All Duels – Duel Ducati 899 Panigale Vs Kawasaki ZX-6R 636: off to the track! – The Supersport is dead, long live the Supersport!

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Duel Ducati 899 Panigale Vs Kawasaki ZX-6R 636: off to the track !

All Duels - Duel Ducati 899 Panigale Vs Kawasaki ZX-6R 636: off to the track! - The Supersport is dead, long live the Supersport!

In the – stricken – segment of mid-capacity sports motorcycles, the last two innovations have appeared at Ducati and Kawasaki. They highlight their versatility and it was therefore logical that MNC opposes these 899 Panigale and ZX-6R 636. Duel.

Supersport is dead, long live Supersport !

More and more sharp, sports motorcycles are also more and more expensive and the entry ticket for a last generation Superbike does not go below the 16,000 euros mark. Supersports, on the other hand, less sensational, are also less expensive…

So much so that the four Japanese manufacturers, who once sold their 600 cc sports motorcycles like little sushi, have almost stopped their investments in this category: the last ZX-6R dates from 2009 (read our, the R6 from 2010 (read our), the GSX-R600 from 2011 (read our and our), while only the CBR600RR was slightly revised in 2013 (read our and our).

The Ducati 899 Panigale therefore appears to be the latest major innovation in the mid-capacity sports segment. Remember that at Ducati, the real "Superbike" cube now 1299 cc (1.3 liters)! But Site is aware that the classification of the 899 in the "Supersport" section is rebuttable….

Thus, old experienced and learned MNC readers are sure to point out – in their interesting comments to read below – that this "little" Panigale only returns 17cc to the legendary 916, launched exactly 20 years before it..

The comparison of the technical sheets of these two Ducatis of around 900 cc makes it possible to measure the extent of the progress made by motorcycle engineers: the new generation develops 39 more horsepower (148 hp against 109), while weighing 26 kg less (169 kg dry compared to 195) !

But perhaps the most impressive is the myriad of electronic aids supplied as standard on the all new Ducat ‘: ride-by-wire, therefore traction control, configurable engine modes and braking, ABS, quickshift … So many aids that make her much easier to lead than her grandmother.

For lack of 916 (snif), Site could not compare the two beautiful Italians and started looking for a second bike … The Suzuki GSX-R750 quickly stood out from the crowd because of its performance. extremely close: 148 hp and 86 Nm (in the free world) for a full weight of 190 kg.

On paper, opposing the mythical "Gex seven-fifty" to the new 899 Panigale was particularly attractive. But on the Journal moto du Net, the duel was losing its flavor: to be honest, it would even have had an unpleasant taste of reheated since we had already measured it at the 848 (read our).

This is why the MNC editorial staff have gone back to the catalogs of motorcycle manufacturers, slightly modifying their approach: why not choose a sports car that shares the philosophy of the 899 Panigale (namely, according to the official Ducati website France : "your way to the track")? Bingo !

Launched a year before the 899 Panigale, the Kawasaki ZX-6R 636 hits the nail on the head: "for 30 years now, we have been creating exceptional machines as comfortable on the road as on the track", boast the Greens."Our goal has always been simple: to be the best". Well that’s what we’ll check out !

To those who are worried about the too big difference in displacement, insofar as 263 cc separates the Italian twin from the Japanese 4-cylinder (see the technical sheets on the last page), Kawasaki responds by affirming on its official website that its 636 East "much more than a 600"…

As proof: in the free version, the ZX-6R "much more" has 137 horses in its stable, responsible for towing a mass of 192 kg all full made against 190 for the Panigale. Our duel is all the more valid as the Franco-French restraint – more than for new motorcycles, it remains to be seen whether the old ones will take perpetuity or will be relaxed … – smoothes the gaps in terms of weight / power ratio..

The latest sports "mid-size" Kawasaki is also on par with the Ducati in terms of electronics, since it offers configurable traction control (KTRC), assistance that no Japanese 600 has yet received. The Ninja also integrates power modes and can receive the KIBS braking system.

This ABS option, Kawasaki France has chosen not to retain it on our test model. Future customers who will do the same will see their bill lighten by 1000 euros on the day of purchase, but run the risk of seeing this economy fly away after a stupid loss of front on fat-wet…

Potential buyers should also keep in mind that the resale of their ZX-6R 636 could be facilitated later by the mention ABS, which will become mandatory on new motorcycles from 2016 … The French subsidiary of Kawasaki, for for its part, preferred to equip this test model with a performance pack.

For an extension of 1100 euros, "our" ZX-6R 636 is equipped with a gel tank protection (transparent so as not to hide the paint – green! – of the tank), a matching seat cowl, a tinted double curvature screen, wheel trims and, above all, an Akrapovic pot "approved for road use", emphasizes Kawa.

The unveiled last year is more than ever required: in 2015, "the colors Lime Green / Black Flat Ebony and White Pearl Crystal / Black Flat Ebony are not imported into France", warn the brand’s managers.

Listed at € 12,349 on the Kawasaki France site, the ZX-6R 636 tested by Site costs € 13,449. Decked out with ABS, she therefore demands a check – a loan! – from € 14,449, i.e. at around 200 euros the same investment as the last Gex 1000 (read our).

The 899 Panigale costs even more: count 16,190 € in its red color, and 200 euros more if you want it in its white dress and under red rims … We therefore reach the price of the Ninja .. ZX-10R (without ABS). Mamma mia !

Overpriced, the Ducati "Supersport"? It is not if we compare it to its big sister 1299, which appears in French dealerships just below the € 21,000 mark (10 small euros below). It is not – too much – either if one relies on the "rating" that the little Panigale has in the eyes of passers-by and bikers….

Question blazing – of the wallet – and ego of the owner, the Madonna of Bologna clearly makes the Ninja of Akashi bend. More convoluted with its "angular fork head"and its fairing cut by"large extractors (which) promote air circulation", the Kawasaki may age less well.

The bikers who fall for the Green today take the risk of getting bored after a while … "Fortunately", the ZX-6R 636 has for it a renewal rate of Japanese Supersport models which has significantly slowed down over the last decade, which avoids the blows of old premature.

The Rouge is less exposed to the danger of aging thanks to its very clean lines. The simple style of the Panigale is reminiscent of that of its sisters 916/748 or 1098/848 (but not 999/749!) Or of its F3 / F4 cousins. So many motorcycles that have not aged in several years and still make many bikers fantasize !

But it is high time to put an end to our economic (Kawa advantage) and aesthetic (Ducat ‘advantage) procrastination to get to the heart of the matter: the 899 Panigale like the ZX-6R 636 would be, according to their designers, also popular motorcycles. ease on the road than on the track…

Le Journal moto du Net therefore takes Ducati and Kawasaki at their word and embarks on a new duel with a busy schedule which consists of driving his two motorcycles on the road, heading to the Ecuyers circuit where we can pilot them on the track….

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