Motorcycle development since 1997

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Motorcycle development since 1997
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motorcycles

Motorcycle development since 1997

Motorcycle development since 1997
Bigger, faster, more expensive

Motorcycles have grown in every way over the last few decades – they got better and better, but also more and more powerful, faster and bigger. And more expensive anyway. Can, will, should or must go on like this?

Eva Breutel

October 12, 2017

The horsepower overkill of the West from motorcycles seemed close at hand. For example, when Yamaha put the Vmax on the road in 1984 with an unbelievable 145 hp. Even the MOTORRAD testers described it as a “brutally motorized muscle machine”. Or in 1999, when the Suzuki Hayabusa took the stage and caused a stir with a good 300 km / h. “Der Spiegel” wrote of “madness”, and “Playboy” reported that the driver felt “like a jet pilot”. And the experts, especially those outside the motorcycle scene, were certain: That’s it, nothing more is possible.

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Of course it was. And not just stronger and faster. Many motorcycles have also gotten bigger, wider and often even heavier over the years. They no longer worry about excited articles in “Spiegel” or “Playboy”. To this end, even hopeless motorcycle freaks are gradually asking themselves: Do we even need all of this? Wouldn’t less be more sometimes, especially for driving pleasure? And must a spontaneous pull on the throttle lead close to the driver’s license being withdrawn or stepping on sloping ground end up as a balancing act, because driving is so damn difficult?

A look back two decades shows how much motorcycles have changed. It feels like 1997 wasn’t that long ago. The euro did not yet exist, but the cell phone certainly did. And Valentino Rossi was already world champion when he was 18 in the 125cc class. At that time, around 49 million motor vehicles were registered in Germany, around 2.7 million of which were motorcycles. Today, with almost the same population, there are more than 55.5 million vehicles, including a good four million motorcycles. So the traffic has also increased significantly.

In 1997, motorcyclists looked longingly at the beautiful Ducati 916. The top model was called the SPS and boasted 134 hp and a weight of 207 kg. With more horsepower, but also significantly more mass, Suzuki’s not-so-beautiful super sports car, the GSX-R 1100 W, was waiting for: 155 horsepower at 251 kg. From today’s perspective, such key data appear antiquated. Constructive finesse has greatly reduced the weight, tire development has made a giant leap, and modern technology provides power in the 200 hp range. But that is obviously not enough. Because the two-cylinder has reached the end of its power, Ducati is now building a four-cylinder engine with 210 hp. And it will probably have to offer even more electronics than before so that at least a small part of this PS violence can be managed on the street.

While the athletes lost a lot of weight, other categories have been adding massive pounds since 1997, especially the travel enduros, which are now replacing the megatourers in many ways. Example BMW GS: Compared to the 1100 series from 1997, the main thing that changed in today’s standard GS was the output, which increased by 45 hp. The current top model, the R 1200 GS Adventure, but also increased significantly in terms of weight and dimensions. All the more when you compare it to the dainty original G / S from 1980: 30 centimeters higher, 18 centimeters wider and 70 kilograms heavier – the machine towers like a rugged mountain range. But it still has commercial success: around 40 percent of GS riders choose the big adventure.

So are we motorcyclists to blame for motorcycles with extreme performance or extreme weight? Do we not even dare to take to the streets without ESA, ASC, DTC, ASR, cruise control, and whatever the names of the electronic helpers? Although some features are only necessary because the machines are too lavishly equipped: With a 200 kg motorcycle, nobody would need a starting aid on the mountain. The 95 hp of the Honda Africa Twin could also be controlled without traction control, assuming a reasonably sensitive throttle hand.


Motorcycle development since 1997


MOTORCYCLE

Notable exception: Honda refused the arms race and only relied on moderate increases in the new Africa Twin.

The fact that we often choose the full equipment has a lot to do with the pursuit of perfection and security that permeates all areas of our life. For a two-hour hike, we throw ourselves into high-tech outdoor clothing that mountaineers could only dream of 20 years ago. We drive to the office in the big SUV, even if crossing a stream on the way is rather unlikely. And for the Dolomites it has to be an all-round carefree package like the Adventure, although excursions off-road are prohibited there and the only real adventure is not to lose your balance at the gas station.

The industry provides us with the appropriate machines. The development motto “bigger, faster, wider” shows a certain lack of ideas and can definitely lead to the loser road. Ducati, for example, upgraded its former crowd favorite Monster until it was no longer one and even the most loyal customers turned away. Moto Guzzi transformed the not necessarily brilliant, but charming California into the mega cruiser “Flying Fortress” and turned away the regular customers with the oversized Brummer. Kawasaki finally relied on sheer strength. The 1997 ZZR had an open 147 hp and was for a long time the most powerful production motorcycle in the world. But the 98 hp of the throttle version customary at the time would just be enough for a place in the middle class today, but not particularly far ahead – the classification has shifted that much in the meantime. The actual ZZR 1400 on the other hand, although it has a whopping 200 hp, it does not even make it into the top 100 annual new registrations in Germany. Performance or sheer size alone are not enough in the long run if the concept behind it is not convincing.

After all, a certain trend reversal has set in. Surprised by the success of rather weak bikes in the steadily growing customizer scene, BMW and Ducati dusted their air-cooled engines and presented credible counter-designs to the mega motorcycles with the R nineT and the Scrambler. Yamaha launched the sleek MT series, and there is currently even a downsizing movement among travel enduros, sparked by the success of the Honda Africa Twin, which dispenses with superlatives of any kind.

Of course, extreme motorcycles have their place, they are the icing on the cake. Only the soup itself, it should be a bit more digestible again.

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