Autumn trip with eight motorcycles from the MOTORRAD endurance test

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Autumn trip with eight motorcycles from the MOTORRAD endurance test
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Autumn trip with eight motorcycles from the MOTORRAD endurance test

Autumn trip with eight motorcycles from the MOTORRAD endurance test

Autumn trip with eight motorcycles from the MOTORRAD endurance test

Autumn trip with eight motorcycles from the MOTORRAD endurance test

64 pictures

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Gerrit Franken (27), freelancer: “Big bike power with the weight of a mid-range machine results in an excellent corner robber”.

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Autumn trip in Saarland.

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Autumn trip in Saarland.

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Indian Chief Vintage, mileage: 21,109, long-term test start: 10/11/2014.

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Cathedral from an engine: The shape of side-steered historical Indians mimics the 1800s bumper V2.

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Indian Chief Vintage.

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With fringes: leather panniers with practical click fasteners. However, the sun makes the buffalo skin fade.

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Rainer Froberg (51), fleet manager: “A mighty motor between two wings of fenders – a great oven with fine details”.

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Autumn trip in Saarland.

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Sebastian stopped spontaneously: engine too hot! Fortunately, near the March motorcycle shop in Ettlingen, where the radiator cap was spontaneously replaced and the error memory was read out (thanks for that!).

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KTM 1290 Super Duke R, mileage: 19,375, start of long-term test: 02.25.2015.

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Infotainment: The extensive on-board menu in the left display can be controlled from the left handlebar fitting.

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But the irritating display remained, despite the cooler temperature of only around 103 degrees when running. So continue driving, albeit with a queasy feeling.

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Real feeling: milled aluminum notches with adjustable pedal. Typical for KTM: tubular space frame. Noble: single-sided swing arm.

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In Mettlach there is the 14 meter high earth spirit in the Villeroy Adventure Center & To see Boch.

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Gabriel Winter (50), freelancer: “More experience per kilometer – thanks to a lively V2 engine and completely overwhelmed chassis”.

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BMW R 1200 R, Harley-Davidson, Sportster 1200 Custom, Limited Edition A, Indian Chief Vintage, KTM 1290 Super Duke R, MV Agusta, Turismo Veloce 800, Suzuki GSX-S 1000 F, Yamaha MT-07, Yamaha YZF-R1.

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Thomas Schmieder (48), test editor: “The BMW is like my girlfriend: sociable, versatile and very good-natured – a real buddy”.

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BMW R 1200 R, mileage: 20,345, start of long-term test: May 4th, 2015.

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The “BMW Motorrad Navigator V” provides an informative extension to the on-board computer. But the first copy was defective.

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Simply better on a tourer: the cardan in the powerful single-sided swing arm runs cleanly and requires little maintenance.

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The R remains very stable even with suitcases.

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Autumn trip in Saarland.

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Prelude to the curve halali: the beautiful Palatinate Forest with the Dahner Felsenland is recommended on the journey.

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Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 Custom.

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So and so: poor suspension struts, clean toothed belt. The clamps of the two connected exhausts rasp off.

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This Harley led the long-term best list for a long time.

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Lax: The fork, which is totally underdamped, moves uncontrollably when braking or already on bumps.

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Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 Custom, mileage: 14,637, long-term test start: 03/19/2015.

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Emergency aid: March motorcycle trade in Ettlingen (Baden) helped out with spontaneous service for the MV and Eins-a-Espresso.

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Stefan Gluck (48), MOTORRAD employee: “The MT-07 is like Saarland: small, but powerful. Often underestimated, it offers plenty of surprises! “.

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More comfortable: The touring seat from the Yamaha range of accessories offers the bottom more comfort on medium-haul routes.

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Yamaha MT-07.

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Yamaha MT-07, mileage: 30,989, start of long-term test: May 25, 2014.

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Symbolic character in the triangle: France, Luxembourg and Germany border each other in Schengen.

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Everything in flux: if you look towards Saarland from Luxembourg, you are standing on the broader Moselle, not on the Saar!

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Yamaha MT-07.

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Autumn trip in Saarland.

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Yamaha YZF-R1, mileage: 10,679, start of long-term test: May 28, 2015.

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Not entirely happy: the clutching clutch of the 200 hp grenade can only be dosed poorly, especially when it is cold.

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Turn and press: the driving mode can be selected from the right handlebar using the practical rotary knob.

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Drive and save: the sparse LCD cockpit with digital tachometer and gear display is sufficiently informative.

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Andreas Bildl (51), Deputy Head of Test: “A dream when the engine really bites at 8000 rpm. Unfortunately you rarely have that in the wild “.

Autumn trip with eight motorcycles from the MOTORRAD endurance test
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Route of the autumn exit.

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These issues reported on the past autumn trips. 23/2005: Ascent and descent, 23/2008: Die Heimkehrer, 24/2010: Kino, 24/2013: Switch off, 24/2014: Nice with a hair dryer.

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Suzuki GSX-S 1000 F..

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The sports driver’s heart laughs. But even in the tolerant Saarland with its French influence, moderation applies.

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Peter Klein (53), freelancer: “For me, the cheeky Suzuki is the favorite on this trip, gives Michelins full confidence”.

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World Heritage Site Volklinger Hutte with slag heaps.

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Autumn trip in Saarland.

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Land with history: In Saarbrucken, aesthetically illuminated casemates convey 500 years of history – 14 meters below the ground.

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Tester dreams: Andi Bildl is a racetrack professional. He once had such a Kreidler foil himself – but not as a decoration.

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Nature meets culture and art – again and again in Saarland. Here at the old tower in Mettlach, it is over 1000 years old!

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Autumn trip in Saarland.

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MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800, mileage: 11,367, start of long-term test: June 12, 2015.

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Compact! The suitcases on an MV (!) Each offer space for a helmet and nestle extremely narrowly against the pretty rear.

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Simply clever: the pane can be adjusted to two heights in no time using the manually operated slide latch.

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Sebastian Schmidt (35), freelancer: “If it doesn’t squirm, the lively 800 series, which is suitable for touring, is a lot of fun, especially in fast corners”.

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Autumn trip in Saarland.

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Autumn trip in Saarland.

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Suzuki GSX-S 1000 F, mileage: 6744, start of long-term test: 08/13/2015.

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Hui und pfui: The small disc ducks low, protects little. The noble aluminum handlebar is strangely cranked.

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Achilles heel: The cheap-looking shock absorber responds trampling, unfortunately works quite uncomfortably on tour.

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Later on, the Italo bike would not start on cold mornings and needed start-up help.

motorcycles

Autumn trip with eight motorcycles from the MOTORRAD endurance test

Autumn trip with eight motorcycles from the MOTORRAD endurance test
Long distance testing

Eight bikes from the MOTORRAD long-term test made it to the largely unknown Saarland on the 2015 autumn tour. To where nature, art and (industrial) culture complement each other in the smallest of spaces. Cast off, helmets on, engines on to the Saarfari!

Thomas Schmieder, Andreas Bildl

11/11/2015

It’s a look that you never forget: the river has dug itself deep and a comfortable bed has been prepared. Finally, it flows through this area twice, makes a large, wide 180-degree arc, flows back in the opposite direction. There, where the plateaus and gently rounded hills have abraded, a flat valley joins. The barges drift around the huge curve like toy boats. Really picturesque, this large Saar loop cut wide. In the middle of Europe you feel really removed here, it is far away in the near. To freeze in awe.

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Long distance testing

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Strange: We are eight men here with our motorcycles and one photographer, born in Baden, Swabia, Westphalia, the Rhineland and Bulgaria, but nobody has ever been here before, at the landmark of the Saarland. Somehow you don’t really have the smallest German land area on your radar. As the autumn mist clears, it reveals a spectacular view. Nature rewards us with its bright play of colors. The tourists willingly give space to our exceptionally photogenic draped motorized box on the visitor terrace at the Cloef viewpoint near Mettlach-Orscholz.

Out of awe of the total of 400,000 kilometers that the eight machines have to unwind in the course of their endurance test life? After all, this corresponds to a trip to the moon. And three long-term test motorcycles that stayed at home are still missing: on the one hand the Ducati 1199 Panigale, with currently 34,752 kilometers on the clock. Furthermore, the Suzuki V-Strom 1000 is missing, which runs at 45,967 kilometers to the end of the endurance test with giant strides. That is the one Yamaha MT-09 as the third Yamaha in the league with 46,437 kilometers even closer.

Locals and tourists admire the landscape and motorbikes with a combined 21 cylinders, almost nine liters of displacement (8969 cubic) and 972 hp rated power. Everything is still quiet, first push the machines away from the rocky Cloef viewing platform. As we start the engines further up, a polyphonic concert sounds. Well muffled, slightly bass-heavy. The people wave goodbye. Well, the Saarlanders are nice people, patient, relaxed, and seem anything but stressed. This is evident again and again on this tour. Soon it goes over smooth, well-developed curve combinations towards Mettlach, down to the Saar.

Test editor Thomas Schmieder drives the chic Bavarian-Berlin roadster BMW R 1200 R, lets the cow fly ahead, kneads the rubber of the tires warm. “This R is a great country road motorcycle, you immediately feel at home, right at home,” said Thomas on departure. The wonderfully brawny water boxer punches vigorously from the bottom, “wrroumm”, sounds pithy too. This is his second chance, because the transmission of the R 1200 GS “LC” flew over our ears during the 50,000 kilometers of endurance test. Before that, the K 1300 GT and the air-cooled R 1200 GS also caused massive problems. Will a BMW finally prove to be not only innovative, but also durable?

There she has Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 Custom Limited Edition A (it’s really called that) has a different claim: For a long time, a Harley led the MOTORRAD endurance test. The Road King demonstrated high reliability, good substance after 50,000 kilometers and high value retention. Now the little sister should show that this can also be a Sportster and not just a Big Twin. In the case of the CA with multi-color paint and easy-care cast wheels. Driver Gabriel smiles and enjoys classic mechanical engineering. “In Saarland, nature and great industrial culture are combined in a very small space,” he enthuses. The Harley fits in well, after 112 years of factory history and 58 years of Sportster tradition.

A 1.2 liter V2? Pah, the second US iron that Indian Chief Vintage, has a full 50 percent more displacement, 1811 cubic. Will the completely new design with bumpers last in the long term? Driver and fleet manager Rainer Froberg is optimistic: “What is supposed to happen with the low liter output?” 75 HP is a good 41 HP per liter. Inefficiently, but as a long-stroke, inimitably low frequency, both American bikes rumble. When it comes to torque, none of the seven other engines can beat the Indian chief with 125 Newton meters from idle. The leather-fringed US cruiser pushes gently but firmly in the Indian Summer on the Saar.

KTM’s great high-tech travel enduro 1190 Adventure pulled out of the affair well in the long-term test. In the meantime, the Austrians added more to their 75-degree V2, pumping a full 1301 cm3 into the naked bike 1290 Super Duke R. Gerrit Franken is enthusiastic about the cracker concept of a driving machine of the purest water. He courageously spurs the Gaudi grenade downhill, the front wheel stays on the ground. Yet. One cylinder is enough for the real 168 PS strong V2 for the performance of the Indian. But the supposed beast is easy to control, not unwilling even in the low revs. Your acoustic performance is not rowdy, nice bass, clear highs KTM 1290 Super Duke R doesn’t immediately shake the autumn leaves from the trees.

The fattest 108 pistons hammer the crankshaft of the KTM 1290 Super Duke R. Ride-by-Wire, dual ignition, slipper clutch and selectable engine mappings ensure good manners. “Despite burning propulsion, the brute engine also has a delicate side, cultivated running at low speeds,” says the driver’s log. Driver Gerrit thinks such passionate and lustful performance is simply awesome. A fire chair with manners. Fine, soft vibrations, for example.

They tear nicely elastic broadband MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800, can take a strolling pace on around 2500 tours just as easily as potential turning into five-digit ranges – which is never necessary on country roads. Finally another long-term test copy from Varese, and also a tourer from MV, with suitcases and quickly adjustable windshield! If Ago only knew … Well, the old master would certainly have no objection to holding up the three-cylinder flag, Sebastian Schmidt likes triples anyway. All the more when they are gurgling as hoarse as this one. Which for 15,000 euros plus 900 euros for the suitcase is really not a bargain.

Already on arrival the MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 was annoying with an electronic fips. Your cooling water temperature display suddenly went all the way, right in the red area. “Warning, engine temperature too high!” Was emblazoned in the cockpit. So get off the autobahn, make sure you’re on the right side. There was enough cooling water in the expansion tank, and it wasn’t boiling either. Fortunately, in March there was a motorcycle dealer nearby, where the radiator cap was spontaneously replaced and the error memory read out, thanks for that!

Or should it be a nice, tried and tested in-line four-cylinder? With one such is the Suzuki GSX-S 1000 F with pilot Peter Klein. In-house recycling, so to speak, because the new model presented in 2015 is powered by the tried and tested, not quite as short-stroke engine of the GSX-R 1000 “K5”. Fresh from the balancing consultant, trimmed for ample torque and briefly translated, the four-cylinder is full of music from idle: best torque in sixth gear of all eight machines! Briefly accelerate at the exit of the town and – wow! Peter Klein likes that. Without Facebook. But he often looks in vain for seventh gear.

MOTORRAD test employee Stefan Gluck has it Yamaha MT-07 saddled. What a great, lively, lively little motor that is again and again. Lively, elastic and easy to turn. Really powerful, smooth and effortless, it serves its 75 hp. You only have to push 184 kilograms, which means that the brakes never have any problems. “Master of Torque” is true. The series twin with the uneven firing order (every 270 and 450 degrees) imitates the pulse of a 90-degree V2. And always remains nice and quiet.

The lightest machine in the octet is a real fun bike. Scurrying through the Winkelwerk, wonderfully handy and easy, really daring. Sharp. “Fun, economical, exciting – emotionally, the little one is really big.” That’s what it says in the logbook. Stefan knows why he hardly wants to get off the Yamaha MT-07. It manages a balancing act: makes it easy for beginners and kicks off even with professional drivers. You can practice wheelies with ease. A very well mannered motorcycle, user-friendly. 6395 euros base price is only a little more than half of the next more expensive candidate, the Suzuki. Low gasoline consumption from four liters puts the small 14-liter tank into perspective. The maintenance costs are low.

Yamaha only makes accessories MT-07 really suitable for touring. These include the small, effectively protective screen, the huge luggage rack and the comfort seat from the Yamaha range of accessories. Also the cozy heated grips from Oxford. But above all the retrofit strut from Mupo. This means that the downturn and teetering of the underdamped series part are over and forgotten. The Mupo shock absorber also has enough reserves for pillion riding. Stefan has got used to the soft fork. With all the goodies, which cost almost 8,000 euros, the MT-07 curve finder becomes a universal genius. “Balanced and harmonious” – even more than the three-cylinder Yamaha MT-09! 3000 copies made the MT-07 the best-selling Yamaha in Germany from January to August 2015. Only the BMW R 1200 GS found more buyers!

The finest components form the classy sister, the Yamaha YZF-R1. Real 200 hp meet feather-light 199 kilograms. Clearly a super sports car primarily for the racetrack. But there is hardly any more country road than here in Saargau. Can the R1 do that? Yes, she can. As if lasered, it rushes through the curve. Andreas Bildl, the deputy head of test, enjoys steering precision of the highest quality. These are wonderful circular strokes. In addition, the R1 rocket is incredibly full, can be brilliantly “driven over the front wheel”, spoiled with a super-seedy top fork. You even forgive the rather tightly operating shock absorber.

However, Andi also has to work a bit on the Yamaha YZF-R1. The wedge on wheels requires dedicated physical effort on the low-lying handlebars, with hanging-off even at a permitted 100 kilometers per hour. When turning, you have to be careful: The mirrors show almost nothing of the traffic behind you, so the following part of the group is easily lost. Of four power modes, mode one is not a good choice, responds much too harshly to gas commands, mode two can be noticeably gentler. Load change reactions are violent in city traffic or at the apex of the bend. A lot of feeling of the throttle is required.

Together with a lot of weight on the wrists, this can spoil the fun on the bends on the Rennsemmel. It is better if the wind pressure helps. The pillion seat bun hardly carries more than a small bag. “In its uncompromising nature, it resembles a Ducati, only quieter,” Andi muses. Registered sales in Germany 2015? So far 675.

Anyway, now we’re taking a break in Mettlach, at a baroque abbey. It houses the Villeroy headquarters and adventure center & Boch exhibitions on centuries-old ceramics tradition. In the picturesque park next to it stands the oldest tower in Saarland and the earth spirit designed by Andre Heller, a 14-meter-high figure with a bird’s head.

But the point is for near-earth locomotion, it continues in low-level flight. Problem or phenomenon: the poorly metered clutch of the Yamaha YZF-R1. Especially when the engine is cold, you hardly have any feeling for the power connection, even professionals sometimes stall the engine. So let the long first gear, reaching well over 100 km / h, come with a slipping clutch and a slightly higher speed … When approached, the clutches of the MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 and the BMW R 1200 R also pluck it cracks embarrassingly loud when engaging first gear that passers-by are already looking.

BMW accompanies gear changes R 1200 R with long gearshifts and heavy Kalonk – when you clutch. If Thomas doesn’t, thanks to the optional shift assistant, the gears only click in from around 2500 tours on the shortest possible routes. It even enables downshifting without a clutch (“blipper”) and automatically double-declutching. The counterpart of the MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 does not offer that much shifting comfort: Sebastian says that this shift assistant works harder and less confidently. And that of the Yamaha YZF-R1, in turn, only works when upshifting, but can be set in two hardly distinguishable levels.

The R1 can also be freely combined in various stages with racing start assistance (!), Drift control, engine characteristics and traction and wheelie control. Here and now it’s your standard street mode. But even in it, the fiery, grumpy crossplane inline four-cylinder does not fully play its trump cards. As a perfect acoustic illusion, it sounds sensual like a V4 and just as freely turns. But with an almost constant torque of 4,000 to 7,000 revolutions: first tame, only to then literally explode. Too late for public roads. Andreas Bildl, who is extremely fast on the racetrack, holds back elegantly: But the Yamaha YZF-R1 needs more exercise, just like on the motorway journey. Somehow she seems out of place in this constellation. As if a well-bred Arabian stallion had got lost between field horses and brewery horses.

The wiry KTM 1290 Super Duke R integrates better into the field. She can be mild and wild, strolling and frolicking. “Despite the visually aggressive power appearance, the 1290 also makes leisurely, relaxed trips with a high degree of fun on bends,” says Gerrit, praising the Super Duke. “Because it is limited to the essentials, has no big bells and whistles on board”: tight tubular space frame, powerful brakes, wheels, tank, handlebars, done. It just flies through the curves, the Super Duke R. But also offers tall guys a relaxed knee angle and, with all front wheel orientation, a fairly upright and relaxed sitting posture. Great.

The KTM 1290 Super Duke R found at least 1272 buyers in Germany in 2015. The insensitive, directly articulated WP shock absorber of the KTM is not so great: It mercilessly passes on motorway separating joints or frost cracks on forest stretches. Even with the pressure damping open, it responds moderately. Comfort is different. “The landscape is great in Saarland”, adds the 27-year-old youngster Gerrit, “you drive through a colorful panorama, you can see a lot.”. We are currently making a detour to Luxembourg, across the Moselle to Schengen in the border triangle with France: In the Spartan cockpit (speedometer with a few LCD information and a few control lights) of the Harley-Davidson Sportster 1200 Custom Limited Edition A was already burning the warning light for a three-liter reserve, as always as the first of the eight machines. The pretty tank holds 17 liters.

It doesn’t matter, Super Plus for 1.10 euros, diesel for 95 cents, it’s worth a stop. Rainer is pleased: “On this tour it is always fascinating for me by the water, on the Saar and the Moselle.” Photographer Rocky finds the Saarland “extremely harmonious: It has charm, combines something of France and Luxembourg. As a border area, it always arouses wanderlust because the next country is never far. “But we only take a few meters under the wheels in France – maybe we will travel through Alsace next time? Now it’s time to go to Saarburg in Rhineland-Palatinate.

A waterfall in the middle of the city and winding streets are waiting for us. The perfect retro style of the Indian Chief Vintage with striking, as in the old days curved fenders with an illuminated Indian head at the front. Hugh. At every stop, the red skin is extremely admired, especially by Saarburg’s overzealous policewoman. Because the Indian has car dimensions? Do the passers-by suspect that this is definitely not a city vehicle: long, expansive, eight hundred pounds? Every turning and parking maneuver, especially on a steep slope, requires full concentration. No problem for wind and weather driver Rainer Froberg. But even for him, the following applies: maneuvering quickly is simply not possible here.

The Indian Chief Vintage is not built for tight turns. It needs distance, its length runs. Driving straight for hours is their thing, their territory. As Rainer says: “For a meatball to Berlin or a fish sandwich to Hamburg, cruise control is clean and good.” Is that why there are already over 20,000 trouble-free kilometers on the clock? The mighty American motorcycle is a case for veterans in the broad, brown leather saddle. The divining rod feels like a meter long, you sit far back, quite a distance from the front wheel, and you have no feel for the balloon tire in front. On the other hand, he hardly knows any grip on damp roads. You don’t drive on bitumen strips, you are driven there. It is difficult to see them when there are drops on the vertical disk. It’s not without.

Well, the price from 25,290 euros alone, uff, limits wide distribution. Retrofitted sissy bar with luggage rack and the lumbar support for the driver increase touring comfort. After all, a five-year factory guarantee gives you full confidence. What makes the beat of such a big block motor? The calm resting heart rate – small LCD digits jump back and forth, 750, 800, 750. Fascinatingly low, this speed level: 3000 is already a high switching speed. You chug past the exit sign with 1600 tours in fourth gear and speed 50 in a very relaxed way. Accompanied by a deeply frequented bubbling sound. The Biggest Twin pulsates almost too discreetly. After all, the valves are ticking and the timing belt is “tweeting”, chirping.

Form, function, emotion? Then a Harley should be right at the front! Okay, the 1.2-liter V2 has something, this Victory sign from Milwaukee that has become metal. Even if the biceps are not quite as thick here as with the Big Twins, with E-Glide & Co .: The rubber band V2 is alive. The pull-through values ​​are the second worst in the field, but better than the Indian Chief Vintage. Glide comfortably through the area! A lot of flywheel mass lets the V2 turn slowly, at almost 6000 tours it is over. And 265 kilograms are no stick. But no mistake, Sportsters are popular in Germany, the three versions of the XL 1200 Custom alone found a good 550 buyers in 2015, the cleaner sister XL 1200 X (“Forty-Eight”), the best-selling Harley model, was even ordered around 1,100 times . respect.

Success can hardly be due to objective driving behavior. Krriikk, krraakk, krriikk, Gabriel can be heard in practically every corner on the Sportster. Especially on the serpentine routes that lead to Saarburg’s local mountain. The footpegs touch down early – the Harley-Davidson Sportster XL 1200 CA actually carries them in the middle, combined with a low handlebar as standard. We have brought it forward afterwards to give tall drivers more space and relaxing knee angles. Turning to the right, the silencers and their clamps will soon scrape the curve, spraying sparks. You have to get used to the protruding air filter that forces the right leg outwards.

But the slack, completely underdamped chassis is criminal! The conventional telescopic fork can do nothing at all, sagging when you sit on it. Reserves? Nothing. The Harley-Davidson Sportster XL 1200 CA has never heard of damping. Downhill, we’re going down again, mercilessly through the 39 fork. On bumps this can lead to the bike jumping. If Gabriel then brakes and the ABS tries to control a front wheel that is in the air, things get tricky. This already occurs in city traffic. In addition, the soft spring struts with a meager 54 millimeters of suspension travel mercilessly through.

“It’s no fun when the entire suspension sags in a depression in the middle of an incline and the load slips around on the two silencers,” complains Gabriel. It is not without reason that the traditional company has donated better, adjustable struts and forks with cartridge inserts to all Sportstern for 2016. Can we retrofit it to our 2015 model? We are still looking for tires with more grip in wet conditions, waiting for approval from Conti Milestone (already here) and Metzeler 888 (to come). The discreet screen from MRA offers acceptable wind protection, while longer universal mirrors “Magazi” from Louis offer a better view.

At BMW practically everything has been thought of from the factory. This BMW R 1200 R is a 242 kilogram light cardan tourer, but its full equipment costs easily over 3000 euros. Everything is on board here: large luggage rack, suitable plastic case, several driving modes, multi-level traction control, semi-active chassis that should react automatically to interfering influences, a protective window up to 200 km / h (which blends backwards at night) that communicates with the on-board computer Navi, higher bench in favor of more open knee angles. The golden upside-down fork heralds a paradigm shift – this is the only way to leave room for the central water cooler.

Is the red space frame a nod to Ducati? Because in terms of driving technology, the BMW R 1200 R is a first-class twin, “a motorcycle that makes you happy”, so it says in the driver’s log. This boxer drives cheekily – the long wheelbase, flat steering head angle and large caster are more on the stable than the agile side. As with many BMWs, Hondas and all Guzzis, the crankshaft, which lies lengthways and rotates transversely to the direction of travel, also seems to have a handling-promoting effect here. You shouldn’t be surprised if the footpegs leave furrows at a brisk ride. This BMW rocks!

Except for short, hard edges, the suspension comfort is completely okay. With a fairly full load and a bumpy road surface, however, Thomas would like the directly hinged shock absorber to have “a little more damping”, even in the sportier dynamic setting. It feels like the bottom (of the machine, not Thomas) hangs a bit low. The BMW R 1200 R reacts sensitively to minimally insufficient air pressure at the front and only slightly angular rear tires – a tire recommendation will soon follow in the interim endurance test. Only sensitive drivers notice the non-adjustable steering damper when crawling or when driving off.

A splendor, how vigorously the boxer with the water-washed heads hands out, with the water flowing through it from top to bottom: left hook, right hook, then the straight line. With 101 pistons, the same diameter as the Indian Chief Vintage, it gets a lot of power from little fuel: the fuel consumption is moderate, the range is large, the torque in sixth gear from 60 to 140 is faster than with the Yamaha YZF-R1. Only the KTM 1290 Super Duke R and the briefly translated Suzuki GSX-S 1000 F can do it even faster. The BMW semi-integral brake system is ingeniously simple: all three windows bite with the hand lever, and only the rear stopper with the pedal. A bit of free play on the thin hand lever is annoying. The BMW R 1200 R is currently in third place in the BMW sales hit parade in this country with 1865 units, behind the GS and R nineT. Congratulations.

Who would have expected comfort from an MV? You can endure it for hours in the comfortable seat of the MV Agusta Tourismus Veloce 800. However, in a fairly cemented sitting position, almost too compact, the handlebars close to the chest: supermoto-like, very front-wheel oriented. This three-cylinder is truly a great mid-range engine, not just mathematically between two and four-cylinder. Take care with the eight-stage adjustable traction control: if you give it a lot, you can do nice wheelies for pleasure. After all, MV now has the ride-by-wire set-up well under control, the three-stage adjustable throttle response is less noticeable than on the Suzuki GSX-S 1000 F or the Yamaha YZF-R1 – not delayed, not too hard, not lagging. The switch box is wooden and bony.

“Here in Saarland you always drive a lot through the forest, I like that,” says a delighted MV driver Sebastian in the state with the highest deciduous forest rate. There is a compliment for the fine handling of the elegant, noble Italian. Your line just flows there. The MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 falls slightly on an incline and loves long, fast corners. However, it seems almost agile, nervous, even wobbly, reacts to every finest impulse from the driver. And that’s why every now and then always needs fine, small corrections. “Can’t find a line,” says the driver’s log, but that’s almost too harsh a judgment. One can understand rather the criticism of the somewhat trampling appealing shock absorber. After all, it has a handy handwheel for lifting the stern.

The colorful TFT Italo cockpit looks chic and easy to use, but overloaded with displays. Different driving programs release a maximum of 80 hp (rain mode), 90 hp (touring mode) or 106 of the promised 110 horses in sport mode. Even the engine brake and torque development are programmable. And the output rises above the speed as if drawn with a ruler. The well-drivable triple turns on! But is the MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 really suitable for winter? Even now it does not start at low plus degrees. Pushing is ruled out because of the slipper clutch. So she needs jump starter support every morning. This puts long 15,000 service intervals into perspective.

Strong, robust four-cylinder engines finally made Japan big and powerful as a motorcycle nation. One of the best of recent years is in the Suzuki GSX-S 1000 F. Dull and sonorous sounding, he remembers shortly before the Volklinger Hutte, always marching powerfully forward. A briefly translated muscle man who drives off in third gear. The downside of the thrust of real 151 hp: The quadruplet jumps too harshly out of rolling phases and hangs hard on the gas. You have to plan how to apply the gas in the middle of the curve. And rely on the three-stage traction control. One would like to have less pixelated vibrations in the second half of the speed.

The long-distance travel faction would like better wind protection behind the small, non-adjustable pane of the low cover. Luggage storage on the narrow, short, streetfighter-like high stern is a real weak point. A pillion does not stay with the bar for long either. A lot of sport, little touring? Concentration on the essentials! Fresh Michelin tires get the best out of the handy, lively and stable chassis: look, turn in, around – playful cornering. The insensitive strut of the country road athlete leaves room for improvement, while the Brembos do not stop particularly aggressively. The Suzuki GSX-S 1000 F is currently a fiery offer for 12,095 euros.

We are amazed at the gigantic Volklinger Hutte World Heritage Site. Before 1986, up to 17,000 people worked here, cooking coke and pig iron. We dive into an enchanted world of technology, today united with art and nature. The blast furnaces were blown on at the end of the 19th century and then ran day and night, around the clock for 90 years! What remains? Once again it shows how well different motorcycle concepts can harmonize on tour. If only the drivers like each other and the speed limits are not too generous (sorry, Yamaha YZF-R1). In addition, the Saarland is a real discovery for each of us. It is worth going to the Saar.

BMW R 1200 R.


Autumn trip with eight motorcycles from the MOTORRAD endurance test


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BMW R 1200 R..

It drives really well, yes great, this BMW. However, the first test machines in the winter of 2015 drove even more perfectly, more neutral, less wobbly than the long-term test model. Our BMW R 1200 R already reacts sensitively to 0.2 bar too little air pressure at the front and only partially angularly driven rear tires. Immediately after this autumn trip, the tire recommendation for the long-term interim balance was tested. Tall riders couldn’t handle the lowest seat that was originally installed, so we swapped it for the highest version. Big and small alike can cope with this.

Sensitive drivers complained about the stiff steering damper when driving off, and the hard shift when shifting into first gear bothers everyone. The BMW R 1200 R runs 228 km / h measured by GPS and remains very stable even with a suitcase. BMW’s discreet accessory disk protects small pilots well, big ones moderately. It blinds the driver at night. The R transports pillion passengers and luggage well and offers a range of more than 300 kilometers. Alongside the Suzuki V-Strom 1000, it became the most popular tourer in the long-term test fleet. The only question that remains is whether this BMW will finally last. What does not apply to the first copy of the navigation system: It was exchanged after an electronic defect.

Harley-Davidson XL 1200 CA


Autumn trip with eight motorcycles from the MOTORRAD endurance test


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Harley-Davidson XL 1200 CA.

Harleys Road King has long topped the MOTORCYCLE endurance test leaderboard. Is the Harley-Davidson XL 1200 CA just as reliable? We will see. Your V2 bumper with four camshafts below it stomps and pulsates, likes medium speeds. Footpegs that touch down early (now moved forward for more open knee angles) and silencers (it constantly grinds through the clamps) require a moderate pace. Even then, the barely dampened 39 fork and the penetrating, underdamped struts reach their limits.

MOTORRAD editor-in-chief Michael Pfeiffer and test chief Gert Thole sweated blood and water in city traffic: When the natural frequency of the ABS control and natural vibrations of the stamping, undamped front wheel overlap, you are in the middle of the intersection. Effective MRA pulleys and low-maintenance timing belts make them suitable for touring. The reserve light of the Harley-Davidson XL 1200 CA “comes too early”: Nobody has ever tapped more than 14.5 liters into the 17-liter tank. Original Michelin Scorcher 31 are not top tires, on wet roads they slip through even with moderate acceleration. Now Michelin Commander 2 are up, Conti Milestone CM1 and CM2 will follow soon.

Indian Chief Vintage


Autumn trip with eight motorcycles from the MOTORRAD endurance test


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Indian Chief Vintage.

The XXXL-Indian is initially shocking with its enormous dimensions and a full eight hundredweight – with an air-cooled two-cylinder! But the leather fringes polarized almost more than the opulent mass at the beginning: The editors removed the ones on the wide leather saddle and the optional ones under the running boards. Only the ones under the leather panniers are not removable. Those soon faded in the sun and were made attractive again with special leather grease. The 1800 V2 is a torque giant, pushes confidently. The Indian Chief Vintage is more agile, its aluminum frame chassis is more stable and comfortable than a Harley Electra Glide.

But little lean angle, feedback and trust can be irritating, far decoupled from the front wheel behind the protruding handlebars. Retrofitted sissy bar with luggage rack and lumbar support for the driver top the touring comfort. In rain or fog, the sweeping screen obstructs the view – and this is the smaller version. On bitumen strips, you feel unprotected against poorly adhering Dunlop series tires or hardly better Pirelli Night Dragon. Reliability turned out to be good, however: only the indicator switch of the Indian Chief Vintage had to be cleaned.

KTM 1290 Super Duke R.


Autumn trip with eight motorcycles from the MOTORRAD endurance test


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KTM 1290 Super Duke R..

In the beginning there was a political issue: KTM confidently reported 180 hp for the new, bare pleasure planer advertised as the “beast”. But MOTORRAD did not find more than 172 hp on any test machine with a 1.3-liter V2. And the long-term test copy “only” pressed 168 HP during the input measurement. Mattighofen now communicates 173 series horsepower. The easy-going, cultivated engine of the KTM 1290 Super Duke R is a pleasure, as it serves full bangs at low speeds in a completely relaxed manner, ideal for robbing country roads. Great: inspections are only due every 15,000 kilometers.

Even tall guys sit comfortably on longer stages. At higher speeds, the shape of the lamp seems to be responsible for the slight turbulence around the helmet. The light output, on the other hand, is weak. The chassis is not quite as good as the engine, poorly responding suspension elements are criticized on tour. Great thirst limits the range to around 250 kilometers, the rear-view mirrors only allow vibrancy-distorted rear views. Our KTM 1290 Super Duke R was not affected by the recall of the 2014 models (tank seal). The only defect in the endurance test so far: The spinning oil temperature sensor had to be replaced.

MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800


Autumn trip with eight motorcycles from the MOTORRAD endurance test


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MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800.

Right at the beginning of the endurance test, the MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 had to prove itself at the Alpen-Masters immediately after it was collected from the factory. We liked their agile, agile driving behavior. But it soon became irritating with the fact that it started automatically when the ignition was switched on. The logbook already reports a few incidents during a good 11,000 kilometers. There was scolding for the unstable handling at higher speeds when loaded. Resolute drivers complained about the clutch that jerked heavily during sprint starts.

Furthermore, the rather confusing cockpit repeatedly warned to check engine electronics or clutch switches. In addition to the clutch pressure sensor, the license plate holder had to be replaced due to a chafed indicator cable, and an exhaust roar went off. The (start) problems during the autumn trip also kept them busy. But you shouldn’t forget the pleasantly easy handling of the MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 or its exemplary easy adjustment of the windshield. In itself, the seating position is upright-raised-comfortable, if it just allowed the driver more freedom of movement. Expensive: 900 euros for the well thought-out suitcase, a novelty for an MV.

Suzuki GSX-S 1000 F.


Autumn trip with eight motorcycles from the MOTORRAD endurance test


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Suzuki GSX-S 1000 F..

The Suzuki GSX-S 1000 F is fun, honest, direct, without perfect fine-tuning from the first meter. Negative: the first tires from Dunlop. No feedback. The Pilot Road 4 from Michelin are currently doing better: neutral, good adhesion and confidence-inspiring, even in wet or cold weather. The second point of criticism is the rough response of your engine to gas commands. But it doesn’t matter. After all, short translation inspires with the quickest draft in all situations. A bearish four-cylinder that surpasses its performance specification: 151 instead of 145 hp, just to fall in love with.

The constant jerking at speed 50, 60 and 70 (4th, 5th and 6th gear) is surprising. The chassis of the Suzuki GSX-S 1000 F is not very sensitive, its central spring strut is rather trampling. There is room for improvement over the next 43,000 kilometers (Ohlins, Wilbers, etc.). Maybe MRA can top the windbreak? Hepco & Becker will contribute tank bags and softbags. Do Brembo or TRW Lucas have more snappy brake pads in their product range? LSL or K-MaxX could deliver a handlebar that twisted the forearms less. So that the country road athlete is not just a vanity sunshine motorcycle in terms of engine performance. Sayonara!

Yamaha MT-07


Autumn trip with eight motorcycles from the MOTORRAD endurance test


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Yamaha MT-07.

Right from the start, the Yamaha MT-07 received a lot of praise and even outshone its big sister, the Yamaha MT-09, which was initially so highly praised, with its 115 PS three-cylinder in the subjective editorial ranking. The 184 kilogram flea enchants with its sheer nonchalance. The elastic, economical 75 hp twin is a big hit. The compact Yamaha is a Gaudi grenade that goes with anything. The uncomfortable original bench was replaced by the comfort bench from Yamaha’s range of accessories. Comfortable over medium distances, the butt doesn’t pinch until after several hours in the saddle.

The effectively protective windshield from MRA and the huge luggage rack from Yamaha make it suitable for travel (attachment is tricky!). Warm grips from Oxford. There was criticism for the soft, little dampened chassis. An accessory shock absorber from Mupo (www.zupin.de) is currently increasing driving fun and cornering stability, and Wilbers and Ohlins have also been on the line. The ignition lock often froze in the recent winter. Otherwise, the robust, problem-free Yamaha MT-07 was spared from defects over a good 30,000 kilometers. Top! Tire recommendations and an initial conclusion are in the .

Yamaha YZF-R1


Autumn trip with eight motorcycles from the MOTORRAD endurance test


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Yamaha YZF-R1.

For the sports riders in the editorial team, it was already Christmas in May 2015 when the new, uncompromising Yamaha YZF-R1 moved in with us. Okay, it looks out of place when you comfortably scrub for kilometers. At low speeds, the weight of the driver weighs heavily on the wrists – the steering stub is mounted below the fork bridge. In the future a case for the slightly raised “Speed ​​Match” stubs from LSL? The thin seat upholstery that feels real on the race hardly provides any comfort. The same applies to sporty, firm suspension elements.

The appealing shock absorber is overall more pleasant than the rumbling counterpart of the Suzuki. It only gets really funny when the Yamaha YZF-R1 is allowed to run, its rev counter bar changes from black to green at 8000 rpm. Only then you have 95 km / h in first gear and 195 on the clock in sixth gear. The tires also pay homage to speed: Pirelli Supercorsa SP are suitable as road tires with little negative profile for racing training. The current Metzeler Racetec RR K3 is a bit better in everyday life (wet). But even he hardly gets up to temperature after cold autumn nights, and then acts stiffly. There were no special incidents during the first 10,000 kilometers.

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