All Duels – Duel Z1000 Vs Speed ​​Triple: big gas factories! – … and cop traps on the road!

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Duel Z1000 Vs Speed ​​Triple: big gas factories !

All Duels - Duel Z1000 Vs Speed ​​Triple: big gas factories! - ... and cop traps on the road!

Among the big roadsters, rare are the four-cylinders to dare to come and rub shoulders with the formidable Triumph Speed ​​Triple, especially the 2011 model sharpened like never before! But the explosive Kawasaki Z1000 also has serious assets to assert… Duel !

… and cop traps on the road !

Devoured when stationary, the Speed ​​Triple and the Z1000 do not go unnoticed with the engine running. Powerful and metallic, the sound of the Kawasaki is artificially muzzled at low revs and accentuated in the towers via a resonator placed in its air box: practical to avoid rounding up the whole neighborhood at each start !

Much less lenient with the neighborhood, the expressive Triumph snores energetically: when the Z1000 plays it "did you see me" with its uncompromising look, the 2011 Speed ​​Triple pours into the "did you hear" with its hoarse vocalizations, punctuated by muffled backfires with each big deceleration! Exhilarating, the soundtrack of the 1050 cc can however become intrusive in town, where the characteristic "whistle" of the Triumph 3-legged contributes a little more to attracting attention….

However, behind this big hooligan voice hides a roadster which willingly bends to urban exercise: the availability and the roundness of the "triple" are matched only by the smoothness of the clutch and the gearbox. speeds, while its wide handlebars facilitate lightning-fast direction changes.

Despite a high saddle height (828 mm against 815 mm on the Zed) and a much more sporty position (the bust is leaning more forward and the legs more bent), the Englishwoman is even more comfortable than the Japanese thanks to its wider and better padded seat, not to mention its less firm suspensions.

The Z1000 may have a shorter turning radius and a more functional kickstand than the one – without a lug – of the Speed ​​Triple, its less pleasant gearbox and injection, as well as the unpleasant vibrations that appear from the mid-regimes penalize its urban claims.

Worse: while the Hinckley roadster offers an ultra-complete and readable dashboard (apart from the clock with too small numbers, read the technical sheets on the following pages), very convenient angled valves, adjustable levers in spacing ( only the brake on the Kawa) and a trunk under the saddle large enough to slip a disc block and gloves, the Japanese almost completely neglects the practical aspects !

Due to the lack of space under the passenger seat, the transport of the least effect requires the carrying of a backpack, while its 100% digital "bright yellow" console is less easy to read, despite its adjustable tilt on three levels. On the other hand, if the two motorcycles are equipped with a coded key as standard and can receive the optional ABS (as discreet as it is effective on both), the absence of warning and indicator of engaged gear is part of their common faults !

However, on the Speed ​​Triple, knowing the gear engaged at each moment is not really necessary: ​​full as an egg (111 Nm of torque at 7,750 rpm in Full), the three-cylinder in-line always responds and tows with a vigor to make the Kawasaki four-cylinder pale (or rather "green"!).

Despite its very short pulling gas grip – a real trigger! – and its generous recoveries for a "4-legged", the Japanese block must indeed bow at low and mid-revs. Admittedly, the Z1000 soars quickly with each rotation of the accelerator, but the Speed ​​Triple, it literally leaps forward at the slightest micro-rotation of the throttle. !

As if propelled by a giant cannon, the Englishwoman irremediably colds the Green: even with a higher speed, the Speed ​​Triple still manages to resist her opponent! And to think that the revivals of the 1043 cc Kawasaki are nevertheless references in the clan of Japanese sporting roadsters (read our)…

Like all four-cylinders, the Z1000’s block needs to be whipped to fully express itself. Thus, when the two motorcycles are found side by side from 7500 rpm, their acceleration is finally on an equal footing. Thanks to its higher extension (breaker at 11,500 rpm against 10,500 rpm), the Kawa even manages to forge a short lead … but the speeds reached are then far from "radar approved"…

Pushes to crime from the slightest stretch, the English and Japanese are above all serious clients in the winding: with them, the proverb "viroleux = happy bikers" plays to the full both their voluntary and punchy engines and their healthy and cycle parts. sports allow wood to be sent with confidence !

In this little game, the lively and precise front end of the Z1000 works wonders: despite full weights made similar and a more closed caster angle on the Speed ​​Triple (218 kg without ABS and 24.5 ° on the Kawa against 214 kg and 22.8 ° on the Triumph), the Green is noticeably easier to place when entering a curve.

But this is the only moment when it really takes the ascendancy on the Speed ​​Trip ‘: once on the rope, the lower ground clearance of the Kawa and the lack of progressiveness of its shock absorber (only adjustable in preload and in trigger) make it more difficult to correct the trajectory, especially when the asphalt creases…

Impeccably suspended, the Triumph sets the bar very high: on its handlebars, confidence is absolute and the feeling of total control. Less "physical" than before in the combinations, the Speed ​​Triple 2011 has also retained impeccable stability and traction. In other words, when exiting curves, the excellent grip offered by the Metzeler Racetec K3 is shamelessly exploited. !

Already fined mechanically speaking – at least at "usual" speeds – the Z1000 does not appear quite so comfortable when it comes to getting out of the bends with the handle in the corner. Yet it also very well off in terms of tires (Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa on the ABS version), the Kawasaki requires more grip to hold its course when it is subjected to very large constraints..

Respect, Mister Triumph !

Finally, the Speed ​​Triple definitely takes the upper hand in terms of braking: a single finger (or even a single phalanx!) Is enough to manage its effort on the Italian Brembo pliers which stop the Triumph with incredible force. So much so that the optional ABS appears as a blessing on tricky or slippery surfaces !

Yet a good braking machine, the Z1000 suffers once again from the comparison: the power is very real, the 4-piston radial calipers and the 300 mm discs clearly not being there only to "look pretty", but its brakes do not. offer neither the attack, nor the "touch" of those of his British opponent. Same observation at the level of its rear caliper which lacks bite, where that of the Speed ​​offers feeling, power and precision.

And this is the whole problem for the Z1000: very efficient and frankly fun, the Japanese run into a Speed ​​Triple a little – even a lot sometimes! – sharper in all areas. Ultra-successful, the Queen of England achieves a masterful full box: not only does she totally dominate her subject (s), but her "3-legged" offers both more character and performance.

Also knowing that the price difference is not really decisive (11,690 euros without ABS and 12,290 euros with for the Triumph against 11,499 and 12,099 for the Kawasaki), we let you guess which of these two turbulent sports roadsters wins this new MNC duel !

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