Comparison test Aprilia Pegaso 650 Strada, Derbi Mulhacen 659, Yamaha MT-03

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Comparison test Aprilia Pegaso 650 Strada, Derbi Mulhacen 659, Yamaha MT-03

Discover the possibilities

One single cylinder, three completely different motorcycles. All of them are of delightful shape, equipped with Yamaha’s XT single. Their repertoire ranges from the serious companion through everyday life to the fun mobile for the little getaways.

He’s an incredibly tough guy. Despite all performance and high-tech striving, it has found its niche to this day so as not to disappear from the scene. We’re talking about a single cylinder. Except for a short wedding in the mid-eighties, when the SR 500, SRX-6 and XBR 500 were a cult alternative to the four-cylinder monotony in the middle class, it was never really in the limelight. But as a compact, lightweight drive for off-roaders and supermotos, it was always the first choice. Because, as is well known, driving pleasure does not primarily depend on top performance.

Thankfully, the Yamaha sees it the same way, continues to keep the XT-Single going and keeping it up to date. And so well that both Aprilia and D.erbi build their own idea of ​​the single-cylinder around the XT stew in the form of the Pegaso 650 Strada and Mulhacen 659.

Fun bike, street sweeper, scrambler. As different as the three concepts, as great as the fun they provide. Sure, they are not suitable as long-distance travel steamer. Doing the obligatory stage to the office in style in the morning and enjoying the tumult of curves in the evening or on the weekend, that is her purpose. Romp on delightfully winding streets where curve after curve lined up, such as in the Vosges or the southern Black Forest. Single cylinder country.

All three arm themselves for this terrain with relaxed, relaxed sitting positions. Because it’s best to shoot upright. But that’s it with similarities. Because while the Aprilia offers its rider the highest place to work, thanks to deep pegs, a relaxed knee angle and a fluffy seat, combined with a handlebar that is a little too low, the Yamaha moves its rider very close to the steering head. Bed him on an extremely tightly padded bench and press a handlebar into his hand like a sword. Almost like Streetfighter. Only the short, narrow tank spreads its legs unduly wide. The Derbi offers the best arrangement. Sloppy knee angle, the notches not too high, the golden anodized, conical handlebar casually at hand ?? that fits. Just like the ultra-slim tank for perfect knee closure. Only the narrow, spartan hard bench could stand in the way of longer stages.

Comparison test Aprilia Pegaso 650 Strada, Derbi Mulhacen 659, Yamaha MT-03

Discover the possibilities

Derbi Mulhacen

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Derbi mulhacen 659

The Derbi in general. Turn your viewer’s head with the charming contrast of bright white and red and gold splashes of color, and let the heads of passers-by fly around every time you pass through town. Even steals the show from the extravagant MT-03.

The Mulhacen is rightly enjoying the attention. Because it also cuts a fine figure outside of the city. Even though the scrambler-typical raised exhaust and the coarsely profiled Pirellis associate leisurely motorcycle hiking: The Derbi feels right at home on fast, curved country roads. First-class gripping, finely adjustable brakes, the relaxed sitting position, you have the load easily under control and thread your way through all kinds of curve sequences without being hyper-agile.

The stable chassis shines with excellent neutrality. No doubt the Spaniards have their first ?? so far Derbi only had 50s and 125s in its tidy ?? given a really well-tuned frame. Regardless of whether it is a quick, well-leveled route or a wavy, worn-out path: No standing up, no rocking will distract the finely balanced Derbi from her path. And it also offers good feedback from the road. The coordination of their spring elements is more on the pleasantly taut side, especially at the rear, but avoids unnecessary hardness.

Yamaha MT-03

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Yamaha MT-03

In contrast to the strut of the MT-03. The Sachs damper, which can only be adjusted in the spring base, tortures the extended back badly on mogul slopes. The fork, on the other hand, is designed to be quite soft. What the balance suffers in a sporty pace and what constantly ensures a noticeable position in undulating curves. And although they are the only ones equipped with a double disc brake, their stoppers require a firm grip for proper deceleration. Otherwise there is not much to complain about, the Yamaha presents itself as a pure fun vehicle.

On a level surface, it pulls its course like clockwork, zigzags in an inclined position if necessary, looks crisp and direct. An impression that is reinforced by the strongly forward-facing seating position. This liveliness is perfectly complemented by the lively single cylinder hanging on the gas. The amazing thing: Although the engine is the same, each motorcycle has a completely unique character thanks to the individual tuning.

In the MT-03, the single shines with a crisp acceleration from just over 2500 rpm. He drums his way up out of the rev basement. He easily shakes short intermediate sprints from his sleeve and delivers the punch from below that one expects from a robust single-cylinder. He just runs out of breath at higher altitudes. Whereby the MT-03 pays for its pulling power and acceleration with the shortest gear ratio in the field. So it turns at 100 km / h 300 rpm higher than the other two. However, without the usual negative side effects of consumption. On the contrary: With a tame 4.5 liters of super, she sips the most economical juice anywhere in the country. What speaks for a successful vote.

Aprilia pegaso

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Aprilia Pegaso 650 Strada

Unlike the MT-03, the Aprilia makes its strong appearance in the second half of the rev range. Full acceleration at the lowest speeds is not part of their repertoire. On the other hand, there is a lot of revving. The Pegaso only comes to life from 4000 rpm and then whizzes up the speed ladder in no time at all to the limit at 7100 rpm. In the Pegaso, the single-cylinder delivers a stately 48 hp, which also gives it the best acceleration values.

It is a lot of fun to keep your single above 4000 rpm and enjoy one curve after the other. A combination of curves cannot be so tricky that the Aprilia cannot twirl through it in no time at all. Although it steers a bit less agile than the Yamaha, its deep lean angles are easier and with consistently low effort. Tripping hazards in the asphalt have little chance of causing unrest. The softly coordinated spring elements not only provide proper comfort, but also largely iron out the omissions of the road builders. The soft set-up dilutes the otherwise good stability when sharpening corners. With jagged lean changes or brisk pace in long, bumpy curves, accuracy and the feedback from the road suffer. Tea fork in particular, like the others not adjustable, would do well to tighten the damping a little.

Conclusion

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They all offer plenty of driving fun.

In the Aprilia the single cylinder shines with a lot of revving and top performance, in the Yamaha with a powerful acceleration from below ?? and the Derbi? Can’t maintain this level. So successful is the tuning of the chassis, but the engine looks a bit tired. Even if its performance curve ultimately culminates in 45 hp, the way there is arduous. A look at the diagram shows why. Between 3000 and 5000 rpm there is a deep dip in the torque curve, the horsepower yield remains significantly behind the other two. Possibly complicate the single exhaust ?? Aprilia and Yamaha have a ?? for each of the two exhaust ports. and the long airbox that draws in fresh air under the pillion seat, allowing the single to inhale and exhale.

In any case, the Derbi is noticeably harder to march through the rev range than the Aprilia and the Yamaha, but that’s not a broken leg. Because just like its competitors, the Derbi shows that you are well dressed with a cylinder up to high country road speeds. The performance is completely sufficient and the fun is by no means neglected. Rather, the Derbi encourages a calm, relaxed pace, which in any case fits best with her fine character. The speed should not drop too far. Because below 3000 rpm her single hacks hard on the chain. The Aprilia is also not a model boy in this regard and only takes on the gas with a little delay under this brand.

The single cylinder behaves best in the Yamaha. Although he also affords one or the other little swallower at low speeds, his use of power is best measured. In addition, its vibrations are most effectively dampened. And: It delivers the most impressive sound in the MT-03. Rich, guttural punch when accelerating. And in overrun mode, the two tailpipes occasionally escape hearty barking misfires. So even the ears get their money’s worth with the little shooters.

Technical data Aprilia Pegaso 650 Strada

engine
Water-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke engine, an overhead, chain-driven camshaft, four valves, rocker arm, dry sump lubrication, injection, Ø 44 mm, uncontrolled catalytic converter with secondary air system, alternator 290 W, battery 12 V / 14 Ah, mechanically operated multi-plate oil bath clutch, five-speed gearbox, O Ring chain.

Bore x stroke 100.0 x 84.0 mm

Cubic capacity 660 cm3

Compression ratio 10.0: 1

Rated output 35.0 kW (48 hp) at 6250 rpm

Max. Torque 61 Nm at 5200 rpm
Pollutant values ​​(homologation) in g / km
Euro 2 CO 2.152 / HC 0.113 / NOx 0.069

landing gear
Double loop frame made of steel, telescopic fork, Ø 45 mm, two-arm swing arm made of steel, central spring strut with lever system, adjustable spring base and rebound damping, front disc brake, Ø 320 mm, four-piston fixed caliper , rear disc brake, Ø 240 mm, two-piston fixed caliper.

Spoked wheels with aluminum rims
3.50 x 17; 4.50 x 17
Tires 110/70 ZR 17; 160/60 ZR 17
Pirelli Scorpion Sync tires tested
mass and weight
Wheelbase 1479 mm, steering head angle 63.0 degrees, caster 103 mm, spring travel f / h 140 /
130 mm, seat height * 800 mm, full weight-
fueled * 195 kg, payload * 206 kg, tank-
content / reserve 16.0 / 3.5 liters.

Two year guarantee

Service intervals every 7500 km

Colors gray, orange

Power variant 25 kW (34 PS)

Price including additional costs 6,949 euros

Performance chart

What the performance curves show can also be felt in practice in the saddle of the three: While the powerful Yamaha is liveliest in the first half of the engine speed range and starts off at 2500 rpm, the high-revving Aprilia only outperforms the two from a good 4000 rpm other. The Derbi is not lacking in pure Excellency. But power and torque lag far behind practically over the entire speed tidy relevant in everyday life. Frequent shifting is therefore essential for brisk progress.

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