Duel Yamaha MT-10 SP Vs Kawasaki Z1000R: monstrous !
Sharpened by high-end peripherals, the Kawasaki Z1000R and Yamaha MT-10 SP embody the quintessence of high-performance Japanese roadsters with a strong character. Their supercharged 4-cylinders and their tortured faces confirm it: this new MNC duel will be explosive !
Duel MT-10 SP Vs Z1000R – P1: Static
"What happened with your motorbike? Did you fall? The front is all damaged?!". The joke falls flat, but the pike hits the mark: this MT-10 SP is the perfect antithesis of a fluid and elegant design … What a face! The Yamaha roadster pours into an aggressive register, Transformers style raised in manga sauce. Let us recognize in its designers an overflowing imagination !
- MNC Smart-Video : Live from the duel Z1000R Vs MT-10 SP
- MNC test : Yamaha MT-10 SP 2017
- Comparo MNC : MT-10 Vs Tuono V4RR Vs GSX-S1000 2016
- Comparo MNC : Z1000 Vs CB1000R Vs GSX-S1000 2015
- Comparo MNC : Z1000 Vs Monster 1200 Vs Super Duke R Vs S1000R 2014
- Comparo MNC :
However, the Z1000R in front of it has nothing to envy: since its redesign in 2014, the Kawasaki and its reptilian style "Sugomi" is not exactly exquisite beauty. Bestial? Yes. Graceful? No ! Its stocky front part is as appealing as its flattened optics, curiously low, intimidating … These two hyper sporty roadsters scare children, even during Halloween !
No other motorcycle of Japanese production pushes the aesthetic bias so far. Who said "luckily" ?! But their similarities don’t stop at stylistic considerations: their 1043 cc (Z1000) and 998 cc (MT-10) 4-cylinder engines also have a strong temperament in common. The visual slap is nothing compared to the huge slap administered by these fire pumps! On this point again, they have no rival in the land of the rising sun.
This nervousness is particularly palpable on the 4-legged with asynchronous setting of the MT-10 SP, which eclipses the Z1000R at startup with its rocky melody with V4 accents. Small disappointment for the Kawasaki, whose suave and metallic song is not especially valued by its optional Akrapovic. Its original double pots, at least as loud – or even more? -, above all fit better into the general silhouette. Our may help you decide !?
- MNC Smart-Video :
Last similarity between the two: like certain European motorcycles, the Z1000 and the MT-10 are available in a sportier version – designated by the suffix "R" and "SP" – strong attractive peripherals responsible for enhancing their dynamic qualities. It must be said that their original cycle part is put to the test with the 142 hp manly spit by the Kawasaki and the 160.4 nags (particularly appropriate qualifier!) Of the Yamaha…
If their engine and their perimeter frame are "stock", their suspensions rise seriously in rank, especially on the MT-10 SP: the Yam ‘receives nothing less than the fork and the Ohlins shock absorber with electronic calibration of the Superbike R1M. It also steals from the standard R1 its single-acting shifter (upshift only) and its hyper-complete and well-arranged color TFT matrix instrumentation, in addition to being controlled from the handlebars..
By comparison, the Z1000R’s monochrome dashboard and multi-colored Christmas garland-style tachometer are getting a little old. The comparison is all the more disadvantageous as its information is quite small and scrolling through it requires pressing a button on the dashboard (details on page 3 and in our).
In this "R" version, the Kawasaki, on the other hand, exhibits Brembo monobloc calipers with radial fixing more rewarding than the 4-radial pistons – yet not disgusting – of the Yamaha. The same goes for its "aviation" metal hoses (rubber on MT-10, as on standard Z1000). Its sporty feel is also reinforced by the grafting of a fully adjustable Ohlins rear shock absorber, which we appreciate the offset dial to adjust the preload..
Its inverted fork comes from the basic "Zed", as well as its very limited electronic assistance. It’s simple: apart from ABS, it does not carry any "chip"! Fun in some cases, questionable in others: despite its very good traction, traction control would not be too much to ride serenely all year round. A "comma" involuntarily left by MNC early in the morning in a still wet curve is there to testify…
Quite the opposite of the MT-10 SP, where electronics reign supreme! Traction control adjustable on three levels and disconnectable (TCS), setting of engine responsiveness (Power), automatic or manual adjustment of its luxurious Swedish suspensions (NIX30 at the front and TTX36 at the rear): the MT-10 SP is a real "flea bag" !
In this, it is positioned as an R1 in undress … and its price suffers: 15,999 € (the price of one!) Against 14,199 € for the Z1000R. Not given, the "monsters" !
To simplify its use, driving modes (A, B, C, D) offer pre-programmed values for each function. Everyone is then free to adjust them manually to shape their own modes: more engine responsiveness (not too much anyway, because its ride-by-wire is ticklish!), Little traction control and firm damping for working out, the reverse for everyday life. And why not also a "very soft" mode at the engine and suspension level for duo trips? Several motorcycles in one, in short !
The only problem: switching from one mode to another requires being at a standstill, while logic would require that we can change configuration depending on the state of the road. The traction control which is reactivated automatically after each stop of the engine will also frustrate the amateurs of wheelies, natural figure for the MT-10 thanks to its extreme geometry (1400 mm of wheelbase against 1435 mm for the Z1000), its light weight (210 kg against 221) and its mechanical strength !
Continued in our dynamic test … which perfectly bears its name with such motorcycles !
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