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Fun bikes put to the test at the 2014 Alpen Masters

Honda CB 650 F, KTM 690 Duke R, MV Agusta Rivale 800, Yamaha MT-09 in the test

Honda CB 650 F, KTM 690 Duke R, MV Agusta Rivale 800 and Yamaha MT-09: light, agile and agile. Supermoto single and triple meet all-rounders and naked bikes with three and four cylinders. Who will win the Alpen-Matsers comparison test in the Funbikes category??

The alpine animal and bird world must be perfectly adapted to the extreme air and habitat. Just like the two-wheeled species high up in the world, when the hairpin bends narrow, the streets steeper and the eyes wider. Easily counts twice here. That’s why the KTM is due 6th90 Duke R the Right of Way. 165 kilograms mark the single cylinder as the lightest machine of all 20 participants in the 2014 Alpine Master, while the measured 72 hp make it the world’s strongest series single! Due to the concept, it requires at least 3000 rpm in high gears, below which the chain whips.

Alpine Masters 2014

This is how MOTORRAD tests

KTM 690 Duke R from the 5000 mark forward. The stew hangs greedily on the cable of the ride-by-wire. From 7,500 turns the propulsion slackens again. A narrow performance band – with the worst pulling power in this group in sixth gear. With a lot of manual work it means to keep the mighty 102 millimeter piston happy. It’s easy thanks to the perfectly clicking gear and the clutch that is easy to pull. The Akrapovic silencer sounds rumbling, but not too loud.

KTM 690 Duke R as handy as a mountain bike

It is one of the hallmarks of the Duke’s R version, which is a good 2000 euros more expensive. In addition, there is the fully adjustable, much ironed out WP chassis, the more comfortable, higher seat (860 millimeters) and other noble goodies such as the radial brake pump. Despite the fine Brembo parts, the individual disc reaches its limits on the downhill: quite a lot of hand force flanked little brute braking power. The effect decreases noticeably under constant load, especially with a passenger (fading). On the other hand, the ABS regulates well, always keeping the rear on the ground – despite the rather high center of gravity and short wheelbase. Turn after turn, we screw our way up from Canazei in the Val di Fassa to over 2400 meters.

The KTM 690 Duke R is a stunner in the thicket of bends. As handy as a mountain bike, it can be tossed back and forth over the aluminum handlebars in the style of cup machines. Your lean angle cannot be explored. Agile handling of all 20 Alpenmasters test motorcycles meets great accuracy. Where the alpine choughs turn on the spot in the sky, the Duke R hooks its hook on the ground. A jumping field and top quality fun bike. But that can also get (and make) nervous: The mechanical traction is rather low. On the ramps to the Pordoi Pass, the Michelin Pilot Power often slip away if the rear wheel is sideways. The feather-light KTM 690 Duke R easy can be caught again, but you have to like this drifting.

Naked bike

KTM 690 Duke R in the test

The coronation and top model of the Duke family

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Supermoto

Test: KTM 690 Duke R

The new KTM 690 Duke R

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Honda CB 650 F user-friendly and balanced

The new Honda CB 650 F looks more pleasing. It weighs 212 kilograms and is the heaviest in its group. But typically Honda, it makes it very easy for newcomers and returners: user-friendly and well-balanced. It begins with the softly whispering, briefly translated four-cylinder engine. It is elastic, runs smoothly even in the lowest speed range, and increases its performance evenly and homogeneously. But even without a kick. The little flasks in the completely new four-cylinder make an honest effort. But uphill out of the bends, the power delivery in second gear is quite poor. Up to 8000 turns, this is the weakest of the four "fun" engines. If it is going to move quickly, you have to stir in the atypical Honda somewhat hooked transmission.

The Honda CB 650 F only produces 89 hp, two more than promised, at five-digit speeds. That seems rather out of place in the alpine environment. Especially since the vibrations are edgy and annoying when you go out and when you take off the gas. Load change reactions can be felt when gas-to-gas-to-gas-back-up. The steel frame chassis with welded-on rear, conventional telescopic fork and directly hinged strut works simply but effectively. Well balanced and stable, the CB 650 F, which was completely built in Thailand, circles around. Not exactly super handy, but good-natured and predictable. Neat and nice.

Relaxed and comfortable, the Honda CB 650 F embeds the driver on the well-cut bench. That’s where you can enjoy the incredible range. The narrow, but well cranked handlebars offer good front wheel control. The rather wide 180 mm rear tire, a Dunlop Roadsmart II, rolls a bit slippery. The ABS brakes anchor securely and require little manual force. Wave brake discs, aluminum swingarms in the shape of a banana and cast wheels with filigree spokes are chic. The four parallel sideways curved stainless steel elbows with underfloor exhaust under the "clean" looking engine bring pep. Despite the bright yellow warning color, the successor to the Hornet 600 is less exciting than a good buddy.

Naked bike

Honda CB 650 F in the driving report (2014)

Delicacies for four-cylinder fans

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MV Agusta Rivale 800 with hard throttle response

At the other end of the spectrum is the MV Agusta Rivale 800. A real macho bike, a daring, crazy mixture of fun bike and supermoto. Your eye candy exhaust – knobbly organ pipes – reveals the beautiful rear wheel, which is guided by a single-sided swing arm. Super noble high-end details contrast with improvised-looking detailed solutions such as the unsuitable handlebar end mirrors. Just be Italian, design or not. A high seat (87 centimeters) and a large turning circle not only require experience on the mountain. The sitting position is radical. The mega-wide handlebars are close to your chest, stretching you extremely far forward. You almost think you’re sitting over the front wheel, holding the wheel axle in your hands.

The compact, squat powerhouse from MV is powered by the snarling, growling, 125 hp three-cylinder. At the bottom it is still subdued and only comes down to the point from the 6000 mark. Then almost too powerful and fiery. In the second half of the engine speed, the exclusive eight-stage traction control of the MV Agusta Rivale 800 often has to vigorously intervene. The interaction of e-gas, clutch and bony transmission is more difficult than with the rest of the field. Long gear ratio and low power output below recommend first gear for firing out of the hairpin bends. The upshift assistant is no help here. The throttle response is hard, the thirst for gasoline is great, the 12.9-liter tank is small. This limits the radius around the local Agip petrol station.

The poor pillion seat fits the low payload. The stiff Sachs shock absorber works uncomfortably, not very flexibly, and hits the lower back on hard heels. The MV, which weighs 194 kilograms, is easy to handle, unfiltered and direct. But the rival clearly positions itself on bumps. Its stable, front-heavy chassis offers plenty of reserves, but prefers a flat surface with smooth curves. The real potential of the crisp brakes can hardly be used – because of the bent arms, you can hardly support yourself. The rival is not everybody’s darling, but a 13,000 euro toy and lighter for the well-heeled. Hate or love, it polarizes. Very sensual, but clearly too radical for the Alps.

Supermoto

MV Agusta Rivale 800 in the driving report

Good things need to be in a hurry

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Naked bike

MV Agusta Rivale 800 in the HP driving report

Magnificent three-cylinder hissing

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Yamaha MT-09 delights beginners, delights old hands

The second triple in the field, the Yamaha MT-09, is much more user-friendly. What a powerful bottom-middle-top engine it is, always there. Its tremendous torque surpasses the other three candidates like the summit of the Drei Zinnen our test track. Elasticity meets strength and great driving performance. Freedom to turn without being forced to turn. You often think you are driving in third gear, and the gear indicator is already reporting "4". That kicks! Just like the dull exhaust sound with its smoky base note. The handle on the cable clutch is easy to move, but not necessary that often. It’s good that, after Triumph, Benelli and MV Agusta, Yamaha is now returning to the trident.

The downside are the rough load change reactions and the harsh throttle response from rolling phases. This can sometimes ruin the line at the apex of the curve. Then the upside-down fork folds away. The throttle response is smoother in B mode, one of three engine mappings. The chassis springs softly, underdamped, especially during compression, i.e. the compression stage. The soft tuning looks comfortable at first, but actually doesn’t offer much reserves. Bumpy asphalt takes the otherwise curvaceous Yamaha MT-09 all too easily off course in an inclined position. And the strut stamps on rough asphalt. That would all be more stable!

The comfortable seating position contributes to the overall good controllability: deep down in the motorcycle, the steering head and handlebars are unusually high in front of you: building confidence and promoting handling. The footrests are low for tourists, but should be higher for sports. The radially screwed four-piston stoppers bite almost too poisonously for the soft upside-down fork. This puts the ABS control behavior to a severe test. Even more suitability for everyday use for luggage and passenger transport would certainly not have watered down the concept. Nevertheless: The Yamaha MT-09 delights beginners and delights old hands.

Naked bike

Premiere Yamaha MT-09

Three cylinder toy

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Naked bike

Yamaha MT-09 in the top test

Queuing for the fleet manager

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Naked bike

Ducati Monster 821 and Yamaha MT-09 in comparison test

Racy Italian versus reserved Japanese

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Placement and conclusion

16 Pictures

Pictures: Funbikes tested at the 2014 Alpen Masters

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fact / Joachim Schahl

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1st place: Yamaha MT-09

fact / Joachim Schahl

Yamaha MT-09.

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  • bearish power delivery, great draft
  • silky, smooth-running three-cylinder engine
  • well stepped transmission
  • comfortable "work" place

minus

  • wobbly driving behavior
  • Pillion seat uncomfortable
  • difficult luggage storage
  • low payload

2nd place: Honda CB 650 F

fact / Joachim Schahl

Honda CB 650 F..

more

  • best ABS in this group
  • little fuel consumption
  • enormous range
  • great seating comfort for driver and passenger
  • very easy to drive

minus

  • somewhat tired performance
  • Passage in second gear poor
  • rather sparse equipment

3rd place: KTM 690 Duke R

fact / Joachim Schahl

KTM 690 Duke R..

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  • Motor with a lot of power in the middle of the speed
  • super handy, curvaceous and precise
  • high lean angle
  • low consumption
  • high chassis reserves

minus

  • hard vibrations
  • narrow speed range
  • rather weak

4th place: MV Agusta Rivale 800

fact / Joachim Schahl

MV Agusta rival 800.

more

  • Powerful engine on top
  • sensual and emotional driving experience
  • noble design
  • Traction control

minus

  • extreme sitting position
  • high consumption
  • poor range
  • hard strut
  • very low payload

Data and measured values

fact / Joachim Schahl

Performance measurement

Honda
CB 650 F KTM
690 Duke R MV Agusta
Rival 800 Yamaha
MT-09 engine Four-cylinder, single-cylinder, three-cylinder, three-cylinder Displacement 649 cm³ 690 cm³ 798 cm³ 847 cm³ power 87 hp 70 hp 125 hp 115 hp Torque 63 Nm 70 Nm 84 Nm 88 Nm Weight (without case) 212 kg 165 kg 194 kg 192 kg Payload 184 kg 185 kg 168 kg 173 kg ABS / traction control

● / – ● / ● ● /- Price without additional costs 7.690 euros 9.995 euros 13.190 euros 8.295 euros Consumption passes test 4.2 l / 100 km 4.3 l / 100 km 6.6 l / 100 km 4.9 l / 100 km theoretical range passes 412 km 326 km 195 km 286 km Passage in 2000 m above sea level,
50-100 km / h 9.7 sec 11.2 sec 6.6 sec 6.5 sec Pulling uphill with pillion passenger,
2nd gear, 25-75 km / h 6.9 sec 6.4 sec 6.0 sec 4.7 sec Braking distance downhill with pillion passenger,
2nd gear, 75-25 km / h23.0 m28.6 m27.5 m24.9 m

● = series; – = not available

MOTORCYCLE rating

engine

  Maximum Honda Score
CB 650 F KTM
690 Duke R MV Agusta
Rival 800 Yamaha
MT-09 acceleration 0–140 km / h 20 15 15 17 18 Passage in 2000 m above sea level 20 12 9 18 18 Pulling through in 2nd gear uphill with a pillion passenger 20 11 13 14 17 Power delivery 20 12 11 16 18 Response / load change behavior 20 12 13 9 11 coupling 20 14 16 11 13 circuit 20 13 16 13 13 Gear ratio 10 7 8 8 9 total15096101106117

Driving behavior

  Maximum Honda Score
CB 650 F KTM
690 Duke R MV Agusta
Rival 800 Yamaha
MT-09 vote / comfort 20 12 13 9 11 Suspension reserves when loading 20 11 13 13 9 Manageability on mountain passes 20 15 19 17 16 Stability in turns 20 13 13 12 11 Steering precision / feedback 20 14 15 10 13 Braking effect 20 14 13 14 15 Downhill braking / fading 20 12 9 9 12 SECTION 15 11 10 10 10 Traction control 5 0 0 2 0 Righting moment when braking 10 8 9 5 6 No inclination when loading 10 6 9 9 7 total180116123110110

everyday life

  Maximum Honda Score
CB 650 F KTM
690 Duke R MV Agusta
Rival 800 Yamaha
MT-09 equipment 20 4 7 6 7 Luggage storage 10 1 1 1 1 Range passes 20 19 14 5 11 Payload 20 8 8 4 5 Loading handling 10 8 9 8 8 Front / rear view 10 8 5 3 7 Ground clearance with pillion passenger and luggage 10 7 7 6 5 total10055513344

Comfort

  Maximum Honda Score
CB 650 F KTM
690 Duke R MV Agusta
Rival 800 Yamaha
MT-09 seating comfort driver 20 13 10 8 13 Seating comfort passenger 20 10 9 4 8 Wind and weather protection 20 0 0 1 0 Smooth running engine 10 7 3 7 8 total7030222029

  Maximum score Honda CB 650 F KTM 690 Duke R MV Agusta rival 800 Yamaha MT-09 overall standings 500 297 297 269 300 placement 2. 2. 3. 1.

Conclusion

KTM’s 690 Duke R offers considerable maturity and great driving pleasure. But their supermoto concept allows few compromises. This is especially true for the radical MV Agusta Rivale 800. Honda’s brand new CB 650 F was the favorite. But a little tame, without smoke and kick, her four-cylinder in the curve carousel is not fully convincing. The Yamaha three-cylinder does that even more. The Yamaha MT-09 just made it to the final despite the underdamped chassis.

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