5 Most Powerful Bikes We Rode In 2019

Us auto journalists are a rather fortunate bunch in some ways. We get our hands on the latest and greatest of machines often before the rest of the world can sample them. We rode a variety of different motorcycles in 2019 and we’ve now put together a list of the 5 most powerful bikes we got our hands on this year:.

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R

The Green Team finally brought its hardcore middleweight supersport to India and we had a blast riding it. The ZX-6R has an absolute howler of a motor - a 636cc inline-four producing 136PS at a heady 13,500rpm on the way to its astronomical 16,000rpm redline!

It’s mostly up to the rider to tame all these ponies, because the electronics suite on the 6R is quite minimal - two power modes, three levels of traction control and ABS. It does get a quickshifter, though, and we had a whale of a time blasting through the gearbox and hearing the engine sing.

Ducati Panigale V2

The Italian marque unveiled its first Euro5-compliant motorcycle in the form of the Panigale V2, and we got to sample it at the lovely Jerez racetrack. The 955cc L-twin motor produces even more power and torque than it did in the 959 Panigale - 155PS and 104Nm to be precise.

Another new addition is the comprehensive electronics suite which includes launch control, wheelie control, traction control, a quickshifter and engine brake control. This baby Pani is suspended on fully-adjustable units at both ends - a Showa Big Piston Fork and a Sachs monoshock.

Ducati Diavel 1260 S

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The Pani is made for speed so horsepower is a necessity, but on the Diavel it’s more of an indulgence. A mammoth 159PS and 129Nm are on tap from the 1262cc Testastretta motor. And thanks to Ducati’s variable valve timing system, there’s over 100Nm available right from 3,500rpm, making the Diavel very light on its feet.

And it might look big and butch but the Diavel tips the scales at a rather lean 218kg dry. If these numbers sound a little overwhelming, fear not. For Ducati has thrown in a vast electronics suite that packs in cornering ABS and traction control, riding modes, power modes and wheelie control.

BMW S1000RR

The S1K was the original powerhouse when it first came out in 2009, but the competition has moved on since then. In 2019, though, the Beemer has gloriously blown past the 200PS barrier, with its 999cc motor now producing 207PS and 113Nm.

ShiftCam variable valve timing technology means that this power is evenly spread across the rev range, making this a very tractable and usable motor. Also new for 2019 is the expansive electronics package that includes cornering ABS and traction control, a bi-directional quickshifter, riding modes, wheelie control, launch control and hill-start control.

Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory

Aprilia rolled out its RSV4 1100 Factory, its biggest, baddest RSV4 yet, to take on the mighty Panigale V4. And in many areas, it trumps its Italian neighbour. One of the areas is performance, with the RSV4 putting down 217PS compared the Duc’s measly 214PS. The 1078cc motor also churns out 122Nm of torque.

All this performance is kept in check by 8 levels of traction control, three riding modes, three levels of wheelie control, three levels of launch control, three levels of ABS intervention, cruise control and an adjustable pit limiter.