sport bike future

As i found myself thinking about getting a new bike i got to wondering what's going to be the ceiling for sport bikes?  Every year there's a new bike that’s lighter, more powerful, and more trick than anything of the previous year.  Slipper clutches and inverted forks used to be items reserved for factory race teams now every new bike has these items.  Don't get me wrong I’m loving every minute of it and wouldn't have it any other way.  Is it completely out of the realm of possibility that one day we'll be able to by a 200 hp, traction controlled, 300lb, and whatever other cool stuff the r+d guys can come up with?  

Most likely end up just as cars have with costs rising to meet the r&d ,production and tooling I would hate to see a Ducati be as far out of sight as a Ferrari (for most they are now, hell I'm just trying to srcape up enough to pay cash for a new zx10)
but then again you get what you pay for.If you want the fastest baddest and coolest you better pony up.
Even the Japanese liter bikes are going this route R-1 LE and the unsubstantiated rumor of the ZX10rr for example, cool but made in small numbers and expensive,
basically rolling symbol of financial status
but the good side is 99.55% of squids will never get their hands on one    

Good points, i didn't look at it that way.  You're right though with all the advances in technology the price has steadily gone up.  Some more than others, the gixxer 1000 price increase wasn’t as much as some of the other manufacturers.  

i've got a hunch that someday, yamaha will just say "screw it," and release the YZR-M1 to the public.  

I used to think that these things would just get lighter and lighter, and more and more powerfull....  Now I am not sure on the weight.  The new 1000s have put a couple pounds on.  Or at least I think they have reached as low as they are going to go unless there is some revolutionary material that they can make the heavy bits out of.  On the other hand, I do think that engines will continue to make more power.  And as power is added, so will weight (stiffness) to handle it...  Electronics should help hacks like me get the power to the ground.    So no 300lb 200hp street bikes.  Maybe 450lb 200hp isn't too far away with a liter bike.


Chris  

Even at a median price of say 12,000.00 for a sweet ride, overall the price is cheap. If you compare cages to our various bikes when it comes to performance, technology etc, your not coming close for less than 50-60K. The R1-LE is marketed at about 17,000.00. Still big $$$ but given it's capability a real bargain. ESPECIALLY considering high end bicycles can be around 6-9K. My carbon road bicycle was 6500.00. Makes my 10k Triumph seem pretty cheap!!  

I doubt we'll see street bikes as light or lighter than a Superbike, much less a MotoGP prototype. All the equipment that's necessary for street legality adds weight. Plus, as a street going machine, all components need to be cheap to manufacture and robust enough to survive extended use and potential owner neglect.

IMHO, I speculate that future sportbikes will offer ever increasing levels of power and performance. Trickle down continues with gas charged forks appearing on sportbikes in ~ 5 years. Advanced engine management/traction control and perhaps close firing order engines(big bang) will become more mature technology and inexpensive enough to be offered on street motorcycles.

Perhaps the biggest area of improvement will continue to be tire technology. Today's sportbike buns offer tremendous grip along with a blend of longevity. I expect that trend to continue.

Inflation will continue to slowly push prices, up and the Big Four manufacturers might see value in offering higher margin, up-spec'ed "limited edition" versions of their most popular models.

Just my random thoughts and idle speculation...  

The next big step for sportbikes HAS to be lower weights. The weights of the current bikes hasn't really changed much. They actually have been going up a little lately. The next step is certainly to lose weight, and it's completley possible with current technology. Look at the Supermoto's for example. The weight is great, they just need a little more power. The new Aprilia is so close. I think it's supposed to put out around 70hp and it weighs less than 250lbs wet. Rumors are already floating that Aprilia will slip this new super lightweight v-twin into the old RS250 frame and make a streetlegal sportbike. There are also rumors of Kawi slipping the 450 out of the KX450F into a sportbike chassis. I'm sure with this technology Aprilia could produce a 100hp engine and still keep the overall wet weight under 300lbs...surely. The ZX6R has just over 100hp and weighs almost 420lbs. The Honda CBR600RR, forget about it, it weighs 20lbs more than that. The manufacturers are not giving us what they are capable of. I want that 300lb wet, 105ish hp at the wheel sportbike. And I know they can do it.


http://www.2wf.com/articles/bike_tests/6552C9E0-7648-425D-A01B-D13F521F2743.asp  

To some extent, lower weight is possible and will occur. Having the lightest, fastest, most powerful bike on the spec-sheet helps move bikes.

The question is how light can they make it will still being:

a) cheap to mass produce in a production model
b) reliable enough in a street environment with sufficient overhead to endure owner abuse/neglect

The 990 Super Duke is really light for a open-class v-twin... but it's not exactly cheap. Nor is it fully faired, the most powerful or the fastest.