Power, you can never have enough of it. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. In the motorcycling world though, power isn’t everything. It has been conclusively proved that more power doesn’t always necessarily translate into a faster bike, and anything around the 45-50hp mark is more than enough for most motorcyclists’ day to day lives.
And yet, we just can’t resist gawking over spec sheets, poring over brochures, and lusting after the most powerful bikes in existence. There’s something about them, the imaginations of thrill and excitement that we conjure when astride a motorcycle with frankly incongruous amounts of power. The knowledge that you can unleash the seven levels of hell if you want to, that you have all that power at the flick of your wrist is oddly satisfying.
Here we have compiled the nine most powerful production motorcycles in existence today. We could have rounded it out to ten, but the tenth seed was so far off the mark when compared to these nine, that we thought it wouldn’t be fair to put it in this rarified list. We have also excluded track-only, one-off, and special edition vehicles, as the power and figures of most of these vehicles vary wildly, and it would be unfair to add them to this strictly-curated list. Enjoy.
9. MV Agusta F4 R 312 – 190hp
MV Agusta doesn’t make too many motorcycles in its chequered history, but when they do, the world sits up and takes notice. Despite its jaw-dropping beauty, the F4 was written off by many after more than a decade of gracing the living rooms of moneyed connoisseurs, but then they came up with this even more ferocious beast of a machine. It also held the record of the fastest production motorcycle (311kmph) for quite some time, so there’s that.
8. Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R – 193hp
Also known as ZZR1400 in some circles, it was Kawasaki’s answer to the undisputed king of top speed, the mighty Hayabusa. And what an answer it was. Although decried a bit at first thanks to its looks, or lack of it rather, its performance was nothing to laugh about. This isn’t a bike meant for posing, it is a missile designed to propel you down the straight and narrow as fast as the laws of physics will allow.
7. BMW HP4 – 193hp
The BMW S1000RR came out of nowhere in 2009, taking everyone by surprise, shattering speed and power records, and sweeping almost all Bike of the Year awards. Not one to rest on their laurels, BMW has kept on fine-tuning it and honing it with such methodical precision as only the German can. They also introduced a number of iterations of the bike, and this, the HP4 is their wildest ride yet.
6. Suzuki Hayabusa GSX R 1300R – 197hp
Ahh, the Dhoom bike, the one that restarted it all. The one that took the gentlemen’s agreement and smashed it to smithereens, laughing all the while to the bank. The ageing Japanese falcon has still what it takes with 197hp from its 1340cc engine.
5. Kawasaki Ninja H2 – 200hp
We ourselves are a bit surprised to find the heavily anticipated Ninja H2 in the middle of this list, rather than at the very top. This just shows how far technology has progressed in the last decade. If we were including track-only machines in our mix, then the H2’s bigger, badder brother, the H2R, would have decimated all comers with its whooping 300hp of power. As it stands, the H2 though, is still a manic machine at 200hp.
4. Yamaha V-Max – 200hp
The V-Max, a power cruiser, is a bit of an oddity in this list dominated by superbikes and hyper tourers. What isn’t odd though, is its 1679cc engine that produces exactly 200hp of power.
3. Yamaha YZF-R1 – 200hp
All-new for 2015, the YZF-R1 is a technical marvel, meant to decimate all usurpers to the throne who has been strutting while Yamaha lay dormant for the last few years. With its 998cc engine churning out a monstrous 200hp, we certainly think it has what it takes. Did we also mention that Rossi helped develop it? Did we?
2. Ducati 1299 Panigale S – 205hp
With 205hp from its 1285cc engine, the 1299 Panigale S is the most powerful production motorcycle in existence right now, if you don’t count the ultra-rare Vyrus that also just happens to have a Ducati-sourced engine.
1. Vyrus 987 C3 4V R – 211hp
The inclusion of the Vyrus at the top of this list caused a row at the office, and it almost came to blows before the boss had to placate everyone down with some choice takeaway from the Chinese eatery downstairs. Some felt that it doesn’t really count as a mass-produced motorcycle, and if we include it, we also have to count other exotics like the MTT Y2K, the Dodge Tomahawk, and the Boss Hoss. Others felt that it is now being produced in a pretty sizeable quantity, hence it ought to be here. In the end we went with the latter. At 211hp, the Vyrus wins the crown of being the most powerful motorcycle on sale today.
Do you agree with our list? Do you feel that we missed out any motorcycle more powerful than the ones on this list? Sound out to us in the comments below.
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