Hot-Rods & Hooligans
HOT-RODS & HOOLIGANS
CW COMPARISON
A dozen easy ways to lose your license
FUN CAN ONLY BE DEFINED BY THOSE LUCKY ENOUGH to be having it. Every day, on my ride into work I think about this as I stare into the cabins of cars with occupants frustrated by gridlock. Doubtful the source of their sour faces comes from the delicious $5 lattes readily at hand; more likely is their resentment toward me as I motor by thoroughly
enjoying-of all things-my commute. If fun can be had riding to work, how much fun can be had on your favorite twisty road on a kick-ass bike like one of these dozen?
These bikes exist for one reason and one reason only: to put a smile on the owner’s face. Some may perform better, others may cost less, but all 12 make you want to cut loose
BLAKE CONNER
and act naughty. What’s more fun than that? Our devilish dozen breaks down into three groups of four consisting of the Italians, the Japanese and the “Outcasts.” The engines that power these bikes are split between five Fours, six Twins and the odd-man-out Anglo Triple, with displacements from the 910cc MV to the 1203cc Buell. Stickers
range from Honda’s bargain 919 at $8399 to the pricey MV Agusta Brutale R at $17,995. Start up the engine on any of these and it’s just plain impossible to not want to pull a wheelie, do a stoppie or hack it into a comer-they really bring out the worst behavior in the best of us. We tempted fate, but somehow all kept our licenses.
The first foursome is the Japanese contingent, made up of the Honda 919, Kawasaki Z1000, Suzuki SV1000S and brand-new Yamaha FZ1, and all bargains at around $9K and under. All four bikes are powered by engines that trace their roots to earlier-generation sportbikes in their respective company lines-CBR900RR, ZX-9R, TL1000R and YZF-R1. They may not have the panache of the Italians or the individuality of the outcasts, but they all offer a lot of performance and function.
Perhaps none more so than the 919. Some might argue that it is refined to the point of lacking character, others say that polished competence is the best kind of character there is. Still, a couple of our testers noted that the 919 just didn’t excite them the same way many of the other bikes did.
The CBR900RR-based engine is a perfect fit in the 919. Tuned for torque and quick throttle response, the engine performs superbly. “Within the first two blocks, you’re reminded of why we’ve heaped so much praise on various Hondas over the years for having a high level of refinement,” Road Test Editor Don Canet said. “The 919 has spot-on throttle response and hitch-free power delivery. The bike launches very nicely with good clutch feel and plenty of upper midrange power to get it moving.”
The Honda’s chassis mimics the engine by doing its job and doing it well, as Senior Editor Paul Dean noted in the test log. “The handling is admirable-neutral, predictable, stable, with easy turn-in and generous cornering clearance. It’s comfy, too, with a sit-up riding position, a well-shaped and nicely padded seat, and a better-than-average ride.”
Is the 919 too utilitarian? “It doesn’t have the edge of some of the others but counters with a polish that is superb,” Executive Editor Mark Hoyer said. Head honcho David Edwards summed it up like this: “I hope we don’t damn the 919 with that ‘Nice bike, but...’ millstone. I wonder if it were painted red with a white racing stripe and had an Italian name on the tank if we’d say the same?”
Could the Honda be just a paint job away from perfection?
“Z1000” translates into trouble in Japanese. Kawasaki obviously had a good understanding of what the streetfighter clique was all about when it introduced the Z in 2003. This bike wasn’t meant to be a “standard” but rather a strippeddown and nasty hooligan sportbike. Did Big K hit the mark?
HONDA
919
$8399
KAWASAKI
Z1000
$8499
Canet pointed out that the 953cc inline-Four-powered machine isn’t as refined as others: “While I like the sharp, sporty styling of the Z1000 over that of the 919, this bike doesn’t quite match the Honda in overall refinement and smoothness of operation. The item that stands out the most is the softness in power felt below 3000 rpm. While this isn’t an issue on the open road, it shows up at times when zipping around town.” Vibration was a bit of an issue, as Dean noted: “The vibes never get severe enough to numb your hands, but they can make them tingle a little while also slightly fuzzing images in the mirrors.” But the bottom
line is that with almost 125 horsepower on tap, the Kawi is one helluva fun ride that hasn’t spent too many nights unridden in the CW garage.
Handling on the Z is responsive and rewarding, despite suspension that’s a little soft. The upright tapered handlebar provides the rider with lots of leverage to flick into corners. “In my opinion, the Z1000 would be a much more useful, enjoyable choice for most riders than just about any oneliter full-on sportbike. It’s more comfortable, easier to ride, less-expensive and way more practical, and I’d bet that most people could ride it just as fast-if not faster-on a backroad as they could on most repli-racers,” Dean concluded.
Suzuki’s SV family is all about fun. A perennial favorite is the SV650, one of the biggest kicks-in-the-pants in motorcycling, so a lOOOcc version has got to be even better, right?
Although we wish Suzuki still imported the naked SV1000, which had the raw appeal of its little brother, ultimately the answer is yes. If you are in the market for a V-Twin sportbike that won’t send you to the poorhouse, the SV1000S could be your ride.
“The 996cc, eight-valve, 90-degree V-Twin, which first breathed life in the TL1000R, is a good one, with a flat, linear torque curve and a respectable horsepower output. It makes about the same amount of peak power as a good 600 repli-racer but is light-years easier to ride, whether chasing along a twisty backroad or threading through city traffic,” Dean noted. The easily accessible torque is always a welcome friend when hustling the bike along a mountain road, giving the SV an ace up its sleeve that the Fours just can’t match.
Most testers were satisfied with its handling manners,
while others noted a few idiosyncrasies that held it back. “I didn’t find the handling very confidence-inspiring,” said Canet. “It exhibits a slow weave (steering damper induced?) when cornering, even at a moderate pace, never feeling quite settled in sweeping turns.” Still, the SV has a great engine, a competent chassis and enough fairing to allow the bike to double as a sport-touring rig; and as noted, it costs a lot less than an Italian V-Twin. The Yamaha FZ1 is the newest and most radical of the four Japanese bikes and the second-most-powerful entry of the 12. Fresh with its alloy frame, upgraded engine and redone suspension, the FZ1 is a great bike on paper but falls short on several levels. When the original bike was introduced back in 2000, it was touted as an “R1 for the real world,” which it was, packing plenty of bottom-end and midrange punch from its R1-derived engine. With excellent throttle response it put smiles on lots of consumer faces, not to mention our own. So we were really excited to have a brand-new, heavily revised FZ1 show up here at the CW offices a few months ago. The sequel, though, in some ways is not as good as the original. The most obvious issue with the bike is EFI hesitation just off idle; the bike noticeably hiccups almost anytime
SUZUKI
SV1000S
$8599
YAMAHA
FZ1
$9099
the throttle is cracked open. "Factor in the light flywheel effect and I find it very difficult to be smooth on the FZ1 ," complained Edwards, usually Mr. Glass in the saddle. Furthermore, the powerband has shifted substantially north. "One of the things that made the previous FZ1 so enjoyable-and helped it earn heaps of praise from the presswas its fabulous powerband, which began about the time the starter button was pushed and didn't quit until the rev-limiter kicked in," Dean noted. Maybe the engine is a bit too revvy for our tastes, but if power is what you're after the FZ1 offers gobs of it, only 17 hp shy of the YZF-R1, with similar torque. The FZ1 `S new chassis is really good, with firm, well damped suspension, responsive turn-in and excellent stabil ity. Add to this nice ergonomics, usable mirrors and a stylish
new look. But we had hoped the FZ1 would be more of a contender. It’s still a really powerful, nice bike to ride, it’s just that now the “real world” seems a little farther away.
Our Outcast quartet consists of a motley crew from all corners of the globe, offering plenty of originality and unique design solutions. Far removed from the conservative Japanese bikes and the exotic Italians, this is what happens when designers’ minds and pens wander freely. The BMW K1200R, Buell Ulysses, KTM 950 Supermoto and Triumph Speed Triple couldn’t be more different in their execution, but a couple of solid contenders emerged from this group of radicals.
The K1200R is as German as they come-calm on the surface, quiet in execution and as serious as your college economics professor. In a nutshell, seemingly not fun. But the naked Bavarian bomber satisfies in its own unique way. As the most powerful bike in the test, the K is all about smooth, fast sweepers and pouring on the throttle. If lunging forward in a straight line is your thing, this could be your bike-it just plain hauls ass. Bottom-end delivery lacks compared to some of the V-Twins, but from 6500 rpm on up it’s impressive, making serious power above 8000 rpm and pulling almost as hard up top as some full-on lOOOcc sportbikes.
The bike isn’t happy on some of the tight roads that the other bikes excel on. The ridiculously long chassis dictated by the extreme forward cant of the cylinder bank forced the chassis to stretch to a cruiser-like 62-plus inches-the MV is almost 7 inches shorter.
“Just a big and cushy naked touring missile, really. It is long, spacious, smooth-riding in the Electronic Suspension Adjustment’s Comfort mode and very functional, probably the bike I would want to ride cross-country,” said Hoyer.
If gadgets are your thing, look no farther than the Beemer. “There is a wonderful complication and surplus of features-ABS brakes with servo assist, push-button suspension adjustment, heated grips, even hazard flashers-but the price for all this is, well, price, and a feeling of isolation in the
riding experience,” added Hoyer. “The BMW’s brakes don’t offer a lot of feel or precision, and likewise the Duolever front suspension. It just doesn’t induce you to charge up a backroad and get excited, but rather to kick back a bit and get a flow going, with the edges of your mouth turned up in a just-detectable grin.”
How German is that?
The Buell is an oddball in every definition of the word. Fuel in the frame, oil in the swingarm, exhaust under the engine-there are a lot of unique elements that make the Ulysses distinctive not only to this group but also to most other motorcycles on the market.
That innovative engineering, packaged with the robust 1203cc engine, makes for a very interesting motorcycle. The torque hits just off idle and launches the bike from stoplights like a catapult. Nevertheless, the engine wasn’t everyone’s favorite. Said Hoyer, “Just when you think, ‘Oh, yeah, this motor is starting to do something,’ POW!, you’re in the revlimiter. The low-end-torquey power character grows on you, but the Buell engine never truly feels ‘on’ to me.” A couple of testers wished for the wider rev-range of the smaller 984cc engine for aggressive riding. But there is something to be said for heaps of low-down grunt.
“Thanks to the rubber mounts and tie-rods, vibration wasn’t as big of an issue as I thought it was going to be, but I didn’t like the throttle lag waiting for the motor to spool its flywheel up,” said Associate Editor Mark Cernicky.
On the open road the Buell is a mixture of nice predictable behavior and some that takes getting used to. The leverage
BMW
K1200R
$14,300
BUELL
ULYSSES
$11,495
ffrom the wide bar is good, which makes flicking the Ulysses into turns a snap. The bike is confident through sweepers, allows the rider to transition from side-to-side with ease and the long-travel suspension eats up rough roads. Braking early and letting the long-travel fork rebound is crucial. Agressive trail-braking causes the bike to stand up and run wide, which makes charging from bend to bend a challenge-especially if Canet’s behind you on the Kawasaki.
Although the seat is comfortable, its height is an issue, at least for 5-foot-8-inch Cernicky who remarked, “It’s a huge pain. My feet dangle so far from Earth that stopping at traffic lights on it really sucks.” Buell has addressed this issue
A best-seller for Buell in its first year, the Ulysses is a really entertaining ride and, with available options such as hard bags, the most versatile bike in this comparo.
“Holy %$#@r That was my first reaction months ago when we got the KTM 950 SM to test,” said Hoyer. “Surely I should have adjusted by now... Nope. This thing is insane fim.”
The instant the engine on the 950 SM starts to purr, the Mr. Hyde in almost anyone comes out. It isn’t pretty-looking, but styling aside it’s one of the bikes that we all arm-wrestled to
KTM
950 SM
$12,998
get the key to at the end of the day.
The compact V-Twin, shared with the 950 Adventure, is an excellent choice for the SM. “Super-nice shift action, spot-on carburetion, meaty >
TRIUMPH
SPEED TRIPLE
$9999
power delivery right off the bottom and much harder acceleration, even in the upper revs, than you would expect of a bike that looks like a big dual-sport at first glance,” said Canet.
The SM has enough power to loft the front wheel in second gear without the clutch and yet the delivery is linear and smooth. The nice thing about the SM is the instant gratification: Whack open the throttle and stuff happens, immediately!
As awesome as the engine is, the chassis gets everyone even more excited. “That long-travel suspension soaks up asphalt nastiness that gives many of the other bikes in this comparison fits,” Hoyer said. “When it is time to throw down on a backroad, the chassis feedback, turning response and braking performance are really excellent.”
Actually, braking performance is borderline too good. “Those big Brembo radial-mount calipers and twin discs make it just a single finger-stroke to serious haul-down power, but remain sensitive enough for edgy trail-braking while shredding mountain roads with Cernicky large in your rearview mirrors,” Hoyer added.
“You guessed it, my favorite of the bunch,” Cernicky said. “A good balance of all the things that make motorbikes fun.”
Hoyer summed it up by saying, “So much fun it is crazy, but it’s almost like your good friend who wants to party all the time. ‘Dude, can’t we just mellow out this weekend?’ ”
Last but surely not least in our group of oddballs is the Triumph Speed Triple. As the 2006 winner of Cycle World's Best Standard award, it comes in as the bike to beat. The only Triple in the group, the Britbike stands out in terms of approach to engine design, combining positive traits of
both the smooth Fours and punchy Twins. Exiting corners, the 1050 pulls with authority like a Vee and then just plain rips through the upper rev range almost like a Four-the best of both worlds.
The fuel-injection still has a stumble around 3500-4000 rpm, but it’s not a deal-breaker. Shift action isn’t perfect, but a huge improvement over that of past Triumphs.
APRILIA
TUONO
$12,999
The next group of misfits all hail from Italy and surely they stir the soul.
Collectively they also break the bank to the tune of almost $60 grand, which Hoyer duly noted after we repeated near-bar-tangling photo passes for Brian Blades’ camera and somehow managed not to all crash in a big heap. Three of the four undeniably offer uncompromising performance-none of that Nancy-boy “tuned-for-torque” marketing BS, just raw Latin machismo.
The Aprilia Tuono is damn-near the ideal motorcycle. “Take the winner of last month’s all-conquering MasterBike competition, the Mille Factory, put high and wide moto bars on top of a bitchin’ triple-tree and you’ve got yourself a Tuono,” said Cemicky. It wastes no time letting you know its intent. This bike is all about going from point A to point B as aggressively as possible on one wheel or two and usually with the throttle WFO. It may be possible to mellow out while riding this bike, but none of us here have yet to figure out that trick.
The Tuono is powered by the same dry-sump, 60-degree V-Twin that resides in the Mille R repli-racer. Unlike some of the other Twins in the test that start grunting the second the throttle is turned, the Mille mill needs a bit more time to get up on the cams and get serious. Then all hell breaks loose! This engine barks with authority and at times acts more like a Four
than a Twin. Shift action is very tight and precise. In the twisties the Tuono asks you to keep the revs up, which is something you don’t need to bother with on the Ducati or KTM.
On the ergo front, the Tuono has an excellent streetfighter riding position with a good bar and footpeg relationship for attacking any type of riding situation. As a bonus, the seat offers enough room to move around on and get comfortable. The Aprilia’s chassis is very stable in fast sweepers andaided by a steering damper-tackles the fast stuff without feeling twitchy and nervous. When the road tightens up just give those wide, gold, tapered bars a shove and the Tuono responds instantly.
Fully appreciating the Tuono’s braking capabilities can only be done if you spend a day behind Cernicky, who can’t manage to control the urge to stoppie the Aprilia at every single stoplight, stop sign, intersection and/or for no damn good reason at all. We’re having a “This vehicle makes frequent stops” sign made up for the back of his leathers.
The Ducati Monster in any shape or form is an obvious choice for this type of comparison. “Can you not want this motorcycle?” Hoyer asked. “Is the very idea of putting a superbike engine in a great-handling chassis with Öhlins suspension and a bull-by-the-horns riding position not the recipe for The Perfect Motorcycle?”
Stuffing in the current 998cc Testastretta engine from the 999 repli-racer means the newest Monster more than matches its name. “What a rocketship!” Managing Editor Matthew Miles noted. “Low-end and midrange power are good, but the 998 water-cooler’s top-end rush is outstanding.”
The Duck may not jump out of a corner as well as the KTM, but it matches the Tuono’s top-end performance and has an excellent spread of power. The engine has everything-leaving stoplights, roll-ons and top-end blitzing, the Testastretta satisfies.
The S4RS chassis is one of the best in the test. What
DUCATI
S4RS
$14,995
makes this bike zing through the curves is the first-rate Ohlins suspension front and rear. “The chassis feels superbly planted when leaned over,”
Hoyer noted. “Top-notch feedback, too. It is pretty thrilling to ride but at the same time is sort of hard to mellow out on. It’s like it wants to shred all the time. Add a bit of twitch from the chassis-do the bars wag just a little all the time?” The lack of a steering damper is more noticeable on the Ducati than any of the others, especially when hard on the throttle over bad surfaces. The radial-mount Brembos, similar to those on the Tuono and MV, are outstanding. More power than anyone could ever ask for on the street and they have great feel. Riding position is more forward-inclined and aggressive than the Tuono’s but is still comfortable enough for long hours in the saddle. The S4RS is forceful yet refined, with one of the best engines in the test and suspension that possibly tops them all.
Some of these bikes reside at the harried edge of extreme performance. If the MV is one bookend of the spectrum, the Moto Guzzi Griso is the other. Hoyer said it best: “It’s not nearly as frantic as the other Italians and nowhere near as punk as the Speed Triple.”
The Griso is all Guzzi but so much better than anything to date from Mandello del Lario. “It’s easy to ride smoothly with lots of crank inertia making for near seamless upshifts even though the gearbox sounds audibly clunky,” Canet said. “Takes only the slightest pull on the clutch lever to make those smooth upshifts. Dropping down through the gears is a different story with fairly sloppy action.”
No matter. The bike blindsided us with its all-round goodness. You no longer have to know the secret handshake to appreciate an M-G. “The engine runs beautifully and is smoother than any Guzzi in memory,” Hoyer stated.
You can’t discuss the Griso without the topic turning to the handlebars, prompting Hoyer to add, “These flat beach-barsgo-drag-racing things are wide enough to make lane-splitting a little nerve-wracking, although the leverage is great,
MOTO GUZZI
GRISO
$13,490
and on a backroad I was fine with the riding position.”
A welcome change is the attitude of the Griso on twisty roads. The bike feels planted and stable and gives the rider plenty of confidence. “That wide handlebar and relaxed VTwin beat sort of lull me into a cruiser state of mind,” Canet said. It obviously handles considerably better than your average cruiser, but the Griso invites the rider to just relax and enjoy the ride and not look for the bike’s limits as do some of the others.
While the mechanical improvements are a big step in the evolution of Moto Guzzi, they weren’t nearly as big a departure as the bike’s visuals. “The styling borders on cartoonish, yet it seems irresistible to almost everyone,” Hoyer said. “You just ride and it responds how a motorcycle should, making neat sounds, good power and performing tidy turns. It is really, really inviting and a lot of fun.”
“It still lives in Quirk City,” noted Edwards, “but this time that’s a good thing.”
The Brutale 91 OR makes no attempt to hide its intent, ripping apart the asphalt under its tires. This bike is all about performance even if it’s at the expense of rider comfort and ease of interface. As the most expensive bike in the test ($3500 more than the standard 910), the MV was in the spotlight. Either put up or shut up.
The Brutale has the smallest engine in the comparison, but the MV knows how to make good use of what it’s got-though it takes the most getting used to. It has very little flywheel inertia, which makes casually riding the bike a chore at times. “The engine has plenty of power right off the bottom, but can be a little tricky to ride smoothly due to stiff throttle action,” Canet noted. “I like the short positive shift action; the solid hit changing gears feels like a race setup.” Learning how to quickly snap through the gearbox
MV
AGUSTA 910R
$17,995
makes riding it more rewarding. Preloading the shifter and quickly cracking off the throttle
for upshifts made the compression braking between shifts virtually disappear.
Like the engine, the chassis is precise and purposeful. The MV isn’t a soft, cushy ride like the Japanese bikes. “Feels very compact in stature and precise in handling,” Canet added. “After riding some of the others, getting on the MV delivers the enhanced feeling of control a contact hitter gets when choking up on the bat. The chassis reacts to steering inputs with razor-edge precision and feels taut (as of one piece) without its suspension being overly harsh.” The Brembos on the MV are a huge improvement over the brakes on the standard Brutale 910. Power and feel from the lever are excellent, the best combination that MV has come up with to date.
If smooth, precise handling combined with classy, aggressive styling and the killer instinct of Don Vito Corleone are your thing, the Brutale R is your bike.
After spending the past month riding this naughty dozen in every imaginable situation, banging our heads together and discussing the positive traits of each, five bikes rose to the top as true contenders, machines that satisfied on every level. On top of everyone ’s personal list were the Aprilia, KTM, Triumph, Ducati and MV Agusta.
Still, cutting it to five wasn’t easy, as all 12 of these bikes are excellent rides, arguably the best model each company produces. Because there really isn’t a loser among them, we not only picked a unanimous victor, but came up with 11 other awards to honor the rest.
Best Sleeper: Honda 919
The 919 walks softly and carries a big stick. It isn’t a showoff but can really walk the walk.
Best Beast from the East: Kawasaki Z1000 Of the
Japanese entries, the Z likes to misbehave the most. Kind of like a Japanese Speed Triple.
Best V-Twin that Doesn’t Speak Italian: Suzuki SV1000S A stout V-Twin motor in a great chassis and almost half the price of the Italians. Sounds good to us.
Most Likely to Hang with Open-Classers: Yamaha
FZ1 Don’t want a repli-racer but sick of getting left in the dust by your buddies? Buy an FZ1.
Best Cruise Missile: BMW K1200R If going straight and going fast and doing it in comfort is what you’re after, this rocket is for you.
King of Versatility: Buell Ulysses The XB12X Ulysses is more competent in more conditions than any machine
here, and most others, too. A great bike to explore on.
Best Backroad Bomber: KTM 950 SM When it comes to curvy roads, it doesn’t get more fun than this. End of story.
Most Likely to get into a Fistfight: Triumph Speed Triple If you can not act like a jerk on this bike, we’ll give you a million dollars. This one is pure trouble!
Best Superbike in Disguise: Ducati Monster S4RS
Don’t let the Monster styling fool you. With the Testastretta engine wedged into its excellent chassis, the S4RS will never be called a poser.
Best Creature to Cruise on: Moto Guzzi Griso It’s not really a cruiser, but this bike just makes you want to take a relaxing ride down your favorite road. Hopefully it’s twisty.
Best Racetrack Weapon without Clothes: MV Agusta Brutale 91 OR If there is one bike here that is trackworthy, it’s the Brutale. Handling, power and brakes, the 91 OR will make short work of any circuit.
Best-in-Show: Aprilia Tuono It doesn’t matter if it’s tight, sweeping or wide open. It doesn’t matter if you’re on your ride to work or just ripping up the tarmac on a favorite backroad. The Tuono is all fun all the time. What gives it the edge, however, is that when you feel like behaving, it’s more than happy to play along, offering plenty of comfort and lots of style. How can you beat that? □
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