Middleweight Naked-Bike Shootout

We live in one of the finest moments in motorcycling history, with more options and styles to choose from than ever before. However, I have always gravitated towards naked bikes, and in particular, midsize sporty naked bikes.

Photography by Kit Palmer

Compared to the nearly unusable hyper-naked-bike class with their ungodly levels of speed, complexity and expense, the middleweight-class bikes represent the best compromise in terms of speed, fun and usability, and they’re not too expensive given what you get for your money.

The class has gradually crept up in capacity over the years (much like the superbike and supersport classes) as manufacturers grapple with the ever-tightening emissions regulations they must comply with. However, the other side of that coin is that there are so many different engine configurations, chassis, electronics and body packages that you’d be hard-pressed not to find a bike that suits your very particular taste.

For this comparison test, we’ve got together the new inline four-cylinder Kawasaki Z900 SE ABS, Yamaha’s inline three-cylinder MT-09 SP, KTM’s parallel-twin 990 Duke and Triumph’s inline three-cylinder Street Triple 765 RS, all of which represent the high-“er”-end of the performance spectrum in this class for each of the manufacturers. The only bike we couldn’t get that deserved to be here was the new V-twin Ducati Streetfighter V2 S, which, unfortunately, was indefinitely stuck in customs at the time of our test.

A quick note on some of the shared features of the test bikes: they all have six-axis IMU’s with multi-level traction control, variable riding and power modes, cornering ABS, and the ability to Bluetooth your phone to get turn-by-turn navigation via their bespoke apps. The Yamaha, Kawasaki and Triumph come standard with a quickshifter, but it’s an add-on for the KTM via their aftermarket Tech Pack.

Likewise, the Yamaha and Kawasaki come standard with cruise control, whereas it’s an add-on for the KTM and Triumph (both test bikes of which came with it fitted).

We had four riders: Nathon Verdugo, Brandon Mosavain, and CN staffers Ryan Nitzen and me, with experience ranging from novice-level street riders to very experienced street riders. We focused on street riding; no track testing was conducted.

We all had differing opinions on what we wanted out of a street bike that needed to fill many roles, from daily rider to weekend scratcher to the occasional big-mile ride. Let’s get stuck into it.

4th Place

Kawasaki Z900 SE ABS

Kawasaki chose 2025 to reinvigorate its middleweight naked-bike screamer, although the bones remain the same in the 948cc inline-four engine and tubular steel chassis.

The engine received lower-lift new cam profiles in the hopes of boosting midrange performance, but it did lose a touch of peak horsepower, going from a claimed 123 to 122 horsepower, while torque also went down an imperceptible nine-tenths of a lb-ft for 71.8 lb-ft.

Other changes include the tried-and-tested Brembo M4.32 brake calipers, 300mm discs, steel brake lines, new headlights and a thicker seat.

The Kawasaki was the heaviest of the bunch, weighing in at 471 pounds with a full 4.5 gallons of gas. Incidentally, that’s exactly what Kawasaki claims the bike weighs, whereas everyone else in this test found a lighter weight than what they actually were.

The Kawasaki earned points for its fantastic engine, which had a very usable spread of low-end torque for point-to-point street cruising, combined with the trademark Kawasaki top-end, and an induction roar to boot. It also had the slickest quickshifter of the bunch, especially compared to the KTM’s stiff, quick-action shift.

The Kawasaki also had the lowest seat of the bunch at 31.9 inches, and this is where the problems started to arise. The Kawasaki felt cramped for all the riders in this test, who ranged from 5’10” to 6’2” in height. The footpegs were also higher than the rest, meaning blood flow to the riders’ legs was always an issue, and we were all itching to swap bikes after about 40 minutes on the 900. The higher-bend handlebar and the tall gas tank didn’t help comfort either.

Handling from the KYB-equipped fork and Öhlins S46 shock was adequate, but the base settings are exceptionally soft. Luckily, the S46 comes with a remote preload knob (as do the other bikes in this test), so it was easy enough to dial in a decent setting.

The Kawasaki is the only bike to come standard with Dunlops, and all the testers said how good the Sportmax Q5A’s handled the test with plenty of grip, feel and stability over some of the rough sections of our test route.

Brandon and Nathon both noted the Kawasaki was the easiest to ride for short distances, Brandon saying that if all he was doing were short rides around town, the Kawasaki would be his first choice. However, the ergonomic issues meant that long rides would be a tiresome experience.

Kawasaki has launched a new dash for the 2025 900 model, and while it’s a visual improvement over the 2024 unit, it’s not as easy to navigate. More seat time would likely mitigate this issue, but it’s worth noting, nonetheless.

At $11,849, the Kawasaki is the least expensive of the four bikes tested, but considering it is “new” for 2025, the chassis feels a little dated, even if it’s matched to that excellent engine, and the ergonomics are a throwback to how naked bikes were, not what they currently are.

2025 Kawasaki Z900 SE ABS Specifications

 

3rd Place

Triumph Street Triple 765 RS

This one surprised all the testers, as we all thought it would be higher up on the list.

The $12,795 ($13,410 as tested) Triumph Street Triple 765 RS is by far the sportiest of all the bikes here on test, and with good reason—it is essentially a stripped-down supersport weapon and provides the base for Triumph’s racing efforts in series like WorldSSP and British Supersport.

That persona gives the Triumph an edge when the road gets twisty, and the ergonomics reflect this. Brandon noted the Triumph was the least comfortable overall, and Ryan said the Triumph almost didn’t fit the test, given how much sportier it was compared to the competition.

For me, I loved the extra sharpness delivered by the racey chassis and ergos, and they grew on Nathon more towards the end of the day, despite him being a skeptic at first.

The Triumph lacked bottom-end torque compared to the similarly engined Yamaha, but it has the smallest displacement of the lot at 765cc. What the Triumph lost on the bottom end, it made up for on the top end, the engine getting faster and faster as the revs increased.

The engine has the highest claimed power of the test at 128 horsepower at 12,000 rpm, although claimed torque is the lowest at 59 lb-ft at 9500 rpm. These numbers, again, suggest where the Triumph is most at home—the racetrack.

Like all the bikes here, the Triumph’s power and throttle response could be mitigated through various ride modes, but, like the Kawasaki, the dash isn’t the easiest to navigate and feels a bit dated compared to the Yamaha’s and KTM’s, which is saying something, because I personally have always loved Triumph’s dashes and the little mouse on the left switchblock used to control them.

The Triumph—like the KTM—doesn’t come stock with cruise control, which hurts its ratings. If you choose that option, it’s an additional $365 at the time of purchase. It should come standard.

In terms of the chassis, an Öhlins STX40 shock matches to 41mm Showa forks and offers exceptional ride quality, and the brakes are the best of the lot in the Brembo Stylemas and Brembo radial master cylinder with huge amounts of power and feel.

The 765 has the shortest wheelbase at 55.08 inches with the steepest steering rake at 23.2° and with those front-biased ergos and top-quality suspension, it will rail through corners better than everything here when the speeds are high. Pirelli Supercorsa V3 rubber also helps here.

Low-speed stability isn’t as prevalent as the Yamaha, which has a friendlier demeanor than the Triumph. The 765 is a bike that needs to have its legs stretched. It’s a bit of a caged animal compared to the other bikes on test here, and perhaps Ryan was right in saying it didn’t belong in this test of street-focused naked bikes. Still, if it’s a sporty naked bike you want, regardless of whether it’s a hyper naked or below in terms of engine size, you could do much, much worse than the 765 RS.

Triumph Street Triple 765 RS Specifications

 

2nd Place

KTM 990 Duke

“If you’re going to pick one bike just to make you laugh your ass off, it’s this one.” That’s what Nathon had to say about his short stint on the 990.

He’s not wrong.

The KTM’s inner hooligan was a hit with each of the four riders on test. It’s a bruiser of a naked bike, with stiff WP suspension and a hard seat mixed with an engine that just wants to pull wheelies and flick the middle finger wherever possible.

In creating the 990, KTM effectively made more of a mini-Super Duke than a bigger mid-displacement Duke. It has the most torque of the test, starting from the moment you crack the throttle, and with most of its performance centered around the middle of the rev range, it makes for an awesome street engine.

The KTM didn’t have as smooth a response from a closed throttle as the Triumph, but it had more usable, real-world performance, which gave it an edge in slow- to medium-speed riding, particularly when encountering the occasional light traffic on our ride.

The motor begins to run out of steam if you really begin to search for the top end of the rev range, but that’s only when speeds really start going north. For the rest of the time, the KTM has an abundance of performance that will satisfy 90 percent of the riding you’ll do.

The 990 does not come standard with a quickshifter, nor does it come with cruise control. These are add-ons via the $1027 Tech Pack, which also gives you access to KTM’s Motor Slip Regulation (MSR—which works with the slipper clutch by slightly opening the throttle bodies on heavy deceleration to reduce engine braking and stop the rear wheel from locking up) and the Adaptive Brake Light that flashes when you slam on the brakes to warn drivers behind.

The absolutely necessary (in our books) Tech Pack pushes the MSRP to $13,526.99, making the KTM the most expensive of the lot, but only by a touch over the Triumph.

The more dirt-focused riders in our test didn’t like the KTM’s stiff, race-style quickshifter. Ryan and Nathon found it notchy, a complaint Brandon also echoed. For me, I liked the directness of the short-throw gearshift, but you had to make decisive gear changes with the throttle open. You can’t be lazy on the KTM, and it doesn’t shift gears as easily as the Yamaha at low revs. The Ready to Race moniker that KTM so proudly proclaims even extends to its gearboxes, seemingly.

The chassis is graced with WP’s simplified suspension settings, which feature only five clicks of compression and rebound from fully open to fully closed, so that gives each step a meaningful impact on performance. Simplifying the often-bewildering suspension equation is a plus for the KTM, especially as none of the bikes here come with electronically adjustable suspension.

The looks are no doubt polarizing. I’m not a fan of the Predator-looking headlight, and neither is Nathon. “It’s the ugliest of the lot, by far,” he said, but the performance outweighs the looks substantially.

Another plus for the KTM is they’ve done well to package all the settings in the dash and make them easy enough to navigate to. Not having cruise control and a quickshifter as standard is a bummer, though, but it won’t be a deal-breaker if you’ve got your heart set on the orange beast.

2025 KTM 990 Duke Specifications

 

1st Place

Yamaha MT-09 SP

It was extremely close between the Yamaha and KTM, but the Yamaha proved to be the best all-around package.

The MT-09 platform has been around since 2014. Yamaha has continually refined the inline three-cylinder package over time, transforming it from a snappy, bratty little bike to one that has established itself at the top of the middleweight naked-bike tree.

This is the first group test any of us can remember where the bike with the least amount of horsepower came out on top. Yamaha claims 117 horsepower at 10,000 rpm and 68 lb-ft of torque at 7000 rpm for the 890cc triple. Although it suffers a little at 5500 rpm when the emissions flat spot kicks in, it’s bearable given the bottom- and top-end performance.

The $12,299 MT-09 SP gains a few key features over the base model, like the fully adjustable 41mm KYB fork and Öhlins shock, Brembo Stylema brakes, a Track ECU mode that allows you to switch off the rear ABS (much like the KTM’s setting), a keyless ignition and funkier colors (our test bike was actually a 2024 model, so the colors are a little different for 2025).

The Yamaha also has the best electronics package with everything standard—variable ride and power modes, cruise control, cornering traction control and ABS, brake control, launch control, and the quickshifter—so what you pay for is what you get. It also features the best user interface for navigating electronics, utilizing the five-inch TFT and left-handlebar switchblock.

When the speeds really begin to increase, the Yamaha’s chassis can get a little flighty, especially compared to the rock-solid chassis of the Triumph, but the Yamaha enjoys supreme agility in slow- to medium-speed riding, which is where most people will spend their time. Front-end feel on the Yamaha is exceptionally good under brakes, allowing you to load that front Bridgestone up and rail through long corners while having greater side-to-side agility for slow switchbacks.

Yamaha claims 426 pounds fully fueled for the SP, but we measured it at 431 pounds, making it the second heaviest of the test behind the 40-pounds-heavier Kawasaki. Despite this, it doesn’t feel it. The Yamaha is light on its feet in corners, and the ergonomics and relatively comfortable seat mean you can ride the MT for longer than the other three bikes on test without getting too pained.

Yamaha has stuck to its guns by slowly refining the MT over time, rather than constantly updating it (like the KTM). That provides two advantages: development remains on a consistent path, and the customer knows what they’re buying, as the current MT SP has a direct lineage to the very first MT, which was introduced over a decade ago. That buyer trust means a lot these days.

Although the Yamaha didn’t stick its neck out in any one particular area, it was good in all of them. If you want the hooligan bike, go for the KTM. If you want the racer-boy ride, the Triumph is your bet. If you want an old-school Japanese naked with edgy styling and a brute four-cylinder motor, the Kawasaki is the go. If you want a combination of all three, plus the best electronics, value for money and dealer backup, there’s only one winner—the Yamaha MT-09 SP.CN

Yamaha MT-09 SP Specifications

 

VIDEO | Cycle News 2025 Middleweight Naked-Bike Shootout

 

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