All Comparisons – Comparo Trails 1200: the R1200GS threatened by the Multistrada and the Super Tenere – Short tour of motorcycles …

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Comparo Trails 1200: the R1200GS threatened by the Multistrada and the Super Tenere

All Comparisons - Comparo Trails 1200: the R1200GS threatened by the Multistrada and the Super Tenere - Short tour of motorcycles ...

2010, year of big trails: Ducati and Yamaha have relaunched their Multistrada and Super Tenere to attack the benchmark of the segment, the BMW R1200GS. Will the Japanese and the Italian succeed in dislodging the German from its pedestal ? Comparative test.

Small motorcycle tour…

Installed side by side on the side of the road, the three motorcycles are impressive! The GS and the Super Tenere a little more than the Ducati, because the Multistrada, in good Italian, is more slender than its German and Japanese friends. In Bologna, the elegance of the lines is at the forefront of the specifications, including when designing a trail !

Note also that the standard version of our test is delivered without suitcases, which considerably refines the line of the Multistrada compared to the R1200GS and Super Tenere covered with their large suitcases designed for rally-raids..

The most powerful and the lightest

Without its black plastic beak, we could automatically declare the Ducati "most beautiful motorcycle" of this comparison. Fortunately, we end up ignoring this ugly appendix: all the more quickly since the pilot does not even see it once installed on the handlebars. !

On the contrary, once at the controls, you come face to face with a superb digital panel, worthy of the counters equipping the MotoGP prototypes! The list of information indicated is too long to be listed here: it’s simple, nothing is missing and everything is perfectly readable.

Managing the commodos and the transponder – no key to insert to start but a little manipulation of the ignition switch – requires a little adaptation time, but once the basic principles have been understood, it’s all good !

Equally elegant and efficient, the single-sided swingarm offers a breathtaking view of the superb rear rim of the Ducati. The stainless steel pot and its bevelled aluminum exhausts contribute to this impression of lightness, confirmed on the technical sheet: the Multistrada weighs only 217 kg all full, against 229 kg for the BMW and 261 kg for the Yamaha.

Not content with being the lightest, the Ducati is also by far the most powerful … in the free world, of course! In the original configuration, the Bologna twin develops a trifle of 150 horsepower, when those of Munich and Iwata each produce 110.

Side maximum torque, the three engines are almost equal: 120 Nm at 6,000 rpm for the BMW, 119 Nm at 7,500 rpm for the Ducati and 114 Nm at 6,000 rpm for the Yamaha. In France, all these small people are obviously limited to around 106 horses, while the torque value varies – on the technical sheets – only for the Ducati, which loses 13 Nm while crossing the Alps..

To transmit all its horsepower and Newton-meter to the rear wheel, two choices are made: cardan shaft for the GS and Super Tenere and chain for the Multistrada. The Italian loses here a few points against her rivals, especially since she is the only one without a central stand … Too bad to lubricate the chain !

It should also be noted that our test model of the Multistrada is equipped with ABS (disconnectable), an option invoiced at 1000 €: the invoice thus drops from 14 900 to 15 900 €. The DTC traction control system – not for "Dans Ton C …" but for Ducati Traction Control – is however installed as standard, just like that of the choice of the engine mapping which includes four modes.

The most sold and the most expensive

When it comes to options, the BMW easily wins the competition: our test GS has the Safety (RDC tire pressure indicator, disconnectable full ABS and traction control) and GS2 (heated grips, on-board computer, handguards, LED indicators) packs, suitcase support, chrome exhaust, ESA Enduro) which reduce the invoice from € 14,100 (standard model) to € 16,755.

In order to align with the Yamaha, we asked BMW Motorrad France to provide us with a set of suitcases. The choice of the press service cleverly fell on the "Vario" suitcases which, as their name suggests, change size according to needs: 68 or 50 liters, with 120 mm more or less width !

Very practical – much more than those of the Yamaha which do not accommodate a helmet and open from the top, even if this can have good sides – the suitcases of our GS do not open with the ignition key . "But this is the case when the customer buys the suitcases at the same time as the motorcycle.", reassures us the BMW France team.

As we have seen previously, the R1200GS benefits from the services of a "new" Boxer in 2010. Cycle part, nothing new to eat, but the Telelever and Paralever should give a hard time to the classic suspensions of its rivals…

The most legendary and the most original equipped

The return of the Super Tenere is carried out with great fanfare, with a first series ingeniously called "First Edition". The new 1200 receives as expected the two "aluminum type" suitcases – not very elegant in addition -, the engine guard in real aluminum this time and the kit stickers "First Edition" but must ignore the protection of headlights, not approved on the road.

Still for € 14,990, the "Super T" also benefits from the coupled ABS – hence the name UBS "Unified Brake System" – and the TCS "Traction Control System", both disconnectable in the event of a trip in the desert. In addition, the engine offers two maps called "Touring" or "Sport". Of the three machines, the Yamaha is therefore the best equipped with the original.

Fans of large escapes will also appreciate the presence of spoke rims. It will therefore be necessary to remember to check the condition of the spokes before each big departure and learn – or relearn, according to experience – to adjust or change them. !

As on the Behème, two crutches allow more or less long breaks, but we regret that the side of the Yam ‘is not provided with a more practical lug: it hides so well between the footrest and the selector that ‘it ends up irritating the most patient testers…

Similarly, the adjustment of the screen will get the better of the lazy: unlike the Multistrada or the R1200GS, the Super Tenere requires you to take out the tool kit to change the position of its screen. A point to modify on the next model !

The finish is a little less polished than on the Ducati, threads hang out here (in front of the handlebars) and there (behind the fairing under the tank), but the build quality of the whole is flawless, like the casings beautiful motor or gimbal.

We also appreciate the presence of an elegant double-colored saddle. The coating, grainy but not too much, suggests that Iwata engineers have carefully selected the size of the grain, so as to optimize the compromise between comfort and grip. Mission accomplished !

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