We’ve brought you plenty drag races of fully-faired sportbikes, but this time, it’s two popular nakeds that are lining up on the start line.

In this race, a Kawasaki Z900 goes against Yamaha's flagship naked, the MT-10. Which one are you betting your money on? Decided? Now, read on to find out whether you’re right.

The Contenders

The first contender here is the Kawasaki Z900. It is powered by a 948cc, inline-four engine pumping out 123 horsepower and 72.2 pound-feet. The Z900 weighs 467 pounds wet.

Going against the Z900 is Yamaha’s flagship naked, the MT-10. The bike employs a bigger 998cc, four-cylinder engine and makes 158 horsepower along with 81.8 pound-feet. In addition, the MT-10 tips the scale at 463 pounds.

Both bikes used here are more or less, only except for aftermarket exhaust systems.

Yamaha MT-10 vs Kawasaki Z900 Drag Race

The ball is clearly in the MT-10’s court as it is not only more powerful but also slightly lighter than the Z900. But specs rarely tell the full story and that’s exactly what happens here.

As soon as the race starts, the Z900 immediately gets a jump on the MT-10 and stretches a healthy lead. This ultimately gives it the win, leaving the MT-10 to do all the catching up.

Shocked, right? Well, let us throw in our two cents here. The main reason for the Kawasaki Z900’s win here is its linear power delivery, which makes it easier to launch as compared to the Yamaha. As a result, the Z900 rider always tends to get a better, smoother launch of the line while the MT-10 rider can’t simply dump the clutch due to the torquey power delivery.

Backing this up is the roll-on race, where once the launch is taken out of the equation, the MT-10 simply surges past the Z900 and keeps eking out its advantage.

Even in the drag race, the MT-10 does start reeling in the Kawasaki, thanks to its power advantage, and it’d probably win if they went harder for longer. But as far as the launch is concerned, the Z900 takes the cake.

Full credit to the Kawasaki for making a capable naked motorcycle and the Z900 rider for acing the launch every time.