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Compare Cafe Racer, Buell XB12R Firebolt, Moto Guzzi V 11 Le Mans, Voxan Cafe Racer

Cafe, curves and character

With the idiosyncratic two-cylinder Buell Firebolt XB12R, Moto Guzzi V11 Le Mans and Voxan Cafe Racer between strolling and racing.

Those were pretty wild times back in the fifties, when the machines were called Black Shadow or Red Hunter. Speed ​​limit and helmet requirements did not yet exist, either
super athletes, sports tourers or naked bikes were unknown. The very fast troop inevitably had to tinker, stub handlebars, hump seats or half panels did not exist in series. With such a refined Norton, Triumph or Velocette, people did not go to the street cafes that were popular in England at the time for the show, they were rather the start and finish of extremely daring races. The Cafe Racer was born, the ancestor of the
current generation of athletes. The drivers were considered heroes, very daring types. Not to be compared with many today’s biker, who focuses on the show in front of the ice cream parlor instead of drifting heartily around the corner.
Instead of the original English locations, we prefer the sunny south of France on our trip on the trail of past sportiness. And what the wild stokers used to drill on the country road is now only possible on closed-off terrain. The modern descendants of the cafe racers have to prove their sporting qualities on the Ledenon race track. But first to the relaxed warm-up. The destination of the day trip: Mont Ventoux, a 2000 meter high, mystical mountain above the Rhône valley near Orange, over its stony peaks-
felkuppe a little road ?? and the Tour de France ?? leads. Great weather, no traffic, fantastic roads ?? It must have been something similar in the heyday of the cafe racers.
With a dizzying sequence of tricky alternating curves, the asphalt strip winds its way up the mountain from Bedoin like a synthetic ice channel. Norbert, the proud owner of a Moto Guzzi Le Mans in the mid-1980s, leads the trio on its modern offshoot, the V11 Le Mans. His oldie would have braced himself with all his might against such a slalom dance, he prefers the wide, sweeping arc. The V11, however, almost drives
like a carving ski, much livelier, more agile. The suspension of the classic was already decent, that of the current Guzzi is even better and absorbs
tight basic design even bad messing about without hesitation.
The typical Guzzi character did not fall victim to progress. For example the creaking starter, this shaking around the longitudinal axis, the ticking valve train, the long shift travel and the gimbal reactions that are still noticeable despite the torque support ?? all of this defied technical developments. Norbert, however, mourns the hard beat of earlier times when the motorcycles were uninhibited
were allowed to breathe, sipped air through the open funnels of the Dellortos, Lafranconis shot the exhaust fumes into the open.
After all, with around 90 hp, the Guzzi V11 Le Mans has opened up performance areas that could previously only be achieved with complex tuning and a correspondingly shortened life expectancy. And here, on third-order country roads in the south of France, nobody needs any more.
The Voxan has to forego the long tradition that literally resonates with the Guzzi on every meter.
For this, the Cafe Racer can compete on home ground. As if the home advantage gave her wings, he sprints
V-Zwo through the quickly marked curves up the Mont Ventoux, accurate, rock solid, stable. No question about that
Voxan is a really modern engine-
rad, which compares with the current-
len sports tourer establishment does not have to shy away. In the narrow serpentines shortly before the summit, however, MOTORRAD tester Karsten is disturbed by the crouched seating position, so an energetic hand is required here. The Cafe Racer will
True to its name, it represents the sportiest approach of this trio: deep stumps, the seat a respectable distance behind, high footrests. With the suspension, on the other hand, there can be no question of sporty hardness. Especially the
soft fork brings plenty of life to the chassis. But after all, some individual tuning is not prohibited today either.
For friends of classic mechanical engineering, the Voxan is an aesthetic delight, the engine is open-hearted without any glare. The feeling is also right. The irregular, always palpable pulse of the V-twin cylinder, a great sound, that turns on. Especially since the engine, which is well positioned in the forage with around 100 HP, does not shy away from speeds of over 9000 rpm, it can really be spurred on. An all-round pleasing motorcycle without any noticeable corners and edges.
What to get from a B.uell can not say now. The Harley derivatives were very special, often bizarre creations far from the mainstream from the start. As an old Buell driver, I am allowed to drive the XB12R towards the summit of the Ventoux. Incredible: the sporty subsidiary now conjures up a good 100 hp from the twin bumper. The Firebolt thunders up the mountain with a sonorous bass, whereas the cafe racers of earlier days were lame pickles. Finally, the long-stroke 12-series engine offers the full thrust on the ground floor of the rev range that many Buell fans do with the short-stroke
9s missed. Which is why they put this on K&N-Filter, Vance&Retrofitted Hines roaring tube and short translation. The XB12R shakes this pressure completely in accordance with the law in series trim. It’s just a shame that it ends pretty suddenly at 6500 rpm.
The Buell drive is so dominant that it gets the extroverted high-
tech chassis is pushing into a supporting role.
Whereby it borders on a miracle how passably the exotic chassis with such a radical geometry works. Admittedly, we had changed our Firebolt tires from D 207 to D 208, which significantly improved the steering behavior. But even with that, Buell continues to drive
Work, nothing works by itself.
Day two, the situation gets serious. in the
public training in Ledenon, where the racer qualities are to be explored, the trio meets a motley crowd
of opponents: professional racers, superbike amateurs with a battered station wagon, swashbuckling supermoto drifters, gentlemen’s drivers on noble Ducatis, in between a shabby CB 500. The sparkling one
The place on the narrow mountain-and-valley slope is the Triple Gauche, the triple left at the exit of the long start straight, where all the spectators are. Probably the many secluded, tightening bends also have their charms. In the Triple Gauche, however, there is another key stimulus: speed. You accelerate on the long straight over a hilltop, only registering the first left turn shortly before. Fully into the iron, brake gently or roll into it easily?
I had bet that this part would go full throttle. Not even close. The Voxan and the Buell have a good 190 on the clock, so you have to
Throw anchor. With the Guzzi he forces
Norbert’s side stand that touches down badly in left turns even earlier as a precaution. In general, the Italian feels less at home here. The chassis and brakes work perfectly, but the engine is tormented. The valves rattle and beg for mercy, there is a lack of liveliness and power. Racing is not a Le Mans business.
The Buell is not a super athlete either. At least you can drive it really diagonally, and it offers soft on this winding route with her
gripping engine a very special thrill. The huge single-disc brake does not give much feedback, but the turn-in phase and line selection become a man versus machine battle? the latter usually wins ??, and the sorting of the aisles only succeeds with great emphasis. But all of this is forgotten at the apex of the curve. Then when end-
Lich the two-cylinder come into play
may, if it starts operating as smooth as silk, free of load change reactions, finally pushes the Firebolt out of the corner with a unique thrust. Sometimes it scares me when the front wheel comes back into contact with the ground and the handlebars twitch briefly when changing gears. With this torque, many a brisk amateur can be on his
Keeping Japan four-cylinder in check.
Viewed soberly, the Voxan does best on the slopes. With it, the line sits right away, the drive convinces with a wide usable belt, powerful center and easy turning, the freedom of inclination is almost unlimited. And it’s easy to control. Only a certain instability on the brakes because of the soft fork can be accused of, so Karsten has to leave a few tenths here and there.
Although the cafe racer with something
Commitment to being able to brave the competition in this field
they do not belong to real racing machines. The specialists are clear to them
superior. But who is for one of the
three decides, follows the voice of the heart more than reason. And you can philosophize about this special charm over a cup of coffee.

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Compare Cafe Racer

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Cafe, curves and character

Technical data: BUELL Firebolt XB12R

Engine: air-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke 45 degree V engine, bore x stroke 88.9 x 96.8 mm, stroke-
space 1202 cm3, four camshafts at the bottom, two valves per cylinder, 74.6 kW (101 HP) at 6600 rpm, 110 Nm at 6000 rpm, intake manifold injection, Ø 49 mm. Chassis: Bridge frame made of aluminum profiles, upside-down fork, Ø 41 mm, central spring strut, spring travel f / h 120/127 mm, internal disc brake at the front, Ø 375 mm, disc brake at the rear, Ø 240 mm. Tires 120/70 ZR 17 front, 180/55 ZR 17 rear. Measured values: Weight with a full tank * 209 kg, tank capacity 14 liters.
0 to 100 km / h * 3.9 seconds, top speed 217 km / h. Price: 11499 euros.

Technical data: VOXAN Cafe Racer

Engine: water-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke 72-degree V-engine, bore x stroke 98.0 x 66.0 mm, stroke-
space 996 cm3, two overhead camwells each-
len, four valves per cylinder, 72 kW (98 hp) at 9000 rpm, 110 Nm at 6500 rpm, intake manifold injection, Ø 41 mm. Chassis: bridge frame made of steel, upside-down fork, Ø 41 mm, horizontal central spring-
leg with lever deflection, spring travel f / r 120/120 mm, double disc brake at the front, Ø 320 mm, disc brake at the rear, Ø 245 mm, tires 120/70 ZR 17 at the front, 180/55 ZR 17 at the rear. Measured values: Weight with a full tank * 223 kg, tank capacity 18.5 liters. 0 to 100 km / h * 3.4 seconds, top speed 247 km / h. Price: 12299 euros.

Technical data: MOTO GUZZI V11 LE MANS

Engine: air-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke 90-degree V-engine, crankshaft lying lengthways, bore x stroke 92.0 x 80.0 mm, displacement 1064 cm3, one camshaft located below, two valves per
Cylinder, 67 kW (91 hp) at 7800 rpm, 94 Nm at 6000 rpm, intake manifold injection, Ø 45 mm. Chassis: central tubular steel frame, upside-down fork, Ø 43 mm, central spring strut, spring travel f / h 120/128 mm, double disc brake at the front, Ø 320 mm, disc brake at the rear, Ø 282 mm,
Tires 120/70 ZR 17 front, 180/55 ZR 17 rear. Measured values: Weight with a full tank * 247 kg, tank capacity 20.7 liters. 0 to 100 km / h * 3.9 seconds, top speed 220 km / h. Price: 12180 euros.

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