All the Duels – F 800 R Vs Street R: two Europeans who have the n’Rs! – Nice but different

F 800 R Vs Street R: two Europeans who have the n’Rs !

All the Duels - F 800 R Vs Street R: two Europeans who have the n'Rs! - Nice but different

The resistance is getting organized: tired of seeing Japanese manufacturers selling their mid-capacity roadsters by the thousands, the Europeans have reacted … and beautifully: Triumph and BMW, in particular, offer two balls of nerves. Comparative test !

Nice but different

Their price and their rogue look are perhaps the only common points of this BMW and this Triumph because in use, they differ considerably in their engine, their cycle part and even their radically opposed philosophy. !

On the one hand, the Street Triple clearly shows the color: it’s a moth equipped for the attack! Its featherweight and 106 hp vociferated by its 3-cylinder give it formidable efficiency.

On the other hand, despite its war paint, the F 800 R intends to spare the goat and the cabbage: its twin of "only" 87 hp aims more versatility of use than ultimate performance..

Richly endowed

Our two Europeans honestly justify their higher prices than the Japanese competition: both offer fairly complete on-board computers and have a gear indicator engaged and a shift-light !

On the other hand, it is not easy to quickly and well raise the speed at which we drive: the analog scale is a little tight on the Behemian and the counter of the Triumph suffers from the reflections of the handlebar trigger guard very annoying during the day. This problem is nevertheless fixed on the 2010 model which receives a new instrumentation much more readable, thanks to the tachometer with orange background..

Other good news, no offense to the diehard Behemists: we find on the F 800 R more or less normal commodos. The indicators and especially the horn and the beacon have returned to the place they have on (almost!) All motorcycles on the market.

The specificities

The standard Street Triple already sported very nice equipment but the R is also equipped with adjustable suspensions for preload, compression and rebound, front and rear..

The higher shock absorber slightly balances the attitude of the motorcycle on the front to put noticeably more pressure on the handlebars and to obtain a better feeling of the front axle. With new radial calipers, braking does not gain particularly in power but progresses well in feeling.

Regarding the F 800 R, the tribute to Chris Pfeiffer is limited to cosmetic aspects: without a wheeling bar or protections, the stunt is not on the program of this machine. Moreover, the ABS present on the motorcycle of our test was not disconnectable, which greatly limits any hint of antics. !

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