Once bikes like the Kawasaki Ninja ZX 14R  enter the picture, it’s really a matter of which rider can outrace the opposition. Packing a 1441cc engine capable of 200 hp, this Ninja stood alone in its class before the Lightning LS-218 joined the 200 horses club. This massive engine makes it one of the heaviest bikes on the list at 584 pounds, but with 115 pound-foot of torque it retains an impressive ratio of weight to torque.

Sure, it’s one of the bikes that swears by its 186 mph speed limit, yet in 2013 Ralph Nicholls set the Australian land speed record on a Ninja ZX 14R with just tire and gearing changes. Nicholls rode the Ninja above 208 mph.