16/11/2025
The Case for Second-Gen Supersport: Fairer Racing, Brighter Future
By Shane Wogan - Wogan Performance
What is Second Gen ?
As you know the manufacturers have ceased production on what we know as a supersport bike . The 16,000rpm 600cc machine has become too difficult to make meet the EU emissions regs, also todays road rider doesn't want a road bike that's screaming it's lungs off doing 80mph down a motorway and then you have to drop 9 gears to attempt a pass on another vehicle 😂.
The 600s don't sell to general public road riders anymore and there's no money in producing motor cycles just for racing.
Between AMA, WSBK and BSB, the organizers have come up with a class where they are using bigger capacity machines built in different ways and restricted in different ways where they average the same lap time as the old supersport 600 bike .. Some of the bikes come manufactured with chassis limitations on them as they were never designed to run the lap times with supersport power. Then others maybe have a better chassis so power output doesn't need to be as good . Over all between controlled chassis mods , Controlled Engine power output and ECU control the organizers have developed a class where they can run an array of different style and powered bikes against each other but still manage to produce the same lap time as each other.. in the old supersport sport class, all the manufacturers mostly used the same or very similar engine and chassis configuration and they had really reached the their limitations in making them faster than each other without spending a lot of money redeveloping them, but with no sales from the shop floor, the manufacturers wouldn't redevelop the bikes further.
All the second gen bikes can be bought from a dealer in Europe brand new except for the Suzuki as it's only selling new in States. There's a bit of an issue now with an 8 year cut off rule on using the 750, where it was taken off the EU market in 2017 which now leaves it a 9 year old bike in 2026. But as they use it in AMA, you can import one from the states or buy a second hand 1 or 2 year old frame and build with it. There are rumours now though that Suzuki is developing a new 750 as it's their flag ship bike, so hopefully this will be made easier to buy and build a 750 in the near future. Other manufacturers are developing and releasing what they call their supersport bike, I see KTM with their 990. (Which I think is absolutely gorgeous 😍). I would think this will have to be taken on board with wsbk first and then developed with the MecTronik ECU and chassis limitations for a year before the rest of the world can use it as they have done with Yamahas R9. I see even the Chinese are developing (copies lol) supersport bikes to the same specifications as the Japanese and European manufacturers. If the second gen developer's can manage all these bike and make the stuff to allow them to be used is another thing lol.
In my view, the benefits of second-gen supersport bikes are clear. They're current model motorcycles, (well except for the 750 here in Ireland but available from the states) available straight from the shop floor, with current spares and parts available. Because they have larger capacity engines that are more or less under-tuned, they rev lower than your typical supersport engine, which tends to extend engine life and dramatically reduce engine refreshing intervals.
From what we've seen on the dyno, power outputs vary a lot, but on track, the bikes are very evenly matched due to chassis mods / (mods to benefit and restrict) and ECU restrictions. Between World Supersport, AMA, and BSB, the bikes have been well-developed in recent years, making them very competitive against each other. Of course, each model has its advantages and disadvantages, but if you put the same rider on each bike, they'd likely run the same lap time once they figure out the different characteristics.
This makes for better racing, in my view, and it's smart – a rider can almost choose a bike that suits their style and make it an advantage.
The MecTronik! I think it's brilliant, right? It's not the best in the world, as it's a budget kit, but it's very smart. 😄 It's plenty capable for supersport regs and works really well once you figure it out and use the adjustability functions the ECU has to aid the rider. We can see it time and again, guys in Ireland fit kit ECUs or standalone ECUs and expect the bike to learn what they're doing – it doesn't work like that, never has, never will. You need to learn how to use it, and how changes affect the bike's characteristics. (This makes riders faster end of story🤫) There are a good few guys in Ireland who've figured out the software, and another guy with four years of BSB experience who's always available to aid and guide you into learning it for yourself. PM if you need info, and we'll pass it on. (Learning this stuff will make any rider more accomplished and smarter and aid in carrying the rider further into larger and more established class's internationally).
As for running second-gen and supersport together in Ireland, I don't see any issues. I can't figure out why people think it's unfair, or that the second-gens are too expensive. They're relatively new, still developing, and in a controlled class, which means limited suppliers for parts and work – that drives costs up a bit. But build a full supersport spec bike from a few years ago, and it'd cost a lot more. I don't see this as an issue.
Then there is this belief that second-gens are way faster… they are not. If they were, the old supersport bikes competing against them internationally wouldn't have restrictions now. If you took a €50k supersport R6 from five or six years ago and ran it against a current second-gen, I genuinely believe the R6 would be faster overall. Sure, it'd need thousands spent on maintenance, but that's how it's always been – but even more expensive now because parts aren't manufactured any more and we are relying on an expensive old stock!
If you want to run your old supersport alongside the second-gens, go for it! They're fast enough, handle well, and if you're confident on it, just ride it! It might be unfair if you're on a budget supersport with a basic chassis and mild tuning… but nothing’s changed there. I’ve seen guys buy ex-full on supersport bikes to compete on, and they cost just as much and a lot more than brand new second gen bikes today. I've actually seen a good few second gen bikes for sale lately at such good value, you wouldn't look at a supersport bike.. So no excuse to whine, in my view!
Oh, and cheating? Very difficult with a second-gen. We know exactly what HP and torque they should be producing, and the electronics are locked down tight – the ECU has to be a specific controlled ECU that has a serial no. and can only be got from specific dealers. It also has a specific file that’s displayed on your dash with a serial no. that can only be obtained from the developer, so no sneaky business. You don’t need to plug into anything to check what ECU and file someone’s running, as it's all out in the open. The same with chassis components, they have to be a specific components if it's chassis related – it makes it hard to gain an unfair edge.
In the long run, the second-gen is the way to go. Costs level out, and it's more accessible for everyone in the future – even the guy at the back of the grid. I honestly think it's brilliant.
