Comparison test Aprilia SL 1000 Falco, Ducati ST 4S, Honda VTR 1000 F, Voxan Cafe Racer

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Comparison test Aprilia SL 1000 Falco, Ducati ST 4S, Honda VTR 1000 F, Voxan Cafe Racer

Sympathy hunter

Dull, but subtle rumble of thunder, full acceleration from the lower rev range, that’s what makes a two-cylinder. It’s nice to have a new one: Hello, Voxan Cafe Racer.

Deep red wine, the finest cheese, crispy baguette, fine wines and culinary delights, the French understand each other. But on motorcycles? Well, they are crazy about motorcycles, the inventors of endurance racing. But they haven’t had their own brand for decades. A disgrace to the proud Gauls. It has been a long time since Motobecane or BFG tried unsuccessfully in the motorcycle business.
And now the bright spot: Voxan. A small group of resourceful French dares to make a new beginning, provides sparkling clean, independent motorcycles with ?? that’s how it should be? French V2 drive on the wheels, whose youngest offspring, called Cafe Racer, was able to convince in all disciplines in the MOTORRAD top test (issue 12/2001). Which is why Voxan has to face an illustrious field of the V2 establishment for the purpose of further determination of its position. The Aprilia SL 1000 Falco, for example, whose star rose in the sports touring sky less than two years ago. Like the Voxan with its own distinctive, unmistakable design, this Falco. And a stable and rough heart, the well-known 60-degree V2 that Rotax builds for the Italians. Also part of the party: the for the time being the last and hottest expansion stage of Ducati’s sports tourer series, the ST 4S with the revised V2 of the 996. And last but not least, the Honda VTR 1000 F. Yes, there is still one. The Japanese twin has become a little quieter, almost forgetting the euphoria at the end of 1996, when the VTR 1000 F and Suzuki TL 1000 S were celebrated as beneficial competition for the European twins. The TL has long been in the company museum, probably a bit out of the way, the VTR completed a famous long-distance test over 50,000 kilometers and then modestly stepped back from the glaring limelight. She was probably almost embarrassed that in the wake of the Superbike World Championship success her strong sister VTR 1000 SP-1 was again showing more interest. It’s good that the technicians have put their hands on the current model and eliminated fundamental points of criticism. For example, a tank that is two liters larger and a slightly lower consumption ensures a longer range. A tighter set-up should help the suspension that is too soft. Incidentally, like the Ducati, the Honda was given a standard alarm system.
Aside from the drinking habits, the Honda has always had its heart in the right place: a V2 like a picture book, officially only available in the low-insurance 98 HP variant, along with a secondary air system and U-Kat. Although the twin with its carburettor does not respond as spontaneously as the competition equipped with manifold injection, the Honda’s soft throttle response minimizes the load change shock at the same time. It takes at least getting used to, especially with the two-cylinder Aprilia. Another plus point of the Honda twin: It produces a lot of pressure from the lower speed range and has an exemplary, homogeneous and easily controllable power input. This is exactly what you expect from a two-cylinder, and that is what those who always knew that two cylinders were enough will love. In terms of character and muffled sound, the Honda comes closest to the Voxan.
It’s amazing what the French have managed to do, not just in terms of the spotless workmanship. Although the Cafe Racer is annoyed by a small drop in performance in the middle speed range, it is not as easy to turn as the competition, but the drive impresses with its similarly unspectacular propulsion as the VTR 1000 F. Nothing jerks, nothing slaps. In addition, a skilfully selected overall ratio and a truly fan-tas-tic shiftable gearbox help over this period of weakness, which is impressively documented by the good torque values. Above all, the strongest of the quartet, the Ducati, suffers quite a lot from the extremely long gear ratio chosen, which is why the Honda takes valuable meters away from it time and again when starting from the depths of the rev range.
To put the VTR in its place, the usual gnarled, but precisely working gear has to be used. It should be noted that the Ducati clutch, despite the hydraulic system, still requires incredibly high levels of hand strength. However, on the other hand, the ST 4S pampers you with fascinating revving and a wide usable speed range. And a little bit surprised: Below 3000 rpm, the strong twin from Bologna runs as jerky and mechanically loud as usual, but above that the 1000 shines with an almost silky and low-vibration run, which was previously only known from the smaller 748 engine.
Running culture is not exactly the parade discipline of the Aprilia twin with a 60 degree cylinder angle, where the chain whipping and the stubborn power development below 3000 rpm are quite annoying. But even at higher engine speeds, the shirt-sleeved engine is noticeable through significant vibrations in the handlebars, seat and footrests. In addition, the gearshift lever and clutch require a lot of effort from the driver when changing gears. On the other hand, the engine impresses with its sheer revving, its aggressive and powerful acceleration. Clearly, Aprilia and Ducati are in a class of their own on this point, which is ultimately documented by the clear differences to the Honda and the Voxan in terms of top speed.
Top speed, on the other hand, is only of greater importance on closed-off routes or the unlimited motorway. On the country road, the balance of power of the four twins comes back into balance, for carefree fun you need adequate chassis, good brakes ?? and a permanently comfortable sitting position. In terms of ergonomics, the quartet is split: Falco and Cafe Racer, with their forward-facing, more gathered seating posture and their high-mounted footrests, are more part of the sports group, while the Ducati’s wide handlebars are placed higher up and the seating position is upright -touristy. This also applies to the Honda in the youngest vintage, and the technicians also changed the offset. Kudos for it because the wrists of the VTR driver are no longer strained. On the other hand, the Honda people should test how effectively a half-shell fairing can protect with the Aprilia, which, together with the Ducati, has a clear lead when it comes to wind protection.
In general, it is often the little things in life, the fine details, that bring great joy. So also the changes to the chassis of the Honda. Bad times for the accessories industry, because the new tuning of the VTR front as well as the shock absorb went really well. The Japanese is the only one in the test field where no changes to the setting of the suspension elements were necessary, although drivers from 65 to 90 kilograms were involved in the test. That speaks for a successful basic vote. It’s easy to get over the fact that there is still no adjustment option for the compression damping at the front or rear.
The Honda can even keep up with the much more expensive Ducati on the chassis side. This in turn comes up with astonishing handiness, which also has to do with the now much lighter bikes. Gone are the days when a Ducati of the ST series had to be subdued with a lot of effort through fast alternating curves. Not so nice: the slightly stucky response of your titanium nitride-coated upside-down fork. But the Ducati inspires with a high level of accuracy and stability, only the clearly noticeable righting moment when braking in an inclined position disturbs the choice of line. A problem with those on the same tire ?? Michelin Pilot Sport ?? rolling Voxan also has to struggle. The Aprilia with Metzeler ME Z3 tires and the Honda rolling on Dunlop D 204 K, on ​​the other hand, earn top marks in this discipline.
The front Brembo brake system of the ST 4S gets good grades, Aprilia and Voxan rely on identical pliers, but because of different friction pairings, the combination of lining and steel disc, they cannot come close to the nicely responsive and easily metered stoppers of the Ducati. If the rear brake of the Duc lived up to its name, its point lead would be more pronounced. Good average: the Nissin system of the Honda, which requires relatively high hand strength and responds bluntly, but decelerates well and steadily.
When cornering on the brakes, the Cafe Racer and VTR demand a much stronger hand, but then the Honda accurately pulls the desired radius, and none of the other three motorcycles can drive so cleanly narrow lines, which is especially true of serpentines Stretching makes life easier. Regardless of whether there are short bumps or heavy blows lurking in the corners, the stable VTR chassis stays on course. Voxan, who is blessed with stoic straight-line stability, likes to choose her own lines on such narrow terrain, which is partly due to her extra-wide 190 rear tire. The French woman therefore demands an energetic driver. And it reacts to waves in an inclined position because of the underdamped coordination of its spring elements and the too soft fork. Too much movement in the chassis damages the accuracy, so there is a need for improvement on this point.
In terms of handiness with the large two-cylinder engines, there is still one power: the Aprilia Falco, which falls from one lean angle to the next without much effort. Even with her, tight lines are no problem, which conjures up a big grin on your face when you accelerate out of the corners. The Aprilia chassis set-up at the factory can also be given a good report: sporty and firm, without becoming uncomfortable. And the Falco really has more than sufficient lean angle, as does the Voxan. A sticking point with the Ducati: The otherwise commendable main stand sits in forehead of the footrests. The order should actually be reversed.
W.as well ?? at least from the perspective of Aprilia ?? may apply to the outcome of this comparison. After all, the Falco was always one step ahead of the Honda in previous comparative tests. The renovated VTR 1000 F turns the tables. The most balanced and cheapest motorcycle wins the test, just ahead of the headstrong Italian. The exclusive and correspondingly more expensive Ducati and Voxan follow within striking distance. With a little fine-tuning on the chassis and a livelier engine, the Cafe Racer would also be right at the front. But even now the hopefuls from France can be described as a successful litter.

Comparison test Aprilia SL 1000 Falco, Ducati ST 4S, Honda VTR 1000 F, Voxan Cafe Racer

Sympathy hunter

2nd place – Aprilia SL 1000 Falco

Top chassis with fine handling, good brakes, a stable, powerful engine, these are the pluses of the Falco. What it lacks is a little more running culture. With the Rotax-Twin, the jerky and unwilling performance range below 3000 revs is annoying. Particularly interesting for Aprilia fans at the moment: the “Scout” equipment package. It comes free with the Falco and includes panniers and a tank bag as well as a navigation system and mobile phone.

3rd place – Ducati ST 4S

Perhaps the most powerful and at the same time most refined 996 engine that the editorial staff has ever imagined: powerful, easy-revving and economical. This is how a modern twin should be. The only thing missing is a modern exhaust gas cleaning system, just like with the Aprilia and the Voxan. Still a great motorcycle, the ST 4S, on which the Ducatisti like to overlook small defects, such as the poorly tuned fork or the center stand that touches down too early.

1st place – Honda VTR 1000 F

Tea basis of the Honda VTR 1000 has always been right, what was missing was the fine work. Honda has now done this thoroughly: more range thanks to larger tanks and lower fuel consumption, complete equipment with new instruments and, ultimately decisive for the test victory, the well-coordinated chassis. It leaves little to be desired in rural road operations. Sit on it and simply enjoy the thrust of the powerful twin, that works perfectly on the VTR.

4th place – Voxan Cafe Racer

Fourth place in this field, the cafe racer can drive out of the ring with his head held high. Because the basis is right. Like, for example, the stable chassis and the cleanly tuned engine with its great gearbox. If the French still have a knack for the little things, whereby they should mainly focus on the underdamped spring elements, Voxan doesn’t have to worry about the future. Then they would have a really, very good country road twin in their program.

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