGP.com is 339.5 km/h, set by Tom Sykes on a Kawasaki at Monza in 2012.

On the same circuit the gap is easy to see. At Phillip Island the MotoGP top speed is 356.4 km/h (Bastianini, 2022), while the WorldSBK record is 330.3 km/h (Chaz Davies on a Ducati, 2020): a difference of more than 26 km/h.

Lap times at Phillip Island

The cleanest comparison is on a track where both championships race. At Phillip Island, on 18 October 2025, Fabio Quartararo took MotoGP pole position in 1’26″465, the all-time lap record of the circuit. The WorldSBK Superpole record is 1’27″916, by Nicolò Bulega, in 2024. The difference is 1.451 seconds. In 2026, in Superpole, Bulega did 1’28″244 (21 February) and the record was not beaten.

It is one circuit, and not a number valid everywhere. But it shows the distance well: about a second and a half a lap.

Why MotoGP goes faster

The reason is that a MotoGP bike is a prototype, without the constraints of a production bike. According to MotoGP.com’s comparison, in MotoGP the gearbox is seamless, the front discs are carbon, and the ECU is an official unit under tight regulation; in WorldSBK the gearbox is conventional, the discs are steel and the electronics are more customisable. The tyres differ too: Michelin in MotoGP, Pirelli in WorldSBK.

In short: more horsepower, less weight, higher revs, more powerful brakes. The Superbike has a different advantage: it costs far less. According to MotoGP.com the budget per bike is 2-3.5 million euros a season in MotoGP against 250,000-400,000 euros in WorldSBK.

What changes from 2027

From 2027 MotoGP goes from 1,000 to 850cc, with the bore reduced from 81 to 75 mm and a minimum weight of 153 kg; ride height devices (including those used only at the start) will be banned and the fuel tank will drop from 22 to 20 litres. The tyre supplier changes too: Pirelli will replace Michelin, with a five-year contract running to 2031.

On 31 July 2026 WorldSBK published its 2027-2030 roadmap: from 2027, manufacturer-specific rev limits combined with a fuel flow limit, a single fuel supplier and a noise limit lowered by 3 dB (112 dB); from 2030 the maximum engine size will rise to 1,200cc for four-cylinder engines as well. Whether the gap will narrow or widen, the races will tell.

Riders who have raced in both championships

Troy Bayliss won three WorldSBK titles (2001, 2006 and 2008) and at Valencia in 2006, aged 37, he also won a MotoGP grand prix as a wild card, replacing the injured Sete Gibernau. Max Biaggi, after eight seasons in the 500 and MotoGP classes, won the WorldSBK title in 2010 and 2012, when at 41 he became the oldest champion of the series. Álvaro Bautista moved from MotoGP to WorldSBK in 2019 and won the title in 2022 and 2023 with Ducati.

The move the other way is rare: Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, WorldSBK champion with Yamaha in 2021 and BMW’s first champion in 2024, stepped up to MotoGP in 2026 with Prima Pramac Yamaha. The last rider to move directly from WorldSBK to MotoGP was Cal Crutchlow in 2011.

What it means for sponsors

For a brand the question is not which bike is faster, but which platform serves its goal. MotoGP and WorldSBK have different audiences, costs and calendars. For up-to-date figures, read the cost of MotoGP sponsorship and the page on WSBK sponsorship. For a comparison of riders, read the ranking of the 10 best MotoGP riders of all time.

One bike is faster than the other, and the numbers say so. But a Superbike does not race to beat a MotoGP bike: it races to be the bike you can buy. Two different sports.

Images, from top: Marc Márquez, 2013 (Smudge 9000, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic); Dominik Vincon on a BMW, IDM Superbike, Hockenheimring, 24 September 2022 (Steffen Prößdorf, Stepro, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International).

Sources: MotoGP.com, the difference between MotoGP and World Superbike; MotoGP.com, how fast are MotoGP bikes; MotoGP.com, the 2026 Mugello speed record; Road Racing World, Quartararo on pole at Phillip Island; Phillip Island Circuit, WorldSBK Superpole 2026; WorldSBK.com, speed records at Phillip Island; WorldSBK.com, 2024 weight regulations; WorldSBK.com, 2027-2030 roadmap; Crash.net, MotoGP 2027 regulations; Crash.net, the 20,000 rpm limit; Motorcycle News, Pirelli in MotoGP from 2027; Just Bikes, Razgatlıoğlu in MotoGP in 2026; Wikipedia, Troy Bayliss; Wikipedia, Max Biaggi; WorldSBK.com, Bautista 2022 champion.