All Duels – Duel Ducati 899 Panigale Vs Kawasaki ZX-6R 636: off to the track! – Circuit: 899 Panigale and ZX-6R 636 finally let go

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Duel Ducati 899 Panigale Vs Kawasaki ZX-6R 636: off to the track !

All Duels - Duel Ducati 899 Panigale Vs Kawasaki ZX-6R 636: off to the track! - Circuit: 899 Panigale and ZX-6R 636 finally let go

In the – stricken – segment of medium-displacement sports motorcycles, the last two innovations have appeared at Ducati and Kawasaki. They highlight their versatility and it was therefore logical that MNC opposes these 899 Panigale and ZX-6R 636. Duel.

Circuit: 899 Panigale and ZX-6R 636 finally let go

On the end of the departmental connecting the motorway exit and the circuit, Site is sprayed by a heavy downpour. In these conditions, the rigid Ducati really does not make you want to play: whether it goes into a small hollow or a simple bump, the pilot is immediately warned by a sharp blow to the handlebars or saddle….

The Panigale may be wrapped in electronics, the strong reactions of its suspensions result in unexpected deviations of trajectory. But what we fear above all is a sudden loss of grip, difficult to recover in the event of a side slide. !

On the Kawasaki, "the suspension settings have been thoroughly reworked to give the driver confidence on winding roads and thus allow him to enjoy the sporting performance of the Ninja ZX-6R 636". And this beautiful marketing discourse is verified on our soggy road !

The Japanese swallow small irregularities in the road much better than the Italian. Less restless, the Ninja encourages you to put a little more gas and brakes – despite the absence of ABS – than the Panigale, especially in these tricky conditions.

Fortunately, the rain stopped shortly after our arrival on the circuit … Sheltered in the main building, MNC patiently waits for the wind, which happily continues to blow, clears the clouds and dries the track. The editorial staff have ants in their gloves, and it’s not because of the Kawasaki this time !

Our two motorcycles are fitted with sports tires (see our table "Conditions and routes") which do not really make you want to turn on a wet circuit. It is only at the beginning of the afternoon that the tarmac becomes passable again…

As a warm-up, Site invests the small upper loop of the circuit while colleagues from the automotive press have fun working on the lower portion with a Caterham Seven and a (!).

1.2 km long, our first playground includes the biggest and the most technical – the most beautiful! – braking of the circuit, located at the end of a small straight line commanded by the first and long curve (the "Droit de la ferme", for the initiated).

It is at the bottom of four that we tumble into the entrance to the double right. When taking the brakes, the Ducati rider has the advantage: the thighs close pressed against the thin tank and the arms firmly anchored to the wide handlebars, he can conveniently pull on the right lever while precisely guiding his motorcycle in this delicate approach..

A little less well set on the Kawasaki, the pilot must manage a higher mass transfer which does not simplify things when it comes time to give a little angle to dive into the second straight. The bite of the Nissins is not as pleasurable as that of the Brembo, but the power is there.

More annoying, over the – small – turns the right lever of the Ninja ends up showing signs of weakness while that of the Panigale – connected to the calipers by braided hoses – offers an unwavering constancy. Heavy brakemen will appreciate !

By approaching the following pif-paf, the balance of power is reversed: more grouped on his motorcycle, the 636 pilot clears the right-left sequence more easily than his honorable colleague fierce rival, forced to force a little more on the handlebars of his 899.

More physical, the Ducati also requires more attention than the Kawasaki when negotiating bumpy passages. Now traversing the entire route, Site realizes it in particular by attacking the tenth bend of the route, the "Bois des ecuyers".

There is a nasty bump just after the break to the right – and downhill! – which leads to this tenth bend. Going almost unnoticed during our many trips with the Japanese, it gave us a little fright when driving for the first time with the Italian…

As the Ninja absorbs the shock without batting an eyelid, the Panigale jerks sharply: the impact on the front wheel seems to pass unfiltered from front to back, up the fork, through the frame, down along the shock absorber. towards the swingarm and finally shaking the rear wheel…

On the track, this jolt results in a gap of half a meter: still happy that MNC was not touching the edge of the track at this precise moment! Suddenly, with the Ducati, we negotiate certain parts of the riders circuit with a higher safety margin, so less quickly.

By spending a whole day on the circuit, apprentices "païlotes" will be able to review the settings of their suspensions. We note on occasion that the settings of the Showa BPF fork of the Ducati are very accessible: hydraulic at the fork crown, preload at the level of the feet (yes, yes!). As on the ZX-6R "quite short".

On the Ninja 636, Kawasaki rode a Showa SFF-BP. It still encloses a large piston but also separates the spring settings (preload on the left tube) and those of the damping and rebound (hydraulic on the right tube). Even faster and easier to adjust !

In order not to tangle the mouse, the Journal moto du Net prefers to keep the original settings during this afternoon of driving. In doing so, MNC can confirm the opposite characters of the two cycle parts: rigorous and nervous for the Ducati, flexible and serene for the Kawasaki..

Both bridged to 106 horsepower – to be able to ride on the open road in France – but conscientiously whipped, the bikes no longer leave each other in the straight uphill line of the circuit and briefly exceed 200 km / h before plunging into the far right.

Despite a deficit of 15 Nm, the 636 clings incredibly well to the 899 in the other small stretches! Cut – supercar style – to develop maximum power, the 898 cc (!) Superquadro does not support Franco-French clamping as well..

Yet deprived of its distinctive length, the 636 cc "four-legged" is a very pleasant surprise. "Improved performance at all speeds is welcome when it comes to driving in the mountains or on the track", signal the Greens who were right to add 37 – big – cc to their Supersport !

We note in passing that, on the other hand, the Japanese would do well to remove 37 mm from their – ridiculously – long rider saddle: when accelerating, it is impossible to put your buttocks against the backsplash of the Ninja, unless extend the arms almost to the maximum (!). Suddenly, the pilot is forced to cling to the handlebars.

With models in the original configuration, the confrontation would undoubtedly have turned to the advantage of the Panigale (148 hp), but it is not said that it could have gotten rid of the ZX-6R (137 hp) … Especially since at the end of the straight line, the Kawasaki encourages its rider to enter the next bumpy curve harder.

At the end of the curve, on the other hand, the 99 Nm of the Bologna twin might have allowed him to move away, little by little, from the 4-cylinder Akashi and its respectable torque of 71 Nm maximum, the electronic crutches ( Traction Control) allowing today to take advantage of the full potential of engines…

In the French version, however, the power modes are not very useful. Site only engaged the "Wet" or "Low" modes once, to see … that there was just not much to see !

Already well settled down when crossing our border – but what border, anyway ?! -, the two engines are perfectly manageable, even in the wet, in their sportiest modes. Note that the Ducati’s "Race" mode deactivates the ABS at the rear wheel: it’s up to you – not to us … – the beautiful glides of the rear !

More physical and demanding, the Ducati is no less efficient and exhilarating. Completing a clean turn on the handlebars is rewarding, because it is not an easy thing: a too hasty go-around, braking disturbed by a connection or a rope attacked too early are errors that cannot be forgiven on the Panigale. No wonder we see so few Ducati in motorcycle endurance !

The Kawasaki, on the other hand, allows you to turn longer without – too much – straining the muscles or the brain: on the Ninja, you can afford to give yourself a little gas in the middle of the curve without straying too much, to brake on the ” angle without having to go around a bumpy passage or to pass baffles without swaying too much to one side, then the other.

It was not until the last lap of the circuit had been completed that Site noticed that heavy clouds had again accumulated above the track … As he climbed back onto the 636, the Kawasaki rider cracked his pants. rain in the crotch because of this damn reservoir: the return to the capital promises to be long…

Despite this incident and despite the vibrations that will tickle him all the way home, the Ninja would not exchange his "ZX-6" for a Panigale: after a long afternoon on the track, the mere idea of ​​stuffing himself noise of the pot, the position more radical and the saddle – still a little harder – seems to him far too drunk. "Intoxicating", will correct the incorrigible tifosis !

Thanks

Site would like to warmly thank Franck Guittard and his team, who welcomed us with open arms to the Ecuyers circuit. Inaugurated in September 2007, this superb track is located next to Beuvardes (02), about 100 km north-east of Paris (A4 motorway).

Traced in a natural setting of 55 hectares, it is FFM approved and receives an Alfano loop as well as transponders. The circuit gives pride of place to driving throughout its 3.5 km (width 10 to 12 m) and its 3% drop: physical and offering wide clearances, it combines long turns with a lot of downforce pins and other tight baffles, passing through several delicate curves because on a slope.

The circuit also offers quality infrastructure and equipment: toilets, showers, changing rooms, large car park, large paddocks, compressor, food and drink vending machines. The best way to spend a day in comfortable conditions !

No wonder then that the Ecuyers circuit is the setting for numerous training courses and driving days organized by structures like Marne Moto Sport and also offers Open days (free) two to four times a month, at a cost of € 110 (85 euros for members of the Ecuyers club).

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