A recent study released by the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said new models of motorcycles that made up less than 10 percent of all motorcycle registrations in 2005 – vehicles often called “superbikes” or “supersports” – accounted for more than 25 percent of all motorcycle rider fatalities. These bigger, faster and more powerful bikes appear to be making 2007 the deadliest year for motorcycle riders yet.

Since 2000, superbikes have become increasingly more popular, with registrations rising 83 percent between 2000 and 2005. Sophisticated braking and suspension systems, along with other electronic controls, make them easier for inexperienced riders to handle. However, an increase in superbikes on the road driven by inexperienced riders may be helping to drive motorcycle accident rates even higher.

“During June, July and August, about one in four patients hurt in traffic accidents have been motorcycle riders,” David Livingston, director of the New Jersey Trauma Center at University Hospital in Newark, said.

The increases in registrations and inexperienced riders have followed an increase in motorcycle power, as well. Many bikes now have engines that rival those in cars but weigh less than bikes did ten years ago. For example, Ducati Motor Holding began selling the 1098 earlier this year, a superbike with 160 horsepower, as much as a Honda Accord EX Sedan. BMW produces the K1200S, a superbike with a 167-horsepower engine, and Harley Davidson recently began selling the Night Rod Special, a bike with a 125-horsepower engine.

The combination of light weight and high speed presents riders with power and agility that can overwhelm experienced riders, let alone the influx of newcomers.

During the study years, the death rate for motorcyclists rose to 7.5 deaths per 10,000 registered motorcyclists. In 2005, riders 40 years old and older accounted for 47 percent of all motorcycle fatalities.

Source: Jonathan Welsh, “The New Motorcycles: Bigger, Faster, Deadlier,” Wall Street Journal, September 18, 2007.