Harley-Davidson Sportster S vs Kawasaki Ninja 500

The Harley-Davidson Sportster S (2025) and the Kawasaki Ninja 500 (2026) are compared with the same Moto Kıyas physics model under identical conditions: flat dry asphalt, no wind, a 75 kg rider and no passenger. The Harley-Davidson Sportster S is a cruiser with 1,252 cc, 120.7 hp and 228 kg; the Kawasaki Ninja 500 is a sport bike with 451 cc, 44.8 hp and unlisted weight. Power-to-weight with the rider: 398.3 hp/ton versus 172.9 hp/ton. On this measure the Harley-Davidson Sportster S is 130% ahead.

In the simulation the Harley-Davidson Sportster S covers 0-100 km/h (speedometer) in 2.97 s and the Kawasaki Ninja 500 in 5.09 s; the Harley-Davidson Sportster S is quicker by 2.12 s. In the 100-0 km/h brake test, braking distance without the 0.3 s reaction time is 44.7 m for the Harley-Davidson Sportster S (with ABS) and 36.4 m for the Kawasaki Ninja 500 (with ABS). The Kawasaki Ninja 500 stops 8.3 m shorter. Calculated top speed: 194 km/h (manufacturer claim) versus 186 km/h (estimated from power and drag).

All values are an estimated simulation, not road-test measurements. Technical data comes from the sources listed below; the model uses model-specific parameters calibrated against published road tests for the Harley-Davidson Sportster S and class-average calibration (no accepted model-specific road test) for the Kawasaki Ninja 500. Missing manufacturer data (weight) is estimated by class regression, not measured. Open the interactive app (currently in Turkish) to watch the run side by side and change the load.