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Wunderlich-BMW R 1200 R vs. Ducati Multistrada 1260 Pikes Peak

Hill climb

When two people do the same thing, it’s far from the same. Inspired by many victories in the world’s most demanding hill climb, the Ducati Multistrada 1260 Pikes Peak is in the running for buyers’ favor. In contrast, the R 1200 R from BMW specialist Wunderlich itself successfully stormed the mountain in the USA. good luck for!

The illusion is perfect. Almost. After all, we’re not in Colorado, in the Rocky Mountains, but just between Cleversulzbach and Eberstadt. The start of our “race” is not at 2,862, but at just 190 meters above sea level. The gray asphalt lane through deep green forest looks like a tunnel here too, but does not lead to the tree line and then further up into the sky. No matter. Because Jens and I rely on two fascinating driving machines. Tea D.ucati Multistrada 1260 Pikes Peak bears the name of the toughest and craziest hill climb in the world. The Italians have triumphed here six times since 2008, most recently on June 24, 2018 with pilot Carlin Dunne. King of the Mountain!

Wunderlich-BMW R 1200 R vs. Ducati Multistrada 1260 Pikes Peak

Hill climb

The most expensive multistrada

However, this most expensive of all Multistrada (24,390 euros, uff) is not a commercially available production racer, but rather a homage, a bow to the exertions of the factory team. After all, Ducati was just able to put KTM in their place in 2018 with the 1290 Super Duke R and the 790 Duke. In contrast, this very special BMW R 1200 R sniffed mountain air in Colorado itself. Wunderlich works rider Thilo Gunther took part in the 2017 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with exactly this motorcycle. And promptly took fifth place in its class, the “heavyweight motorcycles”, for the brave team from Sinzig at the premiere. hats off.

Jacek Bilski

156 corners have to be mastered at Pikes Peak.

Because at Pikes Peak you have to master 156 bends over 19.99 kilometers, with almost no training opportunities. Simply crazy. The only German in the field had to play Playstation for months in preparation to memorize the demanding route. In contrast, the Nordschleife looks almost harmless. Just watching the well-made YouTube videos by Jens Kuck, including an eagle perspective in the mountains, is guaranteed to give you goose bumps. So: what kind of R 1200 R is that with which fishing port racer Thilo Gunther excelled in sports up to 4,301 meters?

A naked hit

This is no longer the cozy, sociable all-rounder. This is a naked hit. The Magura HC3 pump allows itself to be dosed digitally, on / off, but pulling with two fingers. Once you’ve figured it out, you can go from zero to 100 in 3.1 seconds. Or from zero to 200 in ten seconds. Respect. Jens is not slower on the Multistrada, but the V2 also mobilizes a nominal 158 horses (measured 155), the Boxer "just" 127 on the roll in compliance with the German Road Traffic Act. In the illegal racing trim, matched to the roaring pipe exhaust, racing fuel and racing mapping, the Flat Twin is said to have pushed up to 146 hp, according to Wunderlich.

Jacek Bilski

The R 1200 R has been fine-tuned for the Pikes Peak.

As a racing legacy, the boxer carries modified camshafts, slipper pistons, high-strength forged connecting rods and machined inlet / outlet channels for more rotation reserves. A Remus muffler sits on thick, but light power manifolds. Despite the E-mark, it releases a real thunderstorm of sound. This horn doesn’t just blow dry the cilia, it also shakes the entire inner ear. Slapping and sliding in push mode has a swanky, ostentatious effect in an urban environment. A BMW brushed for a riot. Proof of the brawny boxer? He distributes powerfully, converts every slightest turn on the short-stroke throttle (with cable pull and modified potentiometer for ride-by-wire) into propulsion, turns up freely.

R 1200 R 26 kilos lighter than standard

The Renn-R pushes great, punches like Klitschko’s rights. Left hook, right hook, then the straight line. The secret? The BMW weighs a delicate 216 kilograms, 26 kilograms less than standard. The "saving measures": light, hand-welded rear frame made of aluminum with carbon humps (with TÜV certificate around 2,000 euros), passenger pegs removed, no seat, lighter exhaust and lots of carbon parts up to the front mask. This motorcycle has no attitude, it has a mission: “Auffi muass i.” The carbon-reinforced Ducati weighs around 30 kilograms more. She is sensual, strong and noble. In addition, it is fully suitable for touring and with a partner, fully equipped with everything you need to zip and zap, knick and knack – right through to a multimedia system and smartphone connectivity. Technology meets style and spirit.

Jacek Bilski

Ducati has also given the Multistrada some parts made of carbon.

Your V2 thuds and trumpets a little quieter from the Termignoni pot. The Desmo-Twin starts cautiously at below 3,000 revolutions. From 5,000 tours at the latest, the V2 staccato blows to the fiery drum roll. With 7,000 turns, pure potency follows. Now the variable valve control DVT is flexing its Italian muscles, the Multi goes like Schmitz’s cat. Those who want it really hard can use the preconfigured sport driving mode. The print is reminiscent of the unstoppable swing of a wrecking ball when pivoting through rotten masonry. But the multi can also be different. Because sport means exertion, all other driving modes provide the right program for more relaxed driving on request. The touring mode without performance castration and not quite as abrupt response quickly turns out to be a favorite choice.

Shift up and down without clutch

At 234 meters above sea level in Hohenlohischen we don’t yet have to struggle with mountain air and lack of oxygen. Here as there, the Blipper allows upshifts and downshifts without a clutch. Suddenly the straights get pretty short. It’s good that the Ducati’s brembos brake, as if the person in charge had personally thrown anchor. Even in mode 2 (with deactivated rear wheel lift detection) of the Bosch cornering ABS, the rear lurches during extreme stops. In ABS mode 3, there is safe rest, i.e., grip. Ducati recommends ABS mode 1 only for off-road use. It only monitors the front wheel, the ABS cornering function and lift detection do not intervene when the vehicle is stopped at the limit.

Jacek Bilski

Both bikes inspire in their own way.

The BMW four-piston stoppers are also crisp and authentic. Actuated with two fingers, they bite tightly on Moto-Master discs with a saw blade design. Crazy, this Magura hand pump! There are major differences in the seating position. The tall Jens sits comfortably and comfortably “in” the Multi, enjoying the well integrated, fluffy, comfortable space behind the 20 liter tank with a very wide top. From a sporting point of view, he wanted a little more freedom of movement. After all, the Ducati is nice and narrow at the bottom. Therefore everything fits for the lower extremities, including perfect knee closure.

Attack by the Wunderlich BMW

This special R 1200 R exudes zero touring competence, a frenzied antithesis to a standard BMW ex works. Attack! The wide, barely cranked Magura handlebar appears extremely stable. Together with the plump footrest system, it creates a fighting posture. Adapters on their mount bring milled aluminum notches far to the rear and significantly higher. Knee angle? Damn sharp. Seating comfort? Forget it. Yeah, that’s racing, baby. 85 centimeters high, this breath of nothing on a bench sits enthroned, the wafer-thin and not long-term uncomfortable foam overlay on carbon. After all, it only has to be good for 19.99 kilometers. Hard, raw, cool – with a BMW!

Jacek Bilski

On your marks, get set, go!

Absolutely real, with perfect feedback, the Renn-R storms the mountain. No electronically controlled, but "analog" dampers are at work here. It is a signal: What is not there cannot break. Especially since the chassis with Wunderlich spring elements works excellently for its purposes. The long suspension strut with a hard spring, remote adjustment and adjustable height is unyieldingly tightly tuned. The creamy damping fork shines with a lot of progression at the end of the spring travel. Inside there is a cartridge system that is actually intended for a powerful S 1000 RR. BMW can build chassis. And Wunderlich impressively refine and improve them.

A and O is enough wheel load in front

The BMW specialist from Sinzig can do more than just hang machines with all sorts of accessories and climbing frames. Managing director Frank Hoffmann brought all of his experience as an ex-racing driver and from his time at Ohlins to the table: “The most important thing is having enough wheel load at the front.” 116 kilograms at the front are compared to just 100 at the rear. BMWs aren’t exactly known as feedback world champions. But this one drives like transformed. When you run over a euro coin, you would not just distinguish heads or tails, but notice in which country it was minted. Honest, firm and earthy.

Jacek Bilski

The Wunderlich doesn’t have much to do with the standard R 1200 R..

Even a standard R 1200 R is a handy, nimble country road file. But this one tops it. When turning in, the naked (ex) racing motorcycle reacts immediately and directly, but never nervously. The BMW steering commands are implemented exactly one to one. Crisp, sharp, highly precise. A kind of life insurance if a deep abyss lurks next to the road. Well-gripping Metzeler Sportec M 7 RRs are a sporty announcement, the stone guard on the radiator grille is not a luxury at a race where rubble is always on the road.

Only the low-lying enduro footpegs of the Ducati will eventually create furrows in the asphalt. If sister Multi 1260 S controls the chassis semi-actively, the Pikes Peak is on conventional Ohlins material. It works great, keeps the Multi stable on course even at 250 km / h. Although the Pikes Peak does not shine with outstanding handiness, and is driven by the super-wide handlebars, the rolling all-purpose weapon masters every radius reliably and easily and lies as if parched on the road. Without neglecting comfort through excessive hardness. The spring elements offer plenty of space for individual adjustments. Only for Carlin Dunne and his success at Pikes Peak 2018 that would probably be too convenient.

MOTORCYCLE conclusion

Both concepts turn on right, albeit completely different. The big, strong and heavier Ducati beguiles with noble components and great drivability. It also pampers you with the finest finish. And the sportiest of all Multistrada bears the nimbus of the optically identical racing motorcycle as a broad, purchasable homage. The Wunderlich BMW is completely different: it IS a hit. Hard, light, uncompromising. Here, a very committed team with plenty of know-how consistently adapted all assemblies to the credo of the racing company. A BMW that captivates you, that you feel perfectly. Wow. A roadster became a hit and was now poorly trimmed for road use again. respect.

Pikes Peak: from summiteers and mountain conquerors

112 years of history, 156 curves, 1,439 meters of difference in altitude to the finish at 4,301 meters. The atmosphere and the special requirements of the toughest mountain race in the world are unique. 19.99 kilometers that are tough.

The view high up in the Colorado Rocky Mountains is breathtaking. So is the performance of the drivers. The 19.99 kilometer route has numerous dangers in store: slippery road markings, guard rail posts, unyielding trees and rocks right next to the road. Thilo Gunther, who started racing for Wunderlich on this R 1200 R in 2017 and on an S 1000 R in 2018, says it like this: "You drive steeply uphill, you only see the horizon, you have to turn jagged but blindly after the next ledge. "Well, a few meters away, there are often abysses several hundred meters deep. wonder that all participants in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) are celebrated as real heroes.

Sascha Bartel / Sash Media

156 corners have to be mastered in the legendary hill climb.

Champions of this most famous and most spectacular hill climb in the world enjoy the same status in the USA as TT winners in Europe. The "Race to the Clouds" first started in 1916. A pure gravel road led from the start at 2,862 meters above sea level (higher than almost any Alpine pass!) To the 4,301 meter high summit of Pikes Peak. Today’s route has been completely paved since August 2011. With 156 curves it overcomes 1,439 meters of altitude with an average gradient of seven percent and a steep temperature gradient. In the past up to four drivers started at the same time, today everyone drives against the clock alone. Walter Rohrl’s victory in 1987 in the Audi Sport quattro S1 E2 became legendary for German motorsport fans. The race is held in various classes for solo motorcycles, sidecars, cars, electric vehicles and prototypes. Trend: Cars are faster than motorcycles. In the meantime, electric racing cars are achieving the absolute best times, one from VW in 2018: Combustion vehicles lose around 40 percent of their engine power compared to sea level in the low-oxygen air at the summit!

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