BMW R 1200 R, Honda CB 1000 R and MV Agusta Brutale 800 in a comparison test

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BMW R 1200 R, Honda CB 1000 R and MV Agusta Brutale 800 in a comparison test

Three types of engines, three concepts, one goal

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Three nakeds, three engine types, three concepts, one goal: leadership in the upper middle class. Spicy: There is a full eight years between the oldest and the newest of these three motorcycles. Who will win the group test? BMW R 1200 R, Honda CB 1000 R or MV Agusta Brutale 800?

M.Motors clearly form the heart of bikes and largely determine how strong they turn us on. Since the invention of these drives, the question of displacement and number of cylinders has always arisen. How much is enough And is there actually “too much”? Questions that do not allow objective answers. Rather, personal sympathies play a major role. Some contemporaries are happy with their little stew, others need a fat six-cupid.

BMW R 1200 R, Honda CB 1000 R and MV Agusta Brutale 800 in a comparison test

Three types of engines, three concepts, one goal

R 1200 R and Honda CB 1000 R. Which concept wins the race: two, three or four-cylinder?

BMW R 1200 R: Punch from displacement

This question leads us straight to the power of the three test subjects and first of all to the BMW R 1200 R. Your huge boxer with a monumental 1170 cubic meters sends a huge 125 Nm at 6500 rpm on its journey. This torque catapults the R 1200 R and its driver powerfully out of the corners. Big grin and firm grip on the handlebars, the BMW creates both! Despite the high weight of 240 kilos, it leaves its competitors, which are up to 41 kilos lighter, in a tight spot. The acceleration diagram in second gear on page 46 (calculated values) shows this superiority.

In addition to the punch of the engine, the graphic also takes into account the weight of the bike and rider as well as the overall gear ratio. This is exactly where the rabbit is in the pepper: the crafty Munichers translated the flat twin extremely briefly in the first two courses. This trick delivers tight accelerations at low speeds. The gradation to third gear is quite large, which means that the lines are very close together. From the fourth onwards, the BMW R 1200 R even had to admit defeat to the other two. In plain language: If the speed increases, the Honda CB 1000 R and MV Agusta Brutale 800 have advantages.

Arturo Rivas

Tea BMW R 1200 R sounds quite robust.

This is another reason why many sports drivers are not very euphoric about the BMW R 1200 R drive and also find it too heavy, too wide and too bulky. In addition, the load swings slightly to the left during throttle thrusts when the vehicle is stationary because of the reverse torque of the longitudinal crankshaft. In addition, the noticeable break, which the flat twin allows itself between 3500 rpm and 4800 rpm, underpins the reservations.

On the other hand, it is unbridled fun to step through the gears at full throttle and unusually low 2500 rpm with the wonderful automatic gearshift (optional). Then the boxer starts shaking strongly and hums wonderfully sonorous. The BMW R 1200 R also sounds quite pithy in other respects, and when overrun it spits cheekily out of its muffler thanks to specifically injected petrol droplets. Ultimately, the advantages and disadvantages of the drive are balanced and everyone decides for themselves: Love it or hate it!

MV Agusta Brutale 800: pure life

The situation is completely different with the MV Agusta Brutale 800. The triplet hits the nerve center. With the Euro 4 standard, it screams much more cautiously from the three tailpipes than before, and for the first time we are not surprised about the official approval. Nevertheless, the triple has hardly lost any of its entertainment value. This is mainly due to the angry, muffled suction noise with which he draws fresh oxygen through the airbox.

In addition, he hisses, growls and grinds as alive as ever. However, there are differences in the maximum output. With measured 110 PS and 79 Nm, the drive loses a whopping 13 PS and three Nm compared to its predecessor. The new MV Agusta Brutale 800 doesn’t turn up too greedily either, at 12,000 rpm it’s over. The "old" Brutale yodels exactly 1000 tours higher. To compensate for this, the Euro 4 engine punches more powerfully up to 8000 rpm and develops its power more evenly overall. But what does that mean in comparison to the BMW R 1200 R and the Honda CB 1000 R.?

Arturo Rivas

The triplet of the MV Agusta Brutale 800 hits the nerve center.

Because of its low weight of 199 kilos with a full tank and its short gear ratio, the MV Agusta Brutale 800 stays on at least the stronger Honda in the first two gears. As already mentioned, the trio is almost on by in third gear. In aisles four to six, the Italian pushes the most powerfully over long distances, which also gives her the best pulling power. Something has also changed in terms of throttle response with the 800. She still seems a bit nervous and sometimes fires impetuously even in the partial load range, which makes unicycle dance difficult – wheelie artists take note!

But it now accepts the gas very reasonably even in the hottest mode (sport). However, the fact that the MV Agusta Brutale 800 limits the power in normal mode to around 90 hp cannot convince us. Especially since "Rain" also reduces the power. The "Custom" mode is also strange, as its name suggests setting options, but does not offer any. On the other hand, the good thing is that the Brutale has an automatic gearshift with blipper function as standard, which enables clutch-free upshifts and downshifts. As a result, the gear pairs do not slip into each other by themselves, but the hooked switch box can be operated properly thanks to this feature.

Honda CB 1000 R: solid power

In direct comparison with the MV Agusta Brutale 800 and the BMW R 1200 R, the Honda CB 1000 R looks like a relic from days gone by. For example, power: tickling 125 hp from a four-cylinder with a thousand is no longer a heroic deed. This points to the tender age of the Honda: In its original form, it has been dashing across the prairie since 2008. In addition, their technical modifications have since kept within manageable limits. Nevertheless, the Japanese impressed with her performance. It pushes through the rev range with exemplary uniformity, serving its power calmly and confidently.

These properties make it calculable in the best sense of the word, the Honda CB 1000 R does not know the ups and downs of the BMW R 1200 R and the somewhat volatile behavior of the MV Agusta Brutale 800. In addition, its pleasantly short gearbox can be operated precisely and easily without a helper. In addition, it is ahead of the competition in terms of smoothness. Although the quadruplet sends the fine vibrations typical for this type of construction to the notches from medium engine speeds, the engine runs pleasantly cultivated overall.

Arturo Rivas

The Honda CB 1000 R serves its power calmly and confidently.

If, would and would not count as is well known. But better equipped (example: traction control) the Honda CB 1000 R would win the engine ranking. So in this category it lands in second place behind the BMW. A properly coordinated TC would also look good on the Brutale.

Unfortunately, the system is still very idiosyncratic, which costs valuable points. Ultimately, it is not because of Euro 4 that the MV Agusta Brutale 800 lags slightly behind in the engine section. But only a comparison next year can provide absolute clarity, when the new standard strikes all bikes.

Braking the BMW R 1200 R is a dream

Changes to standards, however, do not affect the chassis, so there are no excuses here. The BMW R 1200 R doesn’t even need that. A slight pull on the handlebars is enough and the Bavarian turns into corners in no time. It is always astonishing how the people of Munich hide the heavy weight of their boxer-powered machines. On the other hand, the inactive seating position with the low standard bench is less appealing. Tip: The higher version provides a remedy, which does not burden the wallet with a new purchase. This is not the case with the lavish equipment customarily found on BMW test machines. Almost the entire range is in the Munich-based company and drives its price from naked 12,950 euros to 16,500 euros, which causes tantrums.

Very few extras have a direct effect on cornering behavior. Even without expensive accessories, the BMW R 1200 R crashes with absolute precision, bomb-proof and without the need to set it up around the radii. The dynamic ESA, on the other hand, has an impact on the work of the chassis. The semi-active system offers various setting options for the basic damping setup and automatically adapts to the driving situation. Basically it works great. Only the shock absorber shows minimal weaknesses, which is much less sensitive than the fine fork in the event of the coarsest distortions. The brakes are a dream: crisp pressure point, firm bite, best controllability. The ABS also works brilliantly. The system enables incredibly short braking distances without the risk of a rollover.

MV Agusta Brutale 800 in the corner frenzy

Tea BMW R 1200 R also raises the hurdles with the chassis. Too high for the competition? To anticipate: yes! Take MV Agusta Brutale 800, for example. The Italian hunts much more unstably over wrinkled asphalt and sometimes twitches her handlebars nervously on this track. The insensitive shock absorber, which is very tightly damped in the compression stage, is likely to play a major role. In addition, her stern breaks sideways when heavily anchored – great for professional braking drifters, takes some getting used to for normal people. And ultimately the ABS regulates a bit early when fully attacked, but still allows the forward somersault.

Enough grumbling! Apart from these weaknesses, the Brutale delivers pure driving pleasure. Would you like some examples? Greedy for curves like no other, the MV Agusta Brutale 800 sticks into the angular work and arrows ultra-stable and laser-accurate through the arches – clearly super sporty features. In this discipline, even the BMW R 1200 R shows a long nose. The same applies to the crystal-clear feedback. The MV pilot can feel exactly what’s going on below him. In addition, the Brutale offers the most active riding position with the smallest distance between handlebar and seat height. The pilot sits far ahead and grabs the super-wide handlebar like a bull by the horns. The firm seat pad is also sporty and crisp, and the narrow tank enables a pleasantly tight knee. These properties are world class and easily iron out the shortcomings.

Honda CB 1000 R remains confident and casual

And the Honda CB 1000 R? She remains true to herself and offers something very solid in this chapter as well – typical for her claim as everybody’s darling. Example seating position: the ergonomic triangle made up of bench, handlebars and rests forms a first-class mid-point between sport and comfort. Only the wide tank spreads the pilot’s legs a bit wide. The technicians showed a fine hand with the spring balance. The fork and monoshock work absolutely synchronously, and apart from the worst of the edges, the spring elements level even second-class terrain very confidently. There are slight reductions in handling. When swinging around corners, the CB needs a clear steering impulse and additional pressure on the thighs. In addition, it stands up noticeably when braking in an inclined position and only offers average feedback.

Tire thing? Very likely, because the Honda rolls on greyed-out Bridgestone BT 015 in special specification "L". Modern soles are guaranteed to give the CB sharper driving characteristics. Of course, this doesn’t do anything for the braking performance. Your anchors require a lot of hand strength for sporty burning and only slow down on average. In addition, the driver cannot control the front and rear brake distribution himself because of the combined braking system: if he steps on the pedal, the Honda CB 1000 R automatically decelerates at the front. In addition, the rear wheel tends to rattle due to the lack of an anti-hopping clutch when braking. On the other hand, the ABS is great. The system regulates wonderfully late and shines with fine intervals.

Motor determines the experience factor of a bike

As mentioned at the beginning, the engine largely determines the experience factor of a bike. In most cases, personal preferences count far more than sober point evaluations. Regardless of how you feel about boxer engines, the fact is: BMW did an excellent job with the test winner BMW R 1200 R – Hat!

Technical specifications

Arturo Rivas

Three nakeds, three engine types, three concepts, one goal: leadership in the upper middle class. Spicy: There are a whopping eight years between the oldest and youngest bike.

Here you can see an extract of the technical data. If you would like the complete measurement values ​​determined by us, including all consumption, torque and acceleration values, you can buy the article as a PDF for download.

Test result

Arturo Rivas

Tea BMW R 1200 R is hardly a bare and wins the comparison test.

1st place – BMW R 1200 R (total number of points: 196 of 250 points):

The Bavarians did it again: clear victory on points in the three chapters drive, chassis and everyday life. The BMW R 1200 R hardly shows any nakedness, and even in the subjective category of driving pleasure it breaks dams. BMW haters and subscribers, take note: just take a test drive!

2nd place – MV Agusta Brutale 800 (total number of points: 174 of 250 points):

The straight-line curve sharpener lands in second place. Handling, precision, cornering stability and feedback are the finest and form a perfect basis for the road glow. On the engine side, the MV also won, although there is still room for improvement when it comes to tuning the electronics.

3rd place – Honda CB 1000 R (total number of points: 172 of 250 points):

The Japanese must let the two competitors go. Particularly bitter: The distance to the BMW R 1200 R, which is at least partly due to the poor equipment, keyword driving aids. The Honda CB 1000 R is characterized by its wonderful balance and problem-free handling. It is also significantly cheaper than the competition’s machines.

If you want the complete rating table, you can purchase the article as a PDF download.

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