5 of the best factory streetfighters

Published: 12 March 2009 Updated: 19 November 2014

Triumph Speed Triple 1050
Yamaha FZ1
KTM Super Duke
Aprilia Tuono
Honda CB1000R

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Streetfighters have come a long way. What started out as a cheap way to make your crash-damaged sportsbike road legal again has evolved into a whole sub-culture and motorcycle genre. Here’s some of the best factory-made streetfighters on the market.

Thanks to bikes like Triumph’s Street Triple and Aprilia’s Tuono, you can get the streetfighter attitude with the benefit of a warranty and factory build quality.

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These bikes will cut it on track but they were built for the road. Their wide bars and upright riding positions mean town riding is a doddle – you could even use them for commuting in comfort.

Wind protection is minimal so these streetfighters aren’t well suited to 3-figure autobahn cruising, but on UK roads that will help you keep your license clean.

Here’s 5 factory streetfighters that are basically sportsbikes without all the plastic:

Triumph Speed Triple 1050 (2005-current)
“Triumph’s Speed Triple 1050 is one factory Streetfighter than delivers the goods. It’s plenty fast enough, in fact you can hit 150mph if you can hang on. Plus it sounds beautiful and the fact that it’s a big heavy lump that needs manhandling round corners actually attracts devotees. The Speed Triple always was, and remains, a bit of a Rottweiler.”

Aprilia Tuono (2003-current)
“The Aprilia Tuono 1000 is one of the maddest motorcycles you can buy, with a blend of wheelie-popping power, respectable handling and Goldie Lookin’ Chain styling. A motor taken from the RSV1000 Mille sportbike, but not detuned, acts like a Mr Hyde potion in this motorcycle, but if you like the occasional foray to the dark side, you’ll love the Aprilia Tuono 1000.”

KTM Super Duke (2005-current)
“If all of life were like a KTM Super Duke it would be a short, barely glimpsed blur of action-packed vignettes. There is surely nothing more frenetic on two-wheels than the KTM 990 Super Duke short of sticking a nitrous kit, a jet turbine and a flame-thrower into the frame of a fold-up bicycle.”

Yamaha FZ1 (2006-current)
“What you get with the Yamaha FZ1 is the awesome 2002 R1 engine in a more practical but still high-spec chassis. The Japanese firm class the FZ1 as a sports bike and they’re right – but it has the ability of a sports tourer and a city motorcycle, too – with more than a splash of musclebike/posing tool chucked in for nothing. One of the best premium, sporty all round motorcycles you can buy.”

Honda CB1000R (2008-current)
“The CB1000R is a whole new bag for Honda, designed for Europe, using a retuned version of the 2007 FireBlade engine and with 2008 FireBlade forks and brakes, a beautiful single-sided swingarm and fabbo styling. In fact the only thing the CB1000R lacks is a bit of soul and the noise you get from a Brutale or Speed Triple. But for ninety-nine per cent of the time it’s a better bike.”

If you’re thinking of buying one of the above models from MCN Bikes For Sale, get insurance quotes from a number of motorcycle insurance providers in one place with MCN Compare.

By James Keen

Triumph Speed Triple 1050

Yamaha FZ1

KTM Super Duke

Aprilia Tuono

Honda CB1000R