Tesla Model S Plaid Fends Off Two of the Quickest Production Bikes Out There

Being the quickest means that, as long as the challenging vehicle is stock, you can roll up in absolutely anything you can think of, and the Tesla will be the winner. Bugatti Chiron or Ferrari SF90? It's all the same for the battery-powered sedan with room for five, their baggage, and the family dog.

So, if looking for a rival in the automotive universe is pointless, what's left out there for the Plaid until the other manufacturers catch up and make their own mad-fast EVs that could possibly compete? Surely you can't expect any stock bikes to put on a fight since they are notoriously difficult to launch, so by the time they find the traction to deploy their power, the Tesla will be closer to the finish line than the start.

Well, that's what we've been led to believe, but Chris Moore is of a different opinion. The man drag races insanely fast bikes like you or I eat cereal in the morning, so he's going to back himself against any rival. However, for this particular set of races, he's going to mount on any of his record-setting bikes, but a pair of stock motorcycles instead.

Granted, they're two of the quickest you can buy right now. We're looking at the 2022 model of the legendary Suzuki Hayabusa and a 2021 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R, two bikes with an insane amount of power for something with just two wheels and the ridiculous power-to-weight ratio that comes with that.

Whether that's going to be enough to beat the Tesla, though, is an entirely different matter. The 'Busa is the first to have a go, but it soon becomes apparent the bikes won't be battling just the EV, but also the wind. The strong gales are amplifying the front wheel's tendency to lift under acceleration and, to make matters worse, once the wheel is in the air, they also try to knock the bike on its side.

All things considered, the experience in these two vehicles could not be any more different. On the one hand, you have the serenity of the Model S' cabin, and on the other, Chris' constant struggle to keep the bike under control that may even look like a fight for survival at times.

Sick of losing and smelling his best chance for success, Chris jumps the start a little in the 40 mph (about 65 kph) roll race and does indeed go on to win it. However, a rematch with a fair start shows the car to be the quickest of the two. It was time for a more serious bike.

With 20 more horsepower and only slightly more weight, that bike is the Kawasaki ZX-14R. The first race, however, is still no contest. Chris blames it on the wind and the lack of time he's had to adjust to the Ninja's clutch. The second proves he was right as the finish is a lot closer and we could see the bike was definitely reeling in the EV toward the end, but it wasn't enough.

The scenario in the first Hayabusa roll race repeats with the Kawasaki as well almost to a tee. The Tesla driver says the EV's performance levels had also dropped due to the battery's partial depletion as well as the increase in temperature. The second race gets a fair start and the two are side by side for most of the distance, but the Plaid manages to snatch the win by the tiniest of margins.

If you'd like to also watch everything you've read about so far, something we strongly encourage you to do, you can click on the embedded video below.