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Does a faster, more expensive sportbike actually make you a faster rider? On this episode of On Two Wheels, we put that question to the test.
At Buttonwillow Raceway, Evan takes on three different levels of sportbike performance, starting with an entry-level machine and working all the way up to a full-blown superbike. With help from MotoAmerica racer Michael Gilbert coaching him through Cardo communication, Evan sets timed laps on each bike to see how speed, confidence, and cost really stack up.
Michael also sets his own lap times on each bike, giving us a clear look at how a pro rider uses performance compared to an average track-day rider. The result is not just a comparison of lap times, but a deeper look at skill, usability, and whether horsepower actually delivers real-world speed.
This episode is not about which bike is “best.” It’s about learning what actually makes riders faster, where money helps, and where it doesn’t.
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Does a faster, more expensive sportbike actually make you a faster rider? On this episode of On Two Wheels, we put that question to the test.
At Buttonwillow Raceway, Evan takes on three different levels of sportbike performance, starting with an entry-level machine and working all the way up to a full-blown superbike. With help from MotoAmerica racer Michael Gilbert coaching him through Cardo communication, Evan sets timed laps on each bike to see how speed, confidence, and cost really stack up.
Michael also sets his own lap times on each bike, giving us a clear look at how a pro rider uses performance compared to an average track-day rider. The result is not just a comparison of lap times, but a deeper look at skill, usability, and whether horsepower actually delivers real-world speed.
This episode is not about which bike is “best.” It’s about learning what actually makes riders faster, where money helps, and where it doesn’t.
Become a Channel Partner: https://octanemedia.co/home/become-an-advertiser/
Looking to buy? Get prequalified
https://octane.co/vehicle-selection/?partner=jAYmx9P&a=303&flow=long-prequal&appTheme=3a49337c5724d18079602a4ca5a91626
Read the best motorcycle news and reviews: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/
Motorcyclist Shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/motorcyclist
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motorcyclistonline/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motorcyclistmag/
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00On paper, it's simple.
00:02Buy more horsepower, get a better lap time, right?
00:05But I've always wondered if I bought a faster bike,
00:07would I actually go quicker?
00:09Would I just end up slower, more scared,
00:11and a lot more broke?
00:12So I'm putting three levels of sport bikes to the test,
00:15from beginner-friendly to terrifyingly expensive
00:18with one average rider, me.
00:20Let's find out.
00:24Before we start turning laps,
00:25I should probably explain what we're actually doing here,
00:28where we are, what the plan is,
00:30and how this little science experiment is gonna work.
00:33I'll be riding three sport bikes,
00:34each one a level up in power, tech, and price.
00:37The plan is to get comfortable enough
00:38to set a fast lap on each,
00:40then compare times and see how that translates to cost.
00:44But it's not just about the numbers.
00:45It's about how each bike feels as I level up.
00:48And to make sure I don't turn this
00:49into a very expensive crash course,
00:51I've got a little help lined up.
00:53Someone who actually knows what they're doing,
00:55someone with years of racing experience,
00:57who is no stranger to going fast.
00:59And that is Michael Gilbert.
01:01He'll be in my cardio communication systems today,
01:04coaching me, giving me tips.
01:05He'll also set his own fast lap on each bike
01:08to show how a Joe stacks up against a pro.
01:11I guess the big question, Evan, is how are you feeling?
01:14I'm a little bit nervous,
01:15but I'm excited to get started.
01:16Well, I guess the first order of business
01:18is we're gonna throw you on the Kawasaki Ninja 500.
01:21I'll jump on the Yamaha YZF-R9.
01:23We'll do a little lead follow around this racetrack.
01:26Maybe I'll lead you around for three, four laps,
01:28show you where the racetrack goes,
01:29and then I'll wave you by.
01:30And like you said, I'll be in your ear
01:31giving you tips the whole time.
01:33All right, let's get to work.
01:35We would like to thank Cardo for sponsoring this episode.
01:38First up is the Kawasaki Ninja 500.
01:40This little Ninja has been the gateway drug
01:42for sport bike riders since the 80s.
01:44It's grown up a little bit since the old 250,
01:47but it's still the friendliest face in the paddock.
01:49Technology, well, it has ABS, that's it.
01:52No traction control, no ride modes,
01:54no Race Pro, Dynamic, Evo, anything.
01:57Just a throttle, some brakes, and your judgment.
01:59The good news is, judgment's cheap.
02:01About 5,400 bucks for the base version,
02:03or 6,500 if you want the SE with upgraded features.
02:07It makes about 51 horsepower,
02:08weighs just over 381 pounds,
02:11and somehow still feels like a proper sport bike.
02:14Keep your eyes up.
02:15It's really easy to kind of get ourselves focused so low,
02:18and kind of lose sense of where we are.
02:21Other than that, I mean, I'm gonna lead you around,
02:23like I said, probably four or five laps.
02:26Again, I want you to be cognizant of where I'm at.
02:29I don't necessarily want you to be focused solely
02:32on where I'm at, I almost want you to be-
02:33Like on the track, like the line you're on?
02:35Yeah, I want you to be following my lines,
02:38but I want your focus to be here,
02:41rather than looking directly at me
02:43and getting so kind of fixated.
02:44And that way, when I send you off on your own
02:46in front of me, we know where the racetrack is leading us.
02:49Okay. You know what I mean?
02:50Yeah.
02:51Like I said, I'll lead you around for three, four laps.
02:53Remember, you know, we're on street bikes with street tires,
02:55and the tires look pretty damn new too.
02:57Yeah, they're all brand new.
02:58So let's just kind of take our time
03:00and break these things in and go see what's going on.
03:02Okay, sweet. Cool.
03:03Awesome. Let's do it. Yeah.
03:04Little bump right here.
03:11Okay.
03:12Now this one right here,
03:15everyone calls this the wheelie bump at Buttonwillow.
03:18On your little 500, we can go wide open
03:20all the way over the top of that,
03:21but maybe when you move up to the Panagalli,
03:23we're going to be rolling out of it.
03:25Yeah.
03:26Okay.
03:28Bus stop corner.
03:30Now there's going to be a big bump right here.
03:33You can almost see it.
03:33I kind of stand up out of the seat.
03:35Motorcraft style.
03:36Yep.
03:37Okay.
03:38Take a little bit of weight off the handlebars.
03:40Now this is Riverside.
03:42As we get going a little bit faster,
03:43I mean, this is a really quick corner.
03:46I typically just left the bike run.
03:49Now I enter Phil Hill,
03:52probably mid track going up over the top.
03:54Oh yeah, bump there.
03:56Okay.
03:56Yeah.
03:58Now check this out.
03:59Same thing.
04:00I'm kind of mid track here.
04:01We're going to go right through the sweeper,
04:07get our eyes up.
04:08Now see the cones up here at the end.
04:10I kind of have my eyes up at the cone
04:12so I can see where the race tracks at.
04:14Okay.
04:15Yeah.
04:17And you hit that curve.
04:19Yep. That curve is good.
04:20The rest of them, I stay off of it.
04:22Straight line all the way through here.
04:24Out of the yeses.
04:27Now we're in the final corner right about now.
04:31Another big bump on the exit.
04:37Right there.
04:38Oh yeah.
04:39Yeah.
04:40Oh yeah.
04:41So now we'll check this one out for the first time.
04:47I have no problem running over this patch.
04:49I literally just go straight over it.
04:51Okay.
04:52And then kind of just turn it right back.
04:54Just kind of neutral throttle all the way through.
04:58Okay.
04:59You want to do one more lap behind me?
05:02Uh, yeah.
05:03I'll do one more.
05:04All right.
05:05Let's do one more.
05:06All right, Evan.
05:07You're time to shine.
05:08All right.
05:09Using all the race track there, buddy.
05:13Oh yeah, I know.
05:14I kind of misjudged that one.
05:15Having Michael right behind me talking in my ear through the cardo made a huge difference.
05:32He wasn't just calling out my mistakes.
05:34He was helping me see things I wouldn't have noticed on my own.
05:37After a few laps, things started to click.
05:40Lines got cleaner, breaking points made more sense, and I stopped feeling like I was just
05:44reacting to the bike.
05:45I wasn't perfect, but I was a lot more confident than when we first rolled out on track.
05:50At that point, the learning session had done its job.
05:53It was time to stop coaching and start measuring.
05:57The first order of business was setting a baseline.
06:00Michael took the Ninja 500 out for three flying laps and his best time came in at a 209.87.
06:06That became the benchmark I would be chasing, or at least trying to get within the same time zone.
06:12Starting off on the Ninja gave me confidence to learn the track, get up to speed, and conduct my first flying lap.
06:18With only 51 horsepower, I wasn't worried about the 500 being too much to manage.
06:23I just needed to hit my marks, put down a clean lap, and gain some confidence before jumping up to the R9.
06:30On the Kawasaki, it was pretty much full gas or full brakes the entire time.
06:38Utilizing the top half of the gearbox, the key to a fast lap on the Ninja was momentum.
06:43Trying my best to remember Michael's teachings and stay on the track's fast line, mistakes were made,
06:48which became very noticeable on the Ninja as it doesn't have the power to gain back time on the straightaways.
07:00Trying my best to make up time in the braking zones only triggered the ABS system leading to sloppy corner entries.
07:06After three hot laps, none of them felt perfect, but it was time to compare my times with Michael's before leveling up to a faster bike.
07:19The Kawasaki 500 is approachable and forgiving, but relatively soft and not super powerful.
07:24To truly test my sport bike skills, I needed to level up to the Yamaha YZF R9.
07:42After giving it my best attempt and trying to remember everything Michael taught me in the learning session,
07:47my best time was a 217.83.
07:51That put me 7.96 seconds behind Michael.
07:54In racing terms, that's a lifetime.
07:56With our entry level bike out of the way, it was time to move on to something a little more tempting.
08:01The Yamaha YZF R9 is kind of the poster child for modern sport bikes.
08:05Fast enough to scare you and smart enough to save you, it's powered by an 890cc inline triple
08:11that makes about 117 horsepower and weighs 430 pounds.
08:15So yeah, not slow.
08:17The price, $12,500.
08:19Which feels like a bargain until you realize that's basically twice the Ninja sticker.
08:24You get a full buffet of features, adjustable suspension, Brembo brakes, an aluminum frame,
08:29and so many electronic aids it feels like a pit crew is living inside the ECU.
08:33Nine ride modes, four track modes, traction control, slide control, wheelie control, cruise control.
08:38Honestly, the only thing this doesn't have is self control.
08:42But it's not just tech for tech's sake.
08:44This thing actually wins races in World Supersport and Moto America.
08:48Which makes me wonder if this might be the real sweet spot.
08:51Could this be the perfect bike for an average track day rider like me?
08:54Ready?
08:55Yep.
08:56Geez, just navigating the pits is harder on this with these clip ones.
09:00Alright Evan, we're on a bigger, stepping up from the Ninja 500 to the Yamaha YZF R9.
09:07A little bit more sport focus, definitely more power.
09:12Okay.
09:13I'm going to say it's going to require a little bit more patience.
09:15You're not going to be able to open the throttle wide open like you can on that one.
09:18Okay.
09:19Or on the Ninja 500.
09:20But I will also say it's going to be a little bit more direct.
09:23It's going to turn, it's going to steer.
09:25Just be mindful of it as we get going on this thing.
09:28Okay.
09:29Yeah.
09:30I'll just ease into it nice and slow.
09:32At least I know where the track goes.
09:34Yeah, there you go.
09:35I got that going for me.
09:36It's one step up.
09:37Oh yeah.
09:38A lot more power.
09:39Geez.
09:40You can recalibrate my brain.
09:43I guess with the step up to the bigger bike you also kind of get some creature comforts
09:52like auto blip and quick shift and traction control that you don't necessarily have.
09:57I guess nor do you need on the 500.
10:00Yeah.
10:01I will say that the 500 not having a quick shifter, I missed out on that.
10:06But yeah.
10:07Wow.
10:08Just how much this thing pulls off of the apex and the suspension being so much sniffer.
10:13100%.
10:14Yeah.
10:15It's going to be a lot more direct, but I mean, like you say, with pulling off the corner,
10:19you're definitely have to be a little bit more patient.
10:21I mean, bigger bike, bigger consequence.
10:24Even the smallest mistakes on an R9 mean a lot more than they do on a Ninja 500.
10:30That little bike is so forgiving.
10:32Yeah.
10:33Which honestly makes it awesome for novice and beginner riders.
10:37But, you know, we all need to take a step up and perform it sometime.
10:41Yeah, I think like the 500, I feel like I would outgrow that bike in like one track day
10:47where this feels like it's something I could really grow into.
10:51Maybe a little bit intimidating right now, but I think I could get used to this after
10:56a few track days.
11:04How's the extra power feeling, Evan?
11:06It's a little intimidating.
11:08Like you said, just it felt like on the Cowie, you're waiting for the corners to come
11:13and just, yeah, you can be sloppy because you just whack the throttle where this, just
11:18everything is different.
11:21Even just like my vision.
11:22I feel like, yeah, things are coming quicker.
11:25I got to train my eyes, you know, differently.
11:27That's where getting your body transition and always leading the motorcycle, the faster
11:32and faster bikes we get on, the more important that's going to be.
11:38Those faster bikes, just let go of those little kinks.
11:41Just let it go straight.
11:42Like right here, run it to the right side of the racetrack.
11:46Just let it go.
11:47Okay.
11:48What surprised me the most on the R9 was how quickly everything sped up.
11:54More power, firmer suspension, and suddenly the track felt shorter.
11:58I had to recalibrate my vision just to stay ahead of it.
12:01It was already asking more for me than the Ninja ever did, which was both exciting and a little intimidating.
12:06After I wrapped up my learning laps, Michael hopped on the R9 and immediately reminded me why he's a pro.
12:13Three laps later, he put down a 201.95, almost eight seconds faster than his Ninja time.
12:19Apparently, when you have actual experience and talent, horsepower is pretty useful.
12:24Meanwhile, I was aiming a little lower.
12:26If I could at least beat his Ninja lap on this thing, I was going to celebrate like I won a trophy.
12:31Jumping off the Kawasaki and onto the Yamaha, the bikes feel like a night and day difference.
12:40The Yamaha seat is high, the bars are low, the pegs are swept back, and all the controls are much more sensitive.
12:50Once I was out on track and going much faster with 117 horsepower under me, the race course seemed smaller and tighter.
12:57Suddenly, everything was happening faster.
12:59Braking cones, corners, and curving arrived much sooner.
13:03Some of the markers I used on the Kawasaki no longer apply.
13:10The power on the Yamaha needed to be controlled.
13:12I no longer could whack the throttle on corner exit like I had on the Ninja 500.
13:17Gracefully rolling into the throttle, the Yamaha peels off corners and accelerates faster than I ever had on a racetrack.
13:24The R9's inline three-cylinder engine provides usable torque to squirt off a corner and it delivers exceptional top-end power to drive down a straightaway.
13:36I certainly appreciated the R9's flexible engine character and buttery smooth bi-directional quickshifter when connecting segments of the racetrack.
13:44The stiff suspension and chassis provided direct feedback, which was positive when I made proper rider inputs, but also overwhelming when I made mistakes and the R9 didn't hide them like the forgiving Kawasaki.
13:59A couple mistakes later and I was starting to find my grease.
14:06Readjusting my braking marks and training my eyes to look further down the track, I started to gain confidence and feel like the Yamaha R9 may be my sweet spot.
14:15Fast, but not too fast. Capable, but not overwhelming.
14:18I thought, this is a bike I could grow into. Maybe the R9 is my perfect level of sport bike.
14:25After giving it my best attempt and trying to remember everything Michael covered in the second learning session, my best time on the R9 was a 2-12.
14:44That put me ten seconds behind Michael's R9 time. And even with the extra power, I was still slower than Michael's Ninja time.
14:50That was not a great sign for the theory that more displacement makes you faster.
14:54There was a pattern forming. As Michael moved to faster, more powerful bikes, his gap to me grew.
14:59But it was still too early to say anything for sure. We had one more bike to test before we could settle this question.
15:05With our middle level bike out of the way, it was time to move on to the final level. The most powerful and most expensive bike of them all.
15:12This is it, the final boss. The 2025 Ducati Panigale V4S. Just looking at it raises your heart rate.
15:19Ducati's been running MotoGP like a dictatorship lately and this thing borrows enough tech from those race bikes to make you feel like you probably shouldn't be allowed to touch it.
15:27It's got an 1130cc Desmo V4 making around 209 horsepower and weighing 412 pounds without fuel.
15:34Which gives it a power to weight ratio somewhere between exciting and are your affairs in order.
15:39There's a new chassis with a double sided swing arm for more grip, semi-active Ohlins suspension that literally thinks faster than I do, and Brembo hyper brakes that feel like they could stop the earth's rotation.
15:50Five ride modes, two labeled race, and a braking system so clever it almost finishes corner entry for you.
15:56Then there's the Ducati Vehicle Observer, a computer that pretends to be 70 sensors predicting what you're about to do before you do it.
16:04Which sounds helpful or terrifying depending how much you trust Italian AI.
16:09It does seem to win world championships, price tag $34,595.
16:15Alright Evan, the final boss of today's motorcycles, Panigale V4.
16:22It looks like it would be the final boss.
16:24A little bit more brutal than the other two.
16:26Yeah, just touching this brake lever, it's like super sharp.
16:30I mean, at the end of the day, it's just a motorcycle.
16:33This thing, you're just gonna have to be, you know, I feel like I've reiterated it over and over and over again.
16:38But patience, patience, just opening the throttle slow.
16:43The consequences that we talked about on a bike like this are much higher than they would be on a Ninja 500.
16:49So it demands a lot of respect, and the more respect you give it, the faster and safer you're gonna be.
16:55And probably the more fun you're gonna have, so.
16:58Okay.
16:59The chassis is a lot more direct on the Panigale too.
17:10Yeah, I mean, this thing's so quirky, holy cow.
17:19Oh, that bump is gnarly.
17:29Sections like this, the back and forth S's, is really where the Panigale demands a lot of respect.
17:35By this point in the day, things were starting to settle in.
17:38The Panigale felt planted and serious, especially through the fast back and forth sections.
17:43I wasn't getting close to the bike's limits, but I was definitely getting close to mine.
17:47There was still more to learn, but we were running out of daylight to find it.
17:51After three learning sessions on the Panigale, I learned all I was gonna learn in one day.
17:56Which meant it was officially time for Michael to take it out and remind me what fast really looks like.
18:01He headed out for three flying laps.
18:03His best came in at a 152.21.
18:05That's almost 10 seconds faster than his R9 time.
18:08When a bike has this much performance, a rider with real skill can unlock absolutely all of it.
18:14I knew I wasn't gonna get anywhere close to his number.
18:17I barely understood half the buttons on the dash, but I still had one goal left on the table.
18:22Beat at least one of Michael's lap times from earlier.
18:26Going out for a fast lap on a 209 horsepower Ducati is a whole different kind of pressure.
18:31The moment I got on track, it was obvious. This thing lives in its own universe.
18:35The throttle hits like a punch to the chest and I've never accelerated that fast on any motorcycle.
18:40It genuinely feels like the track comes at you twice as quickly as it does on the R9.
18:45The bike is so powerful that I ended up staying at gear high almost everywhere just to make the throttle response manageable.
18:55And even then, every straight felt like I was trying to tear my arms out of the sockets.
18:59And every time I tipped it in, the chassis snapped to attention. So fast, it bordered on overwhelming.
19:04The rider aids helped, but only up to a point. They stepped in once when I got greedy with the throttle at lean and I was very thankful they did.
19:15But the rest of the time, it was up to me to ride clean and keep my mistakes small enough that the bike didn't punish me for them.
19:21Trying to attack the track at speed on the Panigale was intense and honestly a little chaotic.
19:30The jump from 117 horsepower to 209 is massive. It accelerates harder, brakes harder, and changes direction faster than I can process at the moment.
19:44I did go faster on it, mostly because the engine simply forces you to go faster.
19:49But it was clear that this bike was way beyond what an average rider like me could truly use.
19:54I could hang on for a lap, but I could not tame the Italian beast the same way Michael could.
19:59After giving it my best attempt and trying to remember everything from the third learning session, my best time on the Panigale was at 209.44.
20:08That's over 17 seconds slower than Michael's time on the same bike. It was clear.
20:13As Michael moved to faster bikes, he gained more time because he has the skill to unlock the performance. I do not. The faster the bike, the smaller the benefit is for a rider of my level.
20:22However, I did manage one small victory. I beat one of Michael's times. I beat his Ninja 500 lap by half a second on the Panigale, and it only took a $35,000 motorcycle with over 200 horsepower to do it.
20:35Now that we have all the lap times, the pattern is pretty clear. As the bikes got faster, Michael got way faster. He dropped almost 18 seconds from the Ninja to the Panigale because he has the skill to unlock everything a superbike has to offer.
20:48My results told a different story. I only gained about 8 seconds from the Ninja to the Panigale, which shows the more performance the bike had, the less of it I could actually use.
21:01And the gap between us just kept growing, so the bikes were not the difference. I only gained about 8 seconds from the Ninja to the Panigale, which shows the more performance the bike had, the less of it I could actually use.
21:12And the gap between us just kept growing. So the bikes were not the difference, the skill was. A pro rider can unlock a superbike in a way an average rider cannot, at least not in one day.
21:24And when you factor in price, it becomes even more obvious. The Panigale costs more than 5 times what the Ninja does, and I still barely matched Michael's Ninja lap time.
21:33It proves there is no shortcut around skill. Horsepower does not replace riding ability.
21:38Today made it pretty clear. Speed doesn't just come from horsepower. It comes from understanding the bike, feeling comfortable on it, and actually being able to use the performance you paid for.
21:49This test also underlines that the rider is the key element, and that we should never stop learning and trying to be a better rider.
21:55The equipment can make the difference. It's our job as riders to learn how to unlock that potential.
22:00So does a faster bike make you a faster rider? Sometimes, but not automatically, and not for everyone.
22:06And maybe that is the real answer. It's not about buying the fastest bike on paper. It's about finding the one that makes riding the most rewarding.
22:14It's not about buying the most rewarding.
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