Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
NOTE: The 2025 Ducati Streetfighter V2 S and Honda CB 1000 Hornet SP were scheduled to be in this test but was not available at the time we needed.
-
We live in one of the finest moments in motorcycling history with more options and styles to choose from than ever before, but I have always gravitated to nakedbikes and, in particular, mid-size sporty nakedbikes.
Compared to the nearly unusable hyper-nakedbike class with their ungodly levels of speed, complexity and expense, the middleweight class bikes represent the best compromise in terms of speed, fun and usability, and they’re not too expensive given what you get for your money.
The class has gradually creeped up in capacity over the years (much like the superbike and supersport classes) as manufacturers grapple with the ever-tightening emissions regulations they need to comply with. However, the other side of that coin is there are so many different engine configurations, chassis, electronics and body packages that you’d be hard pressed not to find a bike that suits your very particular taste.
For this test, we’ve got together the new inline four-cylinder Kawasaki Z900 SE ABS, Yamaha’s inline three-cylinder MT-09 SP, KTM’s parallel-twin 990 Duke and the Triumph’s inline three-cylinder Street Triple 765 RS, all of which represent the high-er-end of the performance spectrum in this class for each of the manufacturers. The only bike we couldn’t get that deserved to be here was the new V-twin Ducati Streetfighter V2 S, which, unfortunately, was stuck in customs at the time of our test.
-
See the full @Quad_Lock lineup - quadlockcase.com/collections/cases
-
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:30: Kawasaki Z900 SE ABS
05:40: Triumph Street Triple 765 RS
09:38: Quad Lock ad read
10:30: Yamaha MT-09 SP
16:35: KTM 990 Duke
22:11: And the winner is...
-
Thanks again to Quad Lock for supporting this video. Learn more at quadlockcase.com
NOTE: The 2025 Ducati Streetfighter V2 S and Honda CB 1000 Hornet SP were scheduled to be in this test but was not available at the time we needed.
-
We live in one of the finest moments in motorcycling history with more options and styles to choose from than ever before, but I have always gravitated to nakedbikes and, in particular, mid-size sporty nakedbikes.
Compared to the nearly unusable hyper-nakedbike class with their ungodly levels of speed, complexity and expense, the middleweight class bikes represent the best compromise in terms of speed, fun and usability, and they’re not too expensive given what you get for your money.
The class has gradually creeped up in capacity over the years (much like the superbike and supersport classes) as manufacturers grapple with the ever-tightening emissions regulations they need to comply with. However, the other side of that coin is there are so many different engine configurations, chassis, electronics and body packages that you’d be hard pressed not to find a bike that suits your very particular taste.
For this test, we’ve got together the new inline four-cylinder Kawasaki Z900 SE ABS, Yamaha’s inline three-cylinder MT-09 SP, KTM’s parallel-twin 990 Duke and the Triumph’s inline three-cylinder Street Triple 765 RS, all of which represent the high-er-end of the performance spectrum in this class for each of the manufacturers. The only bike we couldn’t get that deserved to be here was the new V-twin Ducati Streetfighter V2 S, which, unfortunately, was stuck in customs at the time of our test.
-
See the full @Quad_Lock lineup - quadlockcase.com/collections/cases
-
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:30: Kawasaki Z900 SE ABS
05:40: Triumph Street Triple 765 RS
09:38: Quad Lock ad read
10:30: Yamaha MT-09 SP
16:35: KTM 990 Duke
22:11: And the winner is...
-
Thanks again to Quad Lock for supporting this video. Learn more at quadlockcase.com
