Drifter against BMW R 1200 C.
Japan versus Europe: Cruiser
Two cruisers ?? four opinions. Kawasaki VN 1500 Drifter versus BMW R 1200 C..
And another poem: Artificially aged, Asian plagiarism meets King Ludwig. A shaking rhyme.
When it comes to cruisers, the Japanese don’t hesitate for long. They just copy whatever American role models they can get their hands on. The other day, Kawasaki approached Indian. The company culminated in the formidable 1500s Drifter. An iron like fresh from the Stone Age. With prehistoric fenders, a long fishtail exhaust, very little chrome and an incredible amount of black. Fork, lamp, handlebar, side cover ?? all black.
Europe’s counterpart: the BMW R 1200 C. Neuschwanstein on wheels. Splendor and glory from front to back, in the middle a throne, as if made for the "Kini" personally. The world hadn’t expected such a device when BMW entered the cruiser business in 1997: Telelever, single-sided swing arm, ABS, regulated catalytic converter ?? and above all a design that twisted the minds of those who believed in pure teaching. Bayern had broken with all the rules of traditional lines.
If you only have a little left for poetry, you can already figure out which film is in which saddle. N / A? Exactly: The 107th repetition of "Titanic" is given on the Drifter. But it’s always nice. Lean back, enjoy. The calming chugging from the engine room, the sedate nature of the power delivery, the constant surging of the underdamped suspension. Cruising through the country on the wide sail pole and … rrrratsch! … puts the load on. See beautiful ?? You know the strip by heart.
Okay, then to the hardware. The brakes of the Kawasaki are so-so, the handling tends towards sluggish, the water-cooled V2 is a pretty good guy with a balance shaft, injection, unregulated catalytic converter and secondary air system. Brings real 65 hp. A pretty good figure in cruiser circles. But don’t be fooled: in high gear from zero to Timbuktu, that doesn’t work. Below 60 km / h, the elasticity of the 1500 engine is not far off.
The BMW boxer can do better. Comes out of the quark much stronger and pulls ahead in terms of overall performance. On top of that, it consumes less fuel. The film? Exactly: "We speak German." Sitting upright, listening to brass music, holding court at the long wheelbarrow handlebar, which unfortunately messes up the feeling for the front wheel. Otherwise much more would be possible with the R 1200 C. But even so, it can be bent around corners surprisingly jaggedly for cruiser conditions. Stability and maneuverability are well above Drifter level, and the brakes are three times better, multiplied by twice the lean angle, results in driving dynamics that are not that different from those of a "normal" motorcycle.
Interesting, actually. The only question is whether you could take out half a meter of wheelbase? Because that ?? let’s say ?? An “authentic feeling” doesn’t really want to set in on the BMW. Great serenity, sovereignty and so? nothing comes. Maybe a few running boards and a rocker switch à la VN 1500 would help. Or has different sound. Or maybe we got it all wrong and Bayern are on the only right path.
Hard to say. And even more difficult to give a rating at this point. A decisive tie would be elegant, something like this: After everything we’ve learned in school, that’s VN 1500 Drifter the better cruiser and the BMW R 1200 C the better bike. Coward, coward. Okay, then the BMW, because it would collect a lot more points in a perfectly normal comparison test. But it’s also kind of boring.
Technical data: Kawasaki VN 1500 Drifter
Engine: water-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke 50-degree V-engine, one overhead camshaft each, four valves, intake manifold injection, uncontrolled catalytic converter, secondary air system, displacement 1471 cm3, rated output 47 kW (64 hp) at 4700 rpm, max. Torque 113 Nm (11.5 kpm) at 2800 rpm, five-speed gearbox. Frame: steel double loop frame, tires 130/90 x 16; 130/80 x 16, wheelbase 1655 mm, spring travel f / h 150/100 mm. Dimensions and weights: Seat height * 750 mm, weight with a full tank * 323 kg, load * 178 kg, tank capacity 16 liters. Price includes VAT. and Nk. 21490 Mark + stylish outfit, high seating comfort, soothing marine diesel feeling, exhaust gas cleaning – underdamped spring elements, insipid brakes, relatively unwieldy, little lean angle, cardan reactions. Comparison test in MOTORRAD 10/1999
Technical data: BMW R 1200 C.
Engine: air / oil-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke boxer engine, one high-lying camshaft, four valves, intake manifold injection, regulated catalytic converter, displacement 1170 cm3, rated output 45 kW (61 hp) at 5000 rpm, max . Torque 98 Nm (10.0 kpm) at 3000 / min, five-speed gearbox. Chassis: load-bearing engine / gearbox unit, tires 100/90 x 18; 170/80 x 15, wheelbase 1650 mm, spring travel f / h 144/100 mm. Dimensions and weights: Seat height * 750 mm, weight with a full tank * 277 kg, load * 173 kg, tank capacity 17.5 liters. Price incl. and ancillary costs 25,279 marks + dynamic driving behavior, good torque, decent brakes, regulated catalytic converter, low consumption – hard hindquarters, uncool background noise, long steering antlers, little feeling for the front wheel. Comparison test in MOTORRAD 4/99
Related articles
-
Track test BMW K 1200 R Power Cup Kawasaki ZX-10R
Track test BMW K 1200 R Power-Cup / Kawasaki ZX-10R The Bavarians are coming So far, BMW has played a league lower with the Boxer Cup. With the new…
-
BMW R 1200 RT and Triumph Trophy 1200 SE in comparison
Comparative test: top tourers from BMW and Triumph BMW R 1200 RT and Triumph Trophy 1200 SE in comparison The plan to combine mountains, sea and one of…
-
BMW R 1200 RS and BMW HP2 Sport in comparison
BMW R 1200 RS and BMW HP2 Sport in comparison Air-cooled versus water-cooled Content of The BMW HP2 Sport is a high-performance athlete, the BMW R 1200…
-
Ducati Multistrada 950 and Ducati Multistrada 1200 in comparison test
Ducati Multistrada 950 and Ducati Multistrada 1200 in comparison test Small against big “May it be a little less?”, We asked in the top test of the new…
-
Top test BMW R 1200 S The news The R 90 S and R 100 S tried to establish the S as the epitome of sport in the BMW range. But only the R 1100 S, which has…
-
Top test BMW R 1200 RT – R 1150 RT
Top test BMW R 1200 RT / R 1150 RT The old man and the more BMW worked for a long time on an amendment for the touring boxer. Now the time has come for a…
-
Top test BMW R 1200 R Double whopper Classic, modern purpose. Cruise casually or alternatively drive sportily? Two hearts beat in the new BMW R 1200 R…..
-
Ducati Multistrada 1200, Kawasaki Versys 1000 and Triumph Tiger 1050 in the test
Funbikes in comparison test Ducati Multistrada 1200 , Kawasaki Versys 1000 and Triumph Tiger 1050 With bags and bags on a big tour or just an…
-
Driving report: BMW R 1200 R Classic
Driving report: BMW R 1200 R Classic BMW’s naked bike with a new look and a new boxer There we have the salad: the new BMW R 1200 R Classic not only…
-
News – Evolutions without revolution – Stelvio 1200 4V TT: ready for all challenges?
Comparison test two-cylinder: BMW R 1200 R , Buell Lightning XB12Ss and Moto Guzzi Griso 8V Big Twins only 1170 , 1202, 1151 ?? These number combinations…
Related articles
-
Endurance – New rebound within the BMW Michelin team – Used BMW
Ducati 900 SS in the test Ducati 900 SS as a used motorcycle The mature Italian lady has not lost any of the sportiness with which she entered the stage…
-
Alpen Masters 2012: Naked Bikes The big naked bike test in the Alps For them, compromises are only one thing: lazy. Who needs a panel, why luggage hooks,…
-
Moto Tour – The Moto-Net.Com Team to make you experience the Dark Dog Tour from the inside –
Honda Fireblade SP and Suzuki GSX-R 1000 R in comparison test Athlete comparison Content of The comparison test between Honda Fireblade SP and Suzuki…
-
Endurance – The GMT renews its team to win the 2016 world endurance title – Used YAMAHA
Double test Honda CB 400 / Yamaha SR 250 Look back ahead Reconsideration as a forward strategy is also very much in vogue in the small class. Two…
-
Endurance – FMA engages an amateur team in world endurance –
On the move: Honda XRV 650 Africa Twin Best companion for the really big trip Content of Robust chassis, solid engine and a range of almost 500…
-
Endurance – Endurance: the BMW Motorrad Team Thevent withdraws in 2014 – Pre-owned BMW
The Aprilia RSW 250 in detail Brilliant parade Into the box, roll gate down ?? Factory machines are reluctant to be peeped behind the cladding. MOTORRAD…
-
Drifter against BMW R 1200 C. Japan versus Europe: Cruiser Two cruisers ?? four opinions. Kawasaki VN 1500 Drifter versus BMW R 1200 C.. And another…
-
Endurance – The Kawasaki France team wins –
Drysdale 1000 V8 Superbike in the driving report Superbike with a V8 engine A superbike with a V8 engine sounds like madness? Perhaps. But in Australia…
-
Endurance – Team 18 is looking for funds to make ends meet –
Microletta three-wheel electric scooter Prototype presented in more detail in the livestream With the Microletta, a new electric scooter with three…
-
Endurance – GMT94 aims for the 2014 title with its new team – Used YAMAHA
Double top test: BMW F 650 GS and BMW G 650 Xcountry cruise With almost the same engine, but very different philosophy, BMW is now equipping two…