Whether there is any point in 200 HP bikes is a question that is widely discussed around pub tables. And this even though only the select few could ever actually to live the high life themselves. Yet we’re adding fuel to the fire once again with a practice test.
Let’s get the obvious question out of the way, right from the outset: do you really need 200 HP in a motorcycle? Of course not. Of course 50 HP would also suffice to have a huge amount of fun on two wheels. If you look at it purely rationally and soberly, if you are to drive at the speed of the road you don’t even need 15 HP. But perhaps if everyone adopted this mindset, humanity would still be sitting in caves painting walls. But surely not everything we do can be explained from a rational perspective – the world would be a sad place. So whether or not you need 200 HP is something that each person should decide for him/herself.
However, alongside all reason, there is also the emotional side of things. It’s not about what you need, but rather what you want. As a small decision-making aid, at this point we will subject one of the representatives of the “living the high life” class to the practical test. Four different vehicle concepts and four different philosophies according to which power is generated: power from revs, power from engine capacity, power from a combination of both, or power by means of turbo-charging. The result in the cases of the Aprilia RSV4 RF, Yamaha Vmax, Suzuki Hayabusa and Kawasaki Ninja H2 is always the same, namely power in excess. Irrational, mind-expanding, bank account decimating power. Four 200 HP bikes, four bikes offering much more than enough. And so how does “much more than enough” feel on the road?