All-rounder on the racetrack

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All-rounder on the racetrack
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motorcycles

All-rounder on the racetrack

All-rounder on the racetrack
Wrong world

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Motorcycles have a purpose: they are light, disguised and nimble, or heavy, chrome-plated and unwieldy. Or somewhere in between. The right device for every purpose? that’s it. But when Schmalhans is the fleet manager, the country road oven also has to go on race training from time to time.

Uwe Seitz

02/15/2008

Wrong world

Fact! Group C at the PS camp at the Salzburgring: One has a Fazer, the other a GS, Ralle comes on a small Hornet, Steffi with the SV 650 and Kai from the area; he is a local patriot when it comes to motorcycles, drives KTM Super duke. These things are actually only moved on the country road, ?? but ??, so the tenor? I just wanted to know what it is like on the racetrack. ?? After two days, enthusiasm and the certainty that they will do it again soon are on their faces. But how far can you get on racing asphalt with the all-rounder? Good question. Let’s find out. Four representative motorcycles that are not primarily designed as slopes are to show us in Hockenheim and in the Alsatian Anneau du Rhin.

The premise of this test: Don’t show an exaggerated racer attitude and first laugh at everything that smells like normal, but try out what is feasible and what is not. How does a newbie cope with it? And how far does the motorcycle go when it comes to having fun on the racetrack and developing your own driving skills? Instead of assembling a complete decal of our entry-level group, the adds B-King the test field. After all, Suzuki confidently presented it to the world at the Lausitzring in 2007. The 173 measured horsepower in the cordoned off muscle bike are also a huge pound for the country road. In addition, the gentle character of the engine makes nice promises for closed slopes. Let’s place the 5 hundredweight, like the other test motorcycles, on sticky Bridgestone BT 002 RS. Unscrewed fear nipple, pit lights on green and into the round!

What an aggregate! Exactly as announced, the engine has pressure at all times, which it presses extremely neatly onto the asphalt via the connection between the accelerator, throttle valve, piston, crankshaft, chain and rear wheel. Performance hole? Nothing. This is an absolute plus for the inexperienced; wild switching orgies are eliminated. The whole concentration belongs to the braking point, turning in, hanging-off and looking. Here it quickly becomes clear that beginners on the slopes have enough to do with it. Although the B-King is very full and stable in an inclined position, it needs to be persuaded to do so with manual force. The bigger problem is the wide arc the B-King takes as soon as the gas opens at the exit of the curve. A clear toll on her weight. The lack of feeling for the front blows in the same direction. Nevertheless, the heavyweight in the test field is not an awkward block, the chassis fits quite well. The fork in particular is already suitable for standard trim and also has a very large adjustment range. The shock absorber should be enough for the beginner at first, but we had almost completely turned off the rebound and compression stages. When attacking with a full 173 hp, however, it drops the sails and acknowledges aggressive acceleration out with pumping movements. After the end of the test, we were really astonished: the giant ship barely touched down. Only the gear lever and the side stand were a little bicycled.

Experimentation


All-rounder on the racetrack


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Suzuki B-King: the Bud Spencer bike with surprising finesse.

What a cool feeling: down from the biggest, up to the smallest. the Hornet 600 is clearly the least problematic motorcycle in this test field. The power of the braked supersport engine allows the experienced pilot wild experiments and is easy on the nerves of the piste novice. He can work his way up to real racing methods because the engine barely goes around below, but marches around diligently above. You have to sort the gears a little more eagerly, but the very good gearbox can handle that without any problems. The fact that the Hornet has a somewhat long translation is far less significant on the racetrack than out on the country road.

Your chassis is satisfactory. Compared to the other bikes, the Hornet is overall too soft and goes into block when braking hard, but it should be suitable for the first training sessions. The shock absorber responds well and should be adjusted on a more spring basis for more ground clearance. In the end, the muffler still showed a few scratches. The first conversion measure for those who want to turn the Hornet into a pig on the slopes probably concerns the handlebars. This is where it is most likely with minimal effort that the driver’s posture is very inactive as standard.

Another four-cylinder, another machined racing unit, but with a displacement of one liter: The Yamaha FZ1 Fazer is waiting and has good prerequisites. The easy-revving motor fits the ring perfectly. The top performance characteristics are still annoying on the country road, but it makes sense here. The top performance gives beginners an idea of ​​how an R1 performs. However, the FZ1 saves the staff the sometimes treacherous power of the super sports car. The Fazer also best conveys what such a chassis has to offer. It has the highest quality dampers in the field, and the response is great. Compression and rebound damping that we haven’t touched lie separately in the fork legs. At the rear, on the other hand, we turned the rebound stage up to two clicks. The rear spring base experienced the greatest intervention in the basic setup. Raised to the second highest level, the FZ1 still offers only a very moderate freedom from lean angles.

Even beginners will have to stroke the ground very quickly with the footrests and adjust the line accordingly. After the test, the pegs looked like a chunk of parmesan after a pasta orgy. Even the final pot had clear quirks. So if you want to chase your Fazer over closed asphalt more often, you will find all the requirements in the engine and chassis, but you have to move the footrests and mount a racing exhaust as quickly as possible. The high-seated seating position very close to the handlebars does not convey a real racing feeling and also requires some conversion work. Otherwise, the FZ1, whether disguised or not, fits in well with first attempts at racing.

ABS, conclusion, measurements


All-rounder on the racetrack


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The chassis and engine characteristics of the Yamaha FZ1 Fazer match the racetrack.

A word about ABS that Fazer and Hornet have with them: Compared to conventional stoppers, the pressure build-up of an ABS brake is not so suitable for the race track. And in the normal test we hardly got into the control phase because the ABS requires a different driving style: Braking deeply into the curve is a thing of the past, and the regulating rear brake brings a lot of restlessness to the number. Therefore: full can in the iron, brake on, around the corner. When used deliberately, the system allows ludicrously late braking points.

That leaves the only two-cylinder, the Super Duke. Needless to say that PS has devoured a fool of this thing, but also from the perspective of the racing novice, the KTM is king. Anyone who has a certain routine with two-cylinder engines can also use them on the racetrack with great fun. The Duke also has punch in all positions, which can be called up very linearly. In addition, there is a stiff chassis, which should be sufficient for the newcomer at first. At best, the shock absorber will become the Achilles heel in the longer term: it is directly linked, i.e. not via a lever mechanism that could create progression. Therefore, the damper lacks a bit of reserves. The fork, on the other hand, works splendidly. The front wheel-oriented seating position behind the wide handlebars gives the rider what is probably the most upright racing posture that one can adopt with fun. Everything can be done that way. The Duke Driver has a lot of trouble getting a part of Ross or Reiter ?? most likely it will be the knee ?? scratches the slopes and polishes your self-confidence. Until the end of the test, only the Duke remained without a lasting memory of the place of use, in other words: without scratches. When driving, the KTM did not offer a point at which the experienced driver would give up and speak of an entry-level bike. In terms of driving behavior, it does not create any uncontrollable hurdles for the novice, even on the racetrack. At most, the very direct throttle response requires a little finesse.

Conclusion:
The world is not that wrong, alleged country road bikes develop a high fun factor on the racetrack. Good tires on it, fear nipples gone ?? then you can start. Newbies in particular benefit from these qualities; experienced racers will have the appropriate equipment anyway.

Measurements
Performance curves that are so widely fanned out are only found when comparing concepts. The B-King underscores why it polarized in design in 2007, but consistently earned recognition for the engine. The test bench curve looks like the trajectory of a moon rocket: straight into orbit, which for the Suzuki means 173 hp. Locked up, mind you, in fifth gear. This much pressure saves a number of gear changes, which is particularly challenging for the Hornet, which with its 100 hp has the narrowest power range and needs high revs to drive real attacks. But even as an inexperienced piste pilot you can shamelessly squeeze them, accelerate early and stay on it for a long time.

The Yamaha is similar, but of course on a different level. 148 hp are clear and very suitable for racing. What a R1 racer can do, the FZ1 driver can guess? The main thing is that there are revs, which the KTM doesn’t need in five-digit regions. But between 5000 and 8000 rpm it has the punch that the FZ1 could very well need, especially on country roads.

Data Yamaha FZ1 Fazer


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The Fazer’s ABS calls for a completely different driving style on the racetrack.

Drive:
Four-cylinder in-line engine, five valves / cylinder, 110 kW (150 PS) at 11000 / min *, 106 Nm at 8000 / min *, 998 cm3, bore / stroke: 77.0 / 53.6 mm, compression ratio 11.5: 1, ignition / injection system, 42 mm throttle valves, mechanically operated multi-plate oil bath clutch, six-speed gearbox, G-Kat

Landing gear:
Light alloy bridge frame, steering head angle: 65.0 degrees, caster: 109 mm, wheelbase: 1460 mm, upside-down fork, Ø fork inner tube: 43 mm, adjustable in spring base, rebound and compression, central spring strut with lever system, adjustable in spring base and Rebound stage, spring travel v./h .: 130/130 mm

Wheels and brakes:
Light alloy cast wheels, 3.50 x 17″/6.00 x 17″, Front tires: 120/70 ZR 17, rear: 190/50 ZR 17 First tires: Michelin Pilot Road ?? S ?? / ?? D ??, 320 mm double disc brake with four-piston fixed calipers at the front, 255 mm single disc with Single-piston floating caliper at the rear

Measurements and weight:
Length / width / height 2140/790/1205 mm, seat / handlebar height: 810/1010 mm, handlebar width: 685 mm, 229.5 kg fully fueled, v./h .: 50.8 / 49.2%

Rear wheel power in last gear: 97 kW (132 PS) at 267 km / h

Driving performance:
Acceleration 0 100/150/200 km / h: 3.5 / 5.7 / 9.8 s
Pulling speed 50 100/100 150 km / h: 5.3 / 5.2 s
Top speed: 252 km / h *

Consumption:
Fuel type: Super, race track consumption: 9.7 liters / 100 km, tank capacity / reserve: 18 / 3.4 liters, range: 186 km

Price: 10650 Euro (plus utilities)

Data Suzuki B-King


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B for snappy: the Suzuki B-King also plays the beast on the racetrack.

Drive:
Four-cylinder in-line engine, four valves / cylinder, 135 kW (184 hp) at 9500 rpm *, 146 Nm at 7200 rpm *, 1340 cm3, bore / stroke: 81.0 / 65.0 mm, compression ratio 112.5: 1, ignition / injection system, 44 mm throttle valves, hydraulically operated multi-disc oil bath clutch, six-speed gearbox, G-Kat

Landing gear:
Light alloy bridge frame, steering head angle: 64.5 degrees, caster: 107 mm, wheelbase: 1525 mm, upside-down fork, Ø inner fork tube: 43 mm, front adjustable in spring base, compression and rebound, rear central spring strut with lever system, adjustable in Spring base, rebound and compression stage, spring travel v./h .: 120/137 mm.

Wheels and brakes:
Light alloy cast wheels, 3.50 x 17″/6.00 x 17″, Front tires: 120/70 ZR 17, rear: 200/50 ZR 17. First tires: Dunlop Qualifier ?? MT ?? / ?? NK ??, 310 mm double disc brake with four-piston fixed calipers at the front, 260 mm single disc with Single-piston floating caliper at the rear, ABS from 2008

Measurements and weight:
Length / width / height 2226/850/1260 mm, seat / handlebar height: 810/1020 mm, handlebar width: 790 mm, 259 kg fully fueled, v./h .: 49.0 / 51.0%

Rear wheel power in last gear: 102 kW (139 hp) at 241 km / h

Driving performance:
Acceleration 0 – 100/150/200 km / h: Mode A: 3.1 / 5.0 / 8.1 s, pulling speed 50 – 100/100 – 150 km / h: 5.1 / 4.6 s, mode B: 4.2 / 7.1 / 14.0 s; 5.7 / 7.6 s

Top speed: 247 km / h *

Consumption:
Fuel type: Super, average test consumption: 12.6 liters / 100 km, tank capacity: 16.5 liters, range: 130 km

Price: 13490 Euro (plus utilities)

Data Honda Hornet 600


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With the Honda Hornet 600 you can drive to the limit on the racetrack with a big smile.

Drive:
Four-cylinder in-line engine, four valves / cylinder, 75 kW (102 PS) at 12000 / min *, 64 Nm at 10500 / min *, 599 cm3, bore / stroke: 67.0 / 42.5 mm, compression ratio: 12.0 : 1, ignition / injection system, 36 mm throttle valves, mechanically operated multi-plate oil bath clutch, six-speed gearbox, G-Kat

Landing gear:
Light alloy frame made of cast parts, steering head angle: 65.0 degrees, caster: 99 mm, wheelbase: 1435 mm, upside-down fork, Ø inner fork tube: 41 mm, not adjustable, central spring strut directly hinged, adjustable spring base, spring travel v./h .: 120/128 mm

Wheels and brakes 🙂
Light alloy cast wheels, 3.50 x 17 ?? / 5.50 x 17 ??, front tires: 120/70 ZR 17, rear: 180/55 ZR 17, first tires: Michelin Pilot Power ?? E ??, 296 mm double disc brakes with Three-piston floating calipers at the front, 240 mm single disc with single-piston floating calipers at the rear, ABS optional

$ (text: b: Dimensions and weight:
Length / width / height 2090/800/1230 mm, seat / handlebar height: 800/1010 mm, handlebar width: 665 mm, 207 kg fully fueled, v./h .: 49.4 / 50.6%

Rear wheel power in last gear: 68.6 kW (93 hp) at 218 km / h

Driving performance:
Acceleration 0 – 100/150/200 km / h: 3.5 / 6.8 / 15.2 s, pulling speed 50 – 100/100 – 150 km / h: 6.5 / 7.2 s
Top speed: 230 km / h *

Consumption:
Fuel type: Normally unleaded, race track consumption: 9.8 liters, tank capacity / of which reserve: 19.0 / 4 liters, range: 194 km

Price: 8190 euros (including surcharge for ABS, plus ancillary costs)

Data KTM 990 Super Duke


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The KTM 990 Super Duke – whether in, out, in wide or narrow arcs – makes the racetrack glow.

Drive:
Two-cylinder 75-degree V-engine, four valves / cylinder, 88 kW (120 PS) at 9000 / min *, 100 Nm at 7000 / min *, 1000 cm3, bore / stroke: 101.0 / 62.4 mm , Compression ratio: 11.5: 1, ignition / injection system, 48 mm throttle valves, hydraulically operated multi-plate oil bath clutch, six-speed gearbox, G-Kat

Landing gear:
Steel tubular space frame, steering head angle: 66.1 degrees, caster: 100.7 mm, wheelbase: 1450 mm, upside-down fork, Ø fork inner tube: 48 mm, adjustable spring base, compression and rebound damping. Central spring strut directly hinged, adjustable in spring base, compression and rebound damping, spring travel from / h .: 135/160 mm

Wheels and brakes:
Light alloy cast wheels, 3.50 x 17 ?? / 5.50 x 17 ??, front tires: 120/70 ZR 17, rear: 180/55 ZR 17, first tires: Dunlop Sportmax D 208 RR, 320 mm double disc brakes with four-piston fixed calipers front, 240 mm single disc with single-piston floating caliper at the rear

Measurements and weight:
Length / width / height *: 2080/910/1235 mm, seat / handlebar height: 845/1030 mm, handlebar width: 750 mm, 203 kg fully fueled, v./h .: 51.2 / 48.8%

Rear wheel power in last gear: 82.3 kW (112 hp) at 229 km / h

Driving performance:
Acceleration 0 – 100/150/200 km / h: 3.4 / 6.0 / 11.0 s, pulling speed 50 – 100/100 – 150 km / h: 4.9 / 4.6 s
Top speed: 220 km / h *

Consumption:
Fuel type: Super, average consumption: 11.4 liters, tank capacity / reserve: 18.5 / k. A. liters, range: 162 km

Price: 12 498 Euro (plus ancillary costs)

reviews


All-rounder on the racetrack


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In the end, the Super Duke has the edge and scores above all with its slope affinity.

Yamaha FZ1 Fazer

drive
The lively engine speaks the language of athletes, the performance is right, the delayed throttle response less. The transmission is average.

landing gear
The relatively stiff chassis of the FZ1 is great and offers reserves. However, the raised spring base does not prevent the notches from being put on early.

ergonomics
The notches are far forward, the handlebars close to the body, and the seating position is relatively high. The whole thing seems inactive accordingly.

Driving fun
The engine and the chassis themselves exude pure fun, but then the notches come on, later the muffler. Fast curves force you to take other lines.

verdict
Basically a great bike for piste and road, but the lack of lean angle and ergonomics become a problem all too quickly.

3rd place / 14 points

Suzuki B-King

drive
Plain and simple: the engine is cool. Yes, pressure everywhere. The dosability is absolutely stress-free. The transmission is slipping. Top grade.

landing gear
The fork fits very well, even if the feeling for the front is neglected. The strut gives up when fully attacked, but carries the novice tight enough around the corner.

ergonomics
You sit very deep in the motorcycle, which seems passive, but at least lowers the center of gravity. You can come to terms with if you like it.

Driving fun
The brakes are really cool, the stability in an inclined position is fantastic, the fun is high, but also the amount of work. The steering damper increases this additionally.

verdict
The B-King actually has what it takes for a fun circuit attack. If you have enough stamina, you can conserve it for a few training sessions.

Place 2/16 points

Honda Hornet 600

drive
The little 600 is easy to turn and goes around the top quickly. The performance deficit costs points, because it gets really tough on the straights.

landing gear
The shock absorber surprised despite the lack of adjustment. The response is good. The Hornet still goes to block if the brakes are really hard.

ergonomics
The handlebars are too far away and relatively high. The sitting position is therefore quite inactive. You have to slide all the way on the saddle.

Driving fun
Driving is great because the Hornet never overwhelms you. It is handy and “carefree”. Modify a little, then it fits even better.

verdict
A few more horsepower and an appropriate seating position, then the Hornet would be better positioned. There is a cup in Italy, so it would have to be a renovation.

4th place / 12 points

KTM 990 Super Duke

drive
Punch is present everywhere, which can be called up linearly. The professional is happy about the very spontaneous throttle response. The gearbox is gnarled but not bothersome.

landing gear
The fork impresses with its clean response. Despite the hard spring, the shock absorber needs to be changed after some practice.

ergonomics
Wide handlebars, front-wheel oriented ?? Attributes that make the racetrack fun. You can’t race more upright.

Driving fun
The sportiest brake, the greatest development potential for beginners on the racetrack, plenty of banking freedom and a special motor. Everyone has fun.

verdict
The Duke again. And she deserves it. It doesn’t touch down, has a snap engine and an accurate landing gear? Fun follows function.

Place 1/17 points

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