A modified second-order sliding mode control (MSOSMC) combined with radial basis function (RBF) network estimator is developed and proposed to achieve accurate speed tracking performance for synchronous reluctance motor (SynRM). The dynamic model of SynRM system has the properties of parameter variations, external disturbance, and nonlinear friction force. The MSOSMC method that utilizes continuous control input is applied to reduce the chattering phenomenon. Also, this method utilizes two sliding surfaces to solve the problem of system uncertainty and reduce motor power consumption. The RBF network is developed in MSOSMC scheme to estimate the lumped uncertainty in an on-line fashion. The proposed MSOSMC method uses the system error and control input as the convergence criteria. The adaptation scheme adjusts the parameter vectors based on the Lyapunov theorem approach, so that the asymptotic stability of the developed motor system can be guaranteed. Experimental results show that the MSOSMC structure achieves the better tracking performances in terms of root-mean-square error compared with the traditional SOSMC method under different speed tracking conditions.