Comparison test Power-Nakeds

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Comparison test Power-Nakeds
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motorcycles

Comparison test Power-Nakeds

Comparison test Power-Nakeds
Catch me if you can

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Fat power, an active seating position and sporty chassis cannot be bent on winding country roads. The newly hatched Honda CB 1000 R competes against the Benelli TnT 1130 Sport evo and the KTM 990 Supermoto. Japan attacks Europe without a visor or protective disguise.

Robert luck

07/16/2008

Catch me if you can

Dress warmly, you squires of the stooped order. When these three naked bikes show up in your rearview mirror, you’ll need a very long straight to get rid of them. If this is not at hand, simulates a technical defect immediately? that is definitely less embarrassing than the inevitable enema that comes your way. Don’t you think so? Let yourself be surprised. Because if the Benelli TnT 1130 Sport evo that KTM 990 Supermoto and the ?? new kid on the block ?? Honda CB 1000 R driving it out on the country road, there is no more air to breathe for either of you.

The only question that arises is the pecking order within the trio: Does the newcomer have to take it in or can she hand it out, iron an edge into the jacket of the established distillers? Can the Japanese four-cylinder succeed against the beefy triple of the Benelli and the powerful twin of the KTM? Does your concept work when you’re burning on the country road? At least visually, the Honda is part of the music. Far away from the tax advisor image of a CBF 1000 and the koala bear face of the Fireblade, it shows Streetfighter trains, albeit in a rather subdued manner. These are frightening when you wear properly parted hair under your helmet and with a submissive one “Kiss the hand, ladies” steps forward on the lips, not even at the 5 o’clock tea dance in the community center ?? nevertheless signal something like grim determination.

fire-free

How far it is with this one is clarified by the wonderful northern Black Forest with its angled, sometimes heavily scarred, curved roads. So helmet on and fire! Unobtrusively, at least from the pilot’s point of view, the three naked people leave the city. With their factory chassis settings, you can live well in cruiser mode and the urban jungle. Immediately after the problem-free cold start, the engines happily take on the gas and push the loads purposefully towards the city limits. Only that Benelli simply goes out three times during the test during longer traffic light phases or when waiting at an intersection. Honda and KTM such boorishments are alien; especially the CB 1000 R shows impeccable responsiveness. In general, this third modification of the 2007 Fireblade engine behaves really well. With a measured 123 PS on the clutch, it is between the old Blade (160 PS) and the CBF 1000 (101 PS), offers not only the smooth throttle response and low load changes, but also considerable torque for a four-cylinder. The very linear power development of the Honda quad is on the one hand easy to control, but on the other hand also a bit bland.

The pilot never has the feeling that the engine is furious in a certain speed range. Unfortunately, with increasing speed, the vibrations that are always present increase, become really sustainable and annoying over 7000 tours. However, these expressions of life are the only real evil in the drive chapter, because neither the transmission nor its gradation or operation, not even the clutch actuation or consumption give cause for complaint. The fact that the unspectacular increase in performance of the CB 1000 R should not be underestimated is shown by the torque values: from 50 to 150 km / h in the highest gear, the CB 1000 only needs 9 seconds and in this discipline is 1.8 seconds ahead of the KTM Competition is the 1131 cubic powerful Benelli triple. Acoustically, it is very down-to-earth, gets really loud from 6000 rpm and pushes like an ejector seat. In fact, it only takes 8.2 seconds from 50 to 150 km / h, hardly vibrates and takes on the gas very well. However, the threesome doesn’t feel as wild as it did before the Euro3 homologation, and it lacks this impetuous, grumpy tearing. Nevertheless, a newcomer on the Benelli will be breathless on the first ride, so the Italian goes to work so properly and sustainably.

Wheelbarrow


Comparison test Power-Nakeds


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Quaint, strong as a bear and with sporty genes, the Benelli is the tough guy in the combo.

Experienced pilots notice, despite the generally good throttle response, that the TnT implements the throttle command of the right hand with a slight delay below 4500 rpm. This symptom is particularly noticeable in the confusing test terrain, where the Benelli in second or, at most, third gear can also poke a lot of speed into blind corners: Shortly after the apex, the exit from the corner is just visible and the accelerator is fully opened takes a long time it takes noticeable milliseconds until the fat boost sets in. Not dramatically and disappeared over 4500 rpm, therefore negligible. On the other hand, the stiff coupling, which also has a too narrow grinding area, is definitely bad. So it often happens that when you brake hard and downshift at the same time in the gnarled gearbox, the rear wheel starts to stamp. The high engine braking torque of the three-wheeler could be counteracted here with a smoother clutch with a wider grinding area. In addition, a motorcycle like the TnT definitely has an adjustable clutch lever.

The 990 Supermoto shows how this works almost perfectly with the operating force, the grinding area and the gear actuation. The coolest and longest braking drifts are child’s play with the KTM. The gears slide together wonderfully smoothly, the multi-adjustable lever can be operated. In general, everything is playful with, on and on the supermoto: Fancy a wheelie? Open the tap and there it is. Stoppie in front of the ice cream parlor? Pulled the brake, jerked the weight forward, done. And this twin: nominally the weakling in the test field, and of course it lacks the brute acceleration of the TnT motor, but that doesn’t matter. Because the V2 runs smoother than the two in-line engines, revs up subjectively more agile, hangs almost aggressively directly on the gas and feels very elastic. The somewhat longer shift travel and the still acceptable, but most noticeable load change reactions in the test field, take a little getting used to. This also explains a little why the twin always flies at the front of the three-man formation in the black forest.

Orange stands for joie de vivre


Comparison test Power-Nakeds


Jahn

Lively, lively, lively. The 990 Supermoto is, if not the ultimate, fun bike.

Another piece of the puzzle for the alpha male position of the oranges is the chassis. Born as a supermoto, it offers the longest suspension travel in the triumvirate. At the front and rear, there is always around 80 millimeters more available than Benelli and Honda. And she uses this not only in the very soft basic setup, but also after the damping correction necessary for firing. It is perfectly fine that it never becomes a rock-hard iron. Finally, their spring elements compensate for any unevenness that can come under you on public roads. In addition, the KTM is a real delight even in the curvy muddle: Noticeably the most handy, it can be peppered from left to right and back without effort, tilts neutrally down to the lowest incline, lies full and precisely holds the imaginary line. It reports transparently about the ground and the grip, only the deep immersion when braking hard is a bit strange, but typical of Supermoto. The area of ​​application of the bone is unbeatable, because regardless of whether it is the roughest furrowed roads or asphalt pavements, with the 990 SM you are well dressed everywhere.

The Benelli shows that well-dressed is mostly, but not always, enough when things get down to business quickly on top-quality surfaces. Then it is a number of its own with its almost unbelievable precision, its crisp feedback and the rich driving experience. Almost like a racing roll, she serves the pilot with crystal-clear statements about the sensitivities under the wheels and the well-functioning Dunlop D 208 RR driven here. The TnT works a little more unwieldy than the KTM in an inclined position, but is neither confused by its 190 on a 6-inch rim, nor by other nasty things such as edges or waves. The difference between KTM and Benelli is extraordinarily remarkable; because each is a lot of fun in its own way. The KTM, however, is much more adaptable, as the basic setup of the Benelli failed: It is equipped with a lot of damping and soft springs on the fork and shock absorber. In the standard set-up, this means that the forks of normal weight pilots already locks up during normal braking maneuvers and this is indicated by a hard metallic noise.

Chassis and ergonomics

With a standard spring base, the shock absorber has only approx. 15 mm of travel (measured on the piston rod) under a 90-kilogram driver. This means that with every normal compression movement it already works well in the progression of the deflection and responds accordingly insensitively. In the case of more violent impacts, the shock absorber goes through fully and hits the end stop. This makes the TnT appear stubborn, very restless on undulating slopes and becomes unpredictable. The 1130 runs much better with the test setup: it is still sporty and taut, but using the given commute it now also mills on third-level roads without the pilot’s helmet lining soaking up sweat. The CB 1000 R and radicalism go together like the Pope and the missionary position. So it is hardly surprising that it has not become an ultra-tight heating iron. Their coordination is Japanese comfortable, but can be adjusted to the sporty and tight on the spring elements.

A stiffer spring would do the shock absorber well, especially with a pillion rider, but the adjustment ranges of the spring elements are generally sufficient. At 220 kilograms, the Honda is 2 kg lighter than the Benelli, but drives a little more unwieldy and turns around the corner more slowly. It reports less transparently about the road surface, and when exiting a curve it turns slightly wider than KTM and Benelli. The Honda never tries to convince its driver to drive faster than he is currently doing. She lacks this consistent stoker orientation, such as the Benelli brings with her, for example, but she’s pretty sporty for a naked woman from the Far East. Ergonomically, however, it throws the Honda world upside down: Normally, everything always fits on a Honda; on the CB 1000 R, the narrow knee angle is immediately noticeable.

Comfort


Comparison test Power-Nakeds


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Fun company: KTM laughs the loudest.

On the folding rule, the distance between the footrests and the bench surface is exactly the same as on the Benelli (460 mm), but the CB bench is thicker and much softer. So the pilot sinks in far, which makes the knee angle sharper. Not that the sitting position is uncomfortable, no; it is only noticeable that the developers wanted to give it a sporty touch. The king of comfort is the KTM anyway: high up with a great view you sit on it, sit at the perfect distance from the front wheel on the well-shaped tank and just have to get used to the handlebars that are a little too high. The Benelli is also well positioned in the area of ​​pilot accommodation: its wide handlebars, the firm but not too hard seat cushion and the sporty knee angle invite you to burn. There is a peaceful tie when it comes to braking. On the Benelli and KTM, the radially attached Brembo P4 calipers with individual pads ensure deceleration in keeping with their standing. When it comes to converting energy, the Honda relies on Tokico stoppers, which are also attached radially and which do an excellent job with two pads per pliers. The Honda is the only one in the test to be tormented by a violent pitching moment when braking in an inclined position. However, this is clearly due to the initial tires and has nothing to do with the brakes.

Technical specifications


Comparison test Power-Nakeds


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The new Honda is a step in the right naked bike direction. Performance, weight and design already fit into the Nackedei profession.

Conclusion and evaluation


Comparison test Power-Nakeds


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Gambling addiction: The KTM 990 Supermoto doesn’t get enough and lands in first place.

The most playful heating iron is the KTM 990 Supermoto, which has hardly any weaknesses and covers a very wide range of uses. 1st place for her. The Benelli TnT is a real motorbike with many strengths and few weaknesses. However, it still lacks a little polish and, above all, a better setup? it is ranked 2. The Honda CB 1000 R cannot compete against these tough opponents. The most consistent Japanese naked bike to date-
Approach is very fun, but not radical enough.

Set up

The settings relate to a 90 kg pilot and are counted from the completely closed damping or completely relaxed spring base.

Honda
CB 1000 R Benelli
TnT 1130 KTM
990 supermoto fork Pressure stage 0.25 turns open 1.5 turns open 6 clicks open Rebound 0.25 turns open 1.75 turns open 19 clicks open Spring base preloaded 5 turns Fully preloaded 5 turns preloaded Shock absorber Compression – 27 clicks open Low: 5 clicks open
High: 2.75 turns open Rebound 0.25 turns open 12 clicks open 15 clicks open Spring base 6 of 8 steps pre-tensioned 32 mm (upper edge of clamping nut to end of thread) 28 mm (upper edge of clamping nut to end of thread)
Set up

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