Comparative test of mid-range naked bikes

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Comparative test of mid-range naked bikes

Hornet versus Street Triple R

User-friendly dimensions, striking optics, three-digit horsepower numbers and four-digit price ?? Mid-range naked bikes are very attractive. Honda and Triumph put the icing on the cake in this league: with the redesigned Hornet and the Street Triple R..

"Oh, very nice", Sophia uses her best English with a pointed mouth. No doubt, the Honda Hornet and Triumph Street Triple R certainly deserve the compliment. In reality, the young owner of a street cafe in the south of France wanted to convince her inside out that it was right, "yes" accept. Understandable doubts when two total strangers suggest a motorcycle jaunt after a cafe crème. For a German magazine, motorcycle test, social rating and in general, your opinion as the voice of the people. Sounded pretty exotic. And if photographer Jorg hadn’t clearly underscored the purity of the intention with thick telephoto lenses? it would never have come to that. Go hopp, Sophia swings into the passenger seat of Street Triple R. Gang in, towards the exit of the town. A year ago, the 20-year-old went into business for herself and since then has rarely been out on the Yamaha R1 with her friend Cedric. After all, she still has a leather jacket and open face helmet. She doesn’t need any more on the Yamaha, she says. Sure, typically France.

Comparative test of mid-range naked bikes

Hornet versus Street Triple R

Street Triple (33rd place in the registration statistics 2008) rolled off the yard of Triumph dealers in Germany last year. Almost as many to the point as Honda brought from the Hornets to motorcycling people (31st place). Refreshing, even if one has to admit that the sensible relatives such as the Honda CBF 600 S (2nd place), Yamaha FZ6 Fazer (5th place) or Kawasaki ER-6 (8th place) clearly show their sports friends in terms of popularity in real life Rank expires.

Seating comfort and equipment

Artist

Despite high footrests and little space on the seat hump, the pillion passenger likes to ride with you.

Sophia won’t be interested in that either. She grins all over her face, holds her thumb up. Top seating comfort? For someone who doesn’t know anything but an R1, obviously yes. For the less well-tempered, the role of copilot on the triple is more of a temporary solution. High footrests and thin upholstery torment, a handle is only available as an accessory (145 euros). Stop briefly. Partner swap. Sophia jumps energetically on the Honda. Two fingers signal a victory sign. Ouch, everything is relative. Although the Hornet is at least better off than the Triple. And two retaining brackets are standard. Topic checked. Nobody demands comprehensive social compatibility from little naked people. What if Sophia likes it? off for it. Betting, even spoiled by 180 R1-PS, she would trust the Street Triple with the 1050 cubic centimeter displacement of her big sister, the Speed ​​Triple, on the blind date. Because the 675 engine doesn’t want to know anything about the class-standard shallow step out of the low rev range. From 3000 revs the engine grabs, re-fuses at 5000 rpm, then cheers casually up to over 12000 rpm and also intones this gala performance with the typically aggressive and refreshing three-cylinder sound.

Uff, full broadside. What is left of the competition? First of all, with 600 cm³, almost 13 percent less displacement, on top of that divided into four smaller units. That means revving rather than draft. From the paper form, the in-line four holds up well, with a measured 101 hp peak performance, despite the aforementioned displacement disadvantage, only seven percent less than the 109 hp Triumph, has to let the Triumph go in the acceleration phase only from 140 km / h and country tribute in the pull the long chosen translation as a lack of power tribute. And yet: below 5000 rpm, you can only roll calmly on the country road. For safe overtaking or the seamless connection in the winding curve, the clock must have at least 7000 rpm. Then the tamed supersport engine finds its roots, turning with cheeky ease to well over 13,000 rpm.

Nevertheless, especially here in the very own naked bike terrain, the small country lanes winding around the rugged rock massif, the Honda demands precaution, wants to be downshifted by two gears before the bends, while a single gear change is usually enough for the Triumph . And Sophia? Remains completely unimpressed even by the increased pace. Still, thank you mademoiselle, see you later. Jorg brings her back to the cafe. By car. Time for a quick look at the machines. In the aggressively priced middle class, you have to calculate sharply. The rear wheel cover or the front spoiler cost a second look, on the Triumph even the pillion handle and the tool kit (52 euros). Apart from that, however, the triple is clearly more valuable. Cranked tire valves, milled axle blocks, aluminum handlebars, filigree brake and gear levers made of aluminum give the ?? R ?? a noble touch and are pleasantly different from the plain sheet metal chain tensioner as well as handlebars, brake and gear levers made of chrome-plated steel on the Hornet. Mind you, not a question of function, but the eye goes with it. With bare motorcycles anyway.

From naked bikes to fun bikes

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Excellent revving in a double pack: Honda Hornet versus Triumph Street Triple R..

Go on. Especially now? in solo operation ?? notice what makes a naked bike a fun bike. Both machines put their trainer together, comfortably and clearly oriented towards the front wheel, and with full feedback they can be bent effortlessly around any radius. Neutral the Hornet, more resolute the Triumph. Logically, with a steeper steering head, shorter wheelbase and ?? with a full tank of 190 kilograms ?? a remarkable 18 pounds less weight on the ribs. In addition, the triple harmonizes with the often criticized Dunlop qualifier tires. The much tighter suspension setup did both of them good. No pumping through when accelerating, no rocking in alternating curves, and all that with still reasonable comfort. A successful compromise. And if you are looking for personal fine-tuning, you will definitely find a hit with the wide damping setting ranges. Worth mentioning: The Honda can be fixed with a hook wrench (in the vehicle tool kit), the Triumph lacks both the hook wrench and the simple adjustability. And while we’re at the screw: To check the oil level, the dipstick on the Triumph has to be laboriously unscrewed; on the Honda, a glance at the sight glass is enough.

Back with the thoughts. The next bend is approaching threateningly fast. Breeemsen! Not an issue at Triumph. It couldn’t be more sensitive, and it couldn’t be more effortless. One finger on the lever is enough for a brute anchor. Above all, the transparent feedback distinguishes the four-piston fixed caliper system of the ?? R ?? from the two-piston floating caliper edition of the basic triple. And, oh yes, the annoying topic again: There is no ABS. Goal at Hornet. Designed as a combination brake, in which the foot brake also acts on a piston of each of the front brake calipers, and designed with late control, the Honda stoppers do a great job ?? do not come close to the said feedback from the Triumph system. The Triumph’s warning lamp interrupts the intoxication. Refueling. Around five liters on the country road are okay, the differences become clearer on the motorway. The three-cylinder is content with just under six liters, the Honda sucks in almost one liter more. Only two more times around the corner and we’re back in front of Sophia’s cafe. The coffee machine rattles obtrusively, the counter is full. "Merci", she exclaims over the guests’ heads with her mouth pointed, holding her thumb up again. On leaving we discover an open phone book. The section ?? motorcycles ?? ?? Motorcycles ?? is open. Cedric will hate us.

Technical data: Honda Hornet 600

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Technical data: Triumph Street Triple R

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MOTORCYCLE test result

triumph

Triumphant: Street Triple R.

1st place: Triumph Street Triple R
What the world has been waiting for. Nimble chassis, great workmanship and above all this terrific engine. The 675-R has what it takes to become a naked bike classic.

2nd place: Honda Hornet
The Hornet has great running smoothness, pronounced ease of turning, great chassis and sharp optics? but the Street Triple as competition. Not an easy fate.

How to scoring

engine
If the triumph of a rating leaves the mark, it is this one. Brilliant pulling power and formidable response of the three-cylinder clearly put the four-cylinder engine of the Honda in the shade. On top of that, the Honda is a bit too long. Only the slightly more bony gears on the Street Triple compared to the smoother Honda gearbox let the Japanese go ahead.

Winner engine: triumph

landing gear
Another victory for the Triumph concept. The 18 kg lower weight and the more radical chassis design (steeper steering angle, shorter wheelbase) are the reasons for the agile handling. The lean angle, limited only by the tires, does the rest. On the plus side of the Honda, only the more neutral driving behavior with a pillion passenger and the slightly better straight-line stability remain.

Chassis winner: triumph

everyday life
It remains to be seen whether pillion ergonomics and light are the primary virtues of naked bikes. With this and its larger tank (Honda: 19 liters, Triumph: 17.4 liters), the Hornet decides the everyday rating. However: Both fun vehicles are only marginally interested in mundane life. 600 all-rounders such as the Honda CBF 600 get significantly more points in this category with 161 points.

Winner everyday life: Honda

security
ABS does it. Without an anti-lock device, triumph has no chance. Quite understandable. Even if the radial brake system of the Speed ​​Triple hardly has to shy away from an opponent in terms of effectiveness and controllability.

Safety winner: Honda

costs
The low consumption of the Honda is canceled out by the higher inspection costs (6000 km intervals).

Winner Cost: Triumph

Price-performance winner: Honda
Typically middle class: a lot of motorcycle for the money? with a slight advantage for the Honda, which is much cheaper in an adjusted comparison.

MOTORCYCLE measurements

Artist

Tough competition: The Hornet has to be content with second place.

The Triumph makes full use of its increased displacement and the advantages of the three-cylinder concept. The small differences in the driving performance do not reflect the impressions in practice sufficiently. More meaningful: the significantly more potent torque curve of the Triumph.

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