#2013

The motorcycle industry descends once again upon Milan, Italy, for EICMA, the world’s largest motorcycle show. All of the major manufacturers will be there to reveal all-new models, concepts and their 2014 product lineups.

Sick of all the attention the racing gods were getting in the run-up to this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, the weather gods put on a show of their own. They sent Typhoon Lekima barreling toward the island on Thursday, summoned a 7.1 earthquake on Friday night, and topped it all off with Typhoon Francisco on Saturday, making a shambles of the weekend practice schedule. Undeterred by the weather, defending world champion Jorge Lorenzo ran a perfect race on Sunday, winning against all odds, and setting up a meaningful season finale in Valenciana. Take THAT, weather gods!

The past 12 months have seen motorcycle winds blowing in two different directions. From one direction are technological advances made to premium-priced high-end machines, mostly from European manufacturers like BMW, Ducati, Moto Guzzi, MV Agusta and Triumph. From the other side are new motorcycles intended to tap into newer, less-experienced riders looking for affordable ways to join our moto world, headlined primarily by Japanese OEMs like Honda and, to a lesser extent, Kawasaki.

By now, we’ll assume you’ve thoroughly read, digested and formed your own conclusions about the street portion of our Exotic Superbike Shootout featuring the Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC ABS SBK SE, BMW HP4 and Ducati 1199 Panigale R. If not, click on the link to get yourself caught up. Simply put, these street-legal superbikes are apex predators, residing at the top of the most exotic, cutting-edge and downright fastest sportbikes on Earth.