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There are plenty of options in the motorcycle to suit your personal needs. Do you need a bike that can go anywhere on paved roads? Buy a street bike. Do you need to be able to go off-road and other places that a street bike cannot? Buy a dirt bike.

However, those two classes of bikes accelerate, handle, and even stop completely differently. So if you’re looking for a really quick bike that accelerates quickly, then you may want to weigh your options as this drag race video shows.

Dirt bike vs street bike drag race

As we can see, this drag race was a bit of a blowout. I don’t know the specific models of each bike, but according to the description in the YouTube video, the street bike was a Kawasaki and the dirt bike was a Suzuki. Makes and models aside, there’s no question that the street bike completely blew the wheels off the dirt bike from the get-go.

However, judging by the comments on the video, most viewers were hoping that the dirt bike was somehow modified and the tables would be turned. But that wasn’t the case. Although, I bet the dirt bike rider still told the other rider at the end, “I almost had you!”

How quick is a dirt bike?

Valentin Guillod (SUI, Yamaha) during the 2021 MXGP - Motocross of Nations, 2021, MXoN on September  26, 2021, in Mantova, Italy.
Valentin Guillod (SUI, Yamaha) during the 2021 MXGP – Motocross of Nations, 2021, MXoN on September 26, 2021, in Mantova, Italy. | Nderim Kaceli/LiveMedia/NurPhoto via Getty Images

While the video above isn’t a good testament to how well some dirt bikes can accelerate, it had me wondering how quick some dirt bikes are on asphalt. According to Bike Hike, there are plenty of dirt bikes currently in the market that can reach speeds well over 100 mph, which is fast considering they’re meant for dirt roads. However, there are also many that struggle to reach upwards of 80 mph.

As far as quick dirt bikes go, the Muz Baghira can go from 0 to 60 mph in 5.22 seconds while the KTM 450 SX-F can get to 60 mph in around 5 seconds as well. The latter is one of the fastest dirt bikes that you can currently buy. Of course, it mainly depends on how large (or small) the bike’s engine is.

For example, a 50cc dirt bike can probably get up to 40 mph, while a 125cc bike can get up to around 55 to 60 mph. But if you want to go faster, then you’ll need a 450cc bike, which can get up to around 90 mph.

If you really have a need for speed, buy a street bike

2022 Yamaha YZF-R1 riding on the street
2022 Yamaha YZF-R1 | Yamaha

We can talk about dirt bike sizes and speeds all day, but if you really want to go fast on the street, then buy a street bike. Even a smaller street bike like the Honda CB300R can go from 0 to 60 mph in around 6 seconds and it’s only a 300cc bike. But if you need all-out speed, then you can get a bike like the Yamaha YZF-R1, which is a 1000cc bike that can rocket you to 60 mph in around 3 seconds.

That’s insanely fast and it goes to show, just like the video above, that if you want to go fast on the street, buy a street bike. But if you want to be able to traverse gravel and dirt roads, then stick with a dirt bike.

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