Ducati 959 Panigale, Husqvarna 701 Supermoto, Kawasaki Z 1000 SX, Triumph Speed ​​Triple R.

Posted on by admin

4 bikes in the mountain road test

One, two, three and four cylinders

Content of

Four bikes and a mountain road with curves until you drop. Which machine is the fastest and why? Ducati 959 Panigale, Husqvarna 701 Supermoto, Kawasaki Z 1000 SX and Triumph Speed ​​Triple R in the test.

NOTowl, somewhere in the south of France. Four guys hang around with their motorbikes at the foot of a mountain pass and talk about gasoline. "I believe that there is nothing faster on the mountain than a supermoto," says the guy with a cross helmet and glasses full of conviction. "Nonsense, you don’t need anything more than a high-torque naked bike," believes the fat man. The one with the almost completely worn knee sliders thinks that a super athlete is the cure-all, and the one with the apparently lowest resting heart rate predicts that a strong touring athlete would certainly not be slow on a summit storm.   

4 bikes in the mountain road test

One, two, three and four cylinders

GPS-supported recording instead of a stopwatch

There is something amusing to imagine now that the old drummer was standing at the top of the hill climb to record the best times of the four mopeds with the stopwatch. Maybe he would say, “Don’t be fooling around, gentlemen. As soon as the flag is waved, I want to see it fly up the mountain in a concentrated manner. The determined time will be an indicator of the efficiency of your machines as well as your motivation! "

A wonderful announcement. That’s how we do it! Instead of a stopwatch operated by a busy teacher, we prefer to rely on GPS-supported recording. The computer can then be used to evaluate which parts of the 5.13-kilometer route show which motorcycle is presented or lost. (Editor’s note: Data collection of the recording, all measured values ​​and the detailed evaluation with awarding of points are available in the article as a PDF for download see below).

The author takes on the role of the time trial driver and drives the machines up the pass one by one. You always start with warm tires. In order to be able to compare the records and results, special care is taken to run the same line with each machine as far as possible.

It starts with the new Husqvarna 701 Supermoto. With the 74 PS single from the KTM Duke (Euro 4), the Husky is currently allowed to carry the title of “strongest eligible supermoto” on the planet. How is that going? Phenomenally uncomplicated, extremely fun and extremely light-footed! The responsiveness deserves great praise, the throttle response is as smooth as butter. But below 3,000 rpm, the single-cylinder hacks on the chain if the gear is selected too high. Not too tragic, because mostly you move in a higher speed range anyway. Especially during lively curve action or when wheeling. The Husky’s coupling does not require much manual force. Good for all unicyclists, but also helpful in everyday life.

The magic of Husqvarna is that it instantly awakens the play instinct. Anyone who puts such a thing in the garage can only have practical jokes in mind. At the same time, the 701 can be certified as having a very comfortable, wide bench. In addition, the single cylinder consumes the least amount of fuel in the test field, even in attack mode. With the 13 liter tank, the fun lasts a while before it goes to the next gas pump.

Husqvarna 701 Supermoto

There are already powerful curves lurking on the way to the pass. Tea Husqvarna 701 Supermoto is pretty fast when both wheels stay on the ground. The chassis only needs to be set much harder beforehand. In the standard setting, the spring elements are underdamped. A few clicks on rebound and compression work wonders. In not-too-fast passages that the Supermoto driver can simply wag through, it is not easy for the rest of the test field to banish the Husky from the rear-view mirror. In addition, the maneuverability of the supermoto hardly knows any opponents.

factstudio.de

Jo Bauer: "You have to cross them in front of the corners, then it works with the corner speed."

Tight radii are her specialty. U-turn on a stamp-sized area? No problem. But our hill climb route doesn’t just consist of serpentines, it also has much faster sections. As soon as a longer straight line comes up, the author can almost feel the Husqvarna 701 supermoto lose meters. The only thing that helps is to let the gas stand for as long as possible, to brake late and to open it again early. Not so easy with the comparatively dull front brake. We deactivated the ABS for the time trial by pressing a button on the handlebars. It regulates relatively late, but then pretty roughly.

The single cylinder does not press particularly hard from the middle. The gear step has to be right on the pass, otherwise nothing will go forward. Either the Husqvarna 701 Supermoto barely gets out of the quark, or you hang in the rev limiter. The transmission shifts between the gears between two and three noticeably often and does not make a good impression overall. And that takes time!

In order to save the Husqvarna 701 Supermoto‘s honor, it should be said that her time on the pass does not reflect the potential she would show with a drift champion in the saddle. Moved in the supermoto style, as spectacularly celebrated by PS stunt driver Jo Bauer, the Husky would be faster at every corner entrance. The author rides the long-legged device more like a naked bike. That is learned, still quickly, and the attempt at a targeted braking drift would probably lead to the off under time pressure. Jo Bauer’s comment on the 701 Supermoto: “Force her across the curve, even if the slipper clutch is at its limit. The ABS must be off. Downhill at the latest, I would sniff all of you guys with that thing! "

Kawasaki Z 1000 SX

Next, the Kawasaki Z 1000 SX rolls to the starting line. From the slim Husqvarna down, the switch to the green naturally feels like a sudden illness of severe obesity. You sit comfortably, but also surrounded by a plastic cocoon – far away from the front wheel and therefore inactive. The preparation for the pass sprint reveals a gross handling weakness of the Kawa. If the Bridgestone S 20 in the special specification are not properly warmed up, the machine will not want to turn at all. Even with the skin at operating temperature, the Z 1000 SX shows a pronounced righting moment over the front wheel when braking in an inclined position.

factstudio.de

Volkmar Jacob: "Delicious device, but also pretty powerful. It’s a little heavy in my stomach."

Their chassis is generally more comfort-oriented, as later clearly shown in a comparison with the Triumph Speed ​​Triple R and the Ducati 959 Panigale. But enough of the scolding, because the Kawasaki Z 1000 SX is more of a sporty mile eater than a real racer.

Kawa scored points in the engine, clutch, gearbox and brake categories. The row four growls aggressively. Sensitive people even want to notice a rather rough run and increasing tingling in the upper speed range. SX fans could just as easily interpret that as the drive’s strength of character. In any case, the Kawasaki pushes hard despite its heavy fighting weight between 4000 and 8000 rpm and delivers a lot of lard. Just the thing to fire fat out of the serpentines. Here, the traction control (level one, minimal intervention before "Off") should be more restrained if the rear tire has enough side grip. The gear changes work great, every shift is perfect. The transmission does a good job both in terms of actuation and the gradation of gears.

The brake impresses with a crisp pressure point and decent deceleration. The ABS system (with cornering function) prevents the IMU from lifting off the rear wheel. Here the touristic layout of the machine flashes again. The electronics also immediately deny a rising front wheel. The engineers clearly did not plan to take part in a hill climb when programming. As mentioned, the servo-assisted clutch (with anti-hopping function) is appealing due to its ease of movement. It would be even better not to have to use them in the first place. As a race crew that has meanwhile been spoiled by it, we miss a quickshifter with a blipper function.

This could make up for some of the time that you lose in the bend before and after the bends on the pass. Tea Kawasaki Z 1000 SX wants to be pushed into the hairpin bends. Without pronounced hanging-off, there is no decent cornering speed, and the outriggers of the footrests hit. In the penultimate part of the route, the particularly tight meander, it gets really uncomfortable. First gear must be used here so that the load can be balanced with enough momentum from one inclined position into the next. The rear tire (190/50 format) doesn’t like that at all and slips away briefly and violently at one point. Oh, oh, easy! This would mean the end of the comfort zone for man and machine. In this section of the route, the Kawa is the slowest, which is largely due to its weight and the soft chassis.

Triumph Speed ​​Triple R.

When robust and dull barking sound the beautiful mountains, only the Triumph Speed ​​Triple R can be on the move. From the two Arrow silencers there is a sound that makes you kneel down. Not obtrusively loud, but “very British” – with a good dose of style and class. Not at all fine: You have to order the Arrows for 1349 euros despite the R version. As standard, the most important features of the R version include a high-quality Ohlins chassis (NIX 30 fork and TTX36 shock absorber) and aluminum multi-spoke wheels with Pirelli Supercorsa SP tires. There are also thick Brembo monoblock brake calipers.

factstudio.de

Karsten Schwers: "Did you hear that? And seen? This is how professional understatement works!"

Somehow the enormous striving for more and more top performance with the naked bikes has left the Triumph Speed ​​Triple R with its 140 PS (factory specification) a little behind – supposedly! My goodness, the luxury version of the British flagship roadster drives, if you may, damn well! It starts with the sitting position. A firm, but not uncomfortable seat at a decent height, the footrests high enough for serious inclines, the handlebar just wide enough for easy handling, but not too cranked towards the front wheel – an excellent workplace for asphalt surfing!

Let’s get straight to the highlights: engine and chassis. The Triumph Speed ​​Triple R looks like it was made for cornering orgies on the pass. With its high-torque three-cylinder, it feels like no other in the test field out of the curve. Simply a pleasure to open the gas at the outlet and roll up the asphalt behind you with this sound. It may also be thanks to the Arrow slip-ons with the corresponding mapping that this Speedy R accelerates so smoothly. The smoothness and performance of the three-cylinder engine are unparalleled in our quartet. Perhaps at some point Triumph will give the successor model of the Speed ​​Triple an engine with exactly this behavior, which simply continues the power curve upwards by 2,000 rpm. That would be the icing on the cake! The current R is equally impressive in terms of chassis. It lies full and builds up endlessly with the non-slip Pirellis Grip, but retains its agility and balanced handling.

Is it all sunshine? Not quite: The Brembo monoblocks do their job well, but they could happily use less manual power. In the case of the transmission, which is actually inconspicuous for an English woman, we miss a quickshifter with blipper, as with the Kawa. That would raise the driving pleasure to a higher level.

Tea Triumph Speed ​​Triple R has different mappings and setting options for traction control and ABS. We like the track mode best. Some testers get along better with the "Road" engine mapping because the machine then accelerates less spontaneously. In user mode, all parameters can be linked with one another as desired. There has been criticism for the nested menu navigation and operation of the electronics – it is really clearer. Overall, the Triumph Speed ​​Triple R doesn’t just feel fast, it actually is. In the end, the noble British woman promptly set the fastest time in two sections of the route.

Ducati 959 Panigale

Clear the way for the only super sports car in the league, the Ducati 959 Panigale. With its 955 cubic centimeter displacement, it does not take part in any international racing series, which shifts its purpose in the direction of country roads. However, you could quickly lose faith in it after the first few kilometers. The reamed twin from the predecessor 899 Panigale has, in comparison to the Speed ​​Triple R, no punch from mid-rev. It only powers in a narrow speed window between around 8,000 and 11,000 rpm. At the pass you think you are starving to death due to the weak torque at the exit of the curve. On the country road, the front wheel-oriented seating position is also brutally exhausting.

Ducatisti and super sports fans don’t need to hang their heads in disappointment. No other in the field comes close to the combination of handiness and precision of the Ducati 959 Panigale. How the Duc drives over the front wheel and the accuracy with which it steers into corners is simply awesome! The Panigale hits every line as soon as you get used to its insane handling and don’t accidentally turn too early. You just feel right at home in an inclined position. Such feedback is only available from super athletes. In contrast to the Ducati, at least the Kawa and the Triumph are sedate big ships.

The Panigale’s traction control works without an IMU sensor box, but does its job really well. Set the mapping to "Race" (automatically sets traction control to level three of eight and ABS to one of three), and the world is all right. Almost – the response behavior is a bit too aggressive for our taste on "Race" and a tad too lax on "Sport". On top of that, the rather sapless brake tarnishes the image of the sharp super athlete.

Overall, after the all-important measurement run, the author does not believe that the Italian slammed the fastest time on the mountain despite the high top speed on the intermediate straights. The machine feels too unspectacular for that. Goal: we do believe in the church. The Ducati 959 Panigale is 40 meters in forehead of the Triumph and 285 meters in front of the Husqvarna. Hallelujah and amen!

Conclusion

1. Triumph Speed ​​Triple R: In the end, the Speedy R did not achieve the absolute best time on the pass. But she still deserved the test win. Your lustful, high-torque three-cylinder in combination with the fabulous chassis just turn on. Part of its fascination can also be traced back to the wonderful sounding accessory exhaust system, but due to its balance, the Triumph simply cannot be spit in the soup.

2. Ducati 959 Panigale: Even with the prospect of Sicilian footwear, the Duc cannot win the points classification, although she has the best time on the mountain. Its engine, which is unspectacular on the country road, cannot keep up with the entertaining and cultivated triplet of Triumph. Added to this is their extreme ergonomics, which are quite exhausting on longer stages.

3. Kawasaki Z 1000 SX: Immediately after the Triumph, the Kawa snaps out of the curve on the fatest torque shaft. On the drive side, she is not a child of sadness. It also has good brakes and theoretically the IMU would be up to date with the latest electronics. But its assistance systems are designed more for tourism than for grass. From a sporting point of view, it also struggles with its comparatively high weight and soft chassis.

4. Husqvarna 701 Supermoto: Sumo got two zeros in the points evaluation. During acceleration from zero to 200 (it does not reach this value) and during traction control (not available). At the pass she fetches the red lantern because no chief drifter was sitting on it. So be it. The Husky is a pure fun device and is addicting.

Related articles

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *