Superbikes 2012 – The super athletes on the high-speed track

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Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

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Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

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The super athletes: Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC, BMW S 1000 RR, Ducati 1199 Panigale S, Honda Fireblade, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, KTM 1190 RC8 R, MV Agusta F4 RR, Suzuki GSX-R 1000, Yamaha YZF-R1 at high speed -Track in Nardo.

Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

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The super athletes: Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC, BMW S 1000 RR, Ducati 1199 Panigale S, Honda Fireblade, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, KTM 1190 RC8 R, MV Agusta F4 RR, Suzuki GSX-R 1000, Yamaha YZF-R1 at high speed -Track in Nardo.

Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

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Almost extraterrestrial: the Nardo full-throttle runway from the air.

Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

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BMW S 1000 RR.

Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

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Ducati 1199 Panigale S..

Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

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And the tires? “Special tires from Pirelli!” “Thank God!” .

Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

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MV Agusta F4 RR.

Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

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Honda Fireblade.

Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

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Driving comfortably fast is no problem with the GSX-R 1000.

Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

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Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R.

Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

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KTM 1190 RC8 R..

Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

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Suzuki GSX-R 1000.

Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

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Yamaha YZF-R1.

Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

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The super athletes: Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC, BMW S 1000 RR, Ducati 1199 Panigale S, Honda Fireblade, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, KTM 1190 RC8 R, MV Agusta F4 RR, Suzuki GSX-R 1000, Yamaha YZF-R1 at high speed -Track in Nardo.

Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

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“How do we do it?” “Always full throttle!” “All right“.

Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

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It’s all a question of fuel! That was a number two years ago. At the first Nardo full throttle marathon, MOTORRAD filled up with commercial premium gasoline at the local Italian petrol station. When four engines quit working with more or less major damage, suspicion fell on the fuel. We don’t know whether rightly or wrongly, but there are indications that the quality was not the best. Since then, one thing has been clear: the KTM RC8 R at that time needed Super Plus (and has since had a 95 RON mapping variant). And MOTORRAD is fueling Shell V-Power Racing, specially delivered by Shell to Nardo. Thanks a lot for this!

Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

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The super athletes: Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC, BMW S 1000 RR, Ducati 1199 Panigale S, Honda Fireblade, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, KTM 1190 RC8 R, MV Agusta F4 RR, Suzuki GSX-R 1000, Yamaha YZF-R1 in the mega test.

Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

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Ducati 1199 Panigale S: A top performance on the brakes, but weaknesses in straight-line stability.

Comparison test: Superbikes 2012, BMW S 1000 RR, Ducati 1199 Panigale S, Honda Fireblade, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, KTM 1190 RC8 R, MV Agusta F4 1000 RR, Suzuki GSX-R 1000, Yamaha YZF-R1 / R1M

The super athletes on the high-speed track

Ducati pulls out all the stops: In addition to the most powerful V2 of all time, the Ducati Panigale also comes with lots of electronics and a kit with wind deflectors to improve aerodynamics. Can the new Superbike star be so well equipped on the high-speed course in Nardo?

Aston Martin, Ferrari, Porsche. Fat Daimler, sporty BMW. Alfa, Ford and Opel. All camouflaged with mighty plastic bulges and centimeter-thick tape, in a hurry between the handling course, dynamic area and high-speed runway. And in between? Nine super athletes in robber civilian clothes. Signal colors and colorful racing suits that stand out in the middle of this camouflage armada like a carnival procession on the Inner Alster. The dutiful Nardo officials are always present as escorts and are meticulous to ensure that the birds of paradise do not get out of line here or even penetrate into unauthorized terrain. Or take photos even though all the cell phone lenses are properly glued. All the pictures on the following pages were therefore taken on Sunday, when the photographer was allowed to take his equipment behind the privacy barricades. On Holy Sunday here in Nardo, in the arch-Catholic southern Italy, even the tireless test teams have a compulsory break.

S.you already notice that this high-speed roundabout is a world of its own. A very serious one too. Here you don’t go to the cellar to laugh, but you do go into your own hall, while the routine exertion is displayed outside. As if test drivers and technicians had to prove with extra grumpy facial features that what you are doing here is by no means fun.

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Superbikes 2012 - The super athletes on the high-speed track

Comparison test: Superbikes 2012
The super athletes on the high-speed track

Ducati Panigale has not yet fully met the high expectations. Neither in everyday life (which was to be expected) nor on the racetrack (which surprised many). Probably much worse for the Ducatisti: On the hunt for the fastest lap time, the Aprilia RSV4 Factory, the Italian ore competition, was right at the top of the podium, while the impressive performance of a BMW S 1000 RR (first place on the Landstrasse, second place on the racetrack) has meanwhile got used to.


The super athletes: Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC, BMW S 1000 RR, Ducati 1199 Panigale S, Honda Fireblade, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, KTM 1190 RC8 R, MV Agusta F4 RR, Suzuki GSX-R 1000, Yamaha YZF-R1 in the mega test.

So now Nardo, the third attempt. Is this uncompromising high-speed track suitable for a superbike that was ruthlessly designed for the racetrack? For one that has extra wind deflectors for the handlebar cut-outs in the fairing. The disciplines: an acceleration orgy (up to 250 km / h), braking in the extreme range (from 250 to 0 km / h), consumption far beyond the usual (at 250 km / h) and above all: nine laps of full throttle, only interrupted by one Driver change per lap. One can hardly imagine the speed at which pistons move up and down in their cylinder liners or what forces act on the bearings and bolts at the top and bottom dead center. Nor do you want to imagine what happens when, during such a full throttle orgy, a link in the frictional connection chain piston-connecting rod-crankshaft-gearbox-secondary drive-rear wheel breaks under the enormous forces. Two years ago we were so white with three minor and one major engine failure. This year BMW called us back because the nut coating on the connecting rod screw connection in part of the 2012 vintage had an incorrect coefficient of friction and the nuts could loosen. Unfortunately only after the Nardo tests had run and the S 1000 RR had held out. Just like everyone else. You have to be lucky sometimes!

So the question of stability has already been clarified. For this test, with these motorcycles mind you. Nevertheless, one can safely count this as the first triumph for the Panigale, because the nominally 195 PS strong V2 is technically inevitably sewn to the edge at least as in the four-cylinder armada the super-powerful BMW. And even in Bavaria, the designers are unlikely to have provided for nine three-minute full-throttle stages in the specifications. For computers that are not quite as fast: That corresponds to a distance of around 110 kilometers in 27 minutes. It accelerates and decelerates nine times – mind you. In other words: if you started in Munich at 7:30 a.m., you would be relaxed at 9:00 a.m. in the Stuttgart center. And would have taken nine pee breaks in between.

Pure theory, but here in Nardo this theory becomes a borderline reality. Just like the acceleration from 0 to 299 km / h. This value simultaneously marks the top speed of the BMW S 1000 RR and the absolute top speed, because no other is that fast. And that, although the Munich-based translation is shorter this year than in model year 2011 and therefore runs into the limiter exactly 6 km / h earlier. The acceleration value of 10.6 seconds to 250 km / h is also slightly worse than in 2011 because this measure increases the permanent wheelie tendency up to third gear. It remains to be seen whether the wheelbase, which is now nine millimeters shorter, or the shorter gear ratio (the sprocket has one more tooth) is responsible for this.


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And the tires? “Special tires from Pirelli!” “Thank God!” .

That doesn’t change the fact that the S 1000 RR is the Queen of Nardo again this year. With this violence, with this impetuous forward thrust, nobody else is charging ahead, and there are several reasons for this. Reason number one: the mighty engine that cheers the limiter like no other even in the five-digit speed range. Reason number two: the clearly defined clutch pressure point that propels the BMW out of the starting blocks like a catapult. Reason number three: the optional automatic gearshift (364 euros), which not only shortens the shift times to fourth gear (that’s enough for 250 km / h), but also minimizes load changes and thus provides additional stability. The result: a sprint from 0 to 100 km / h in 3.2 seconds, from 0 to 200 km / h in 7.2 seconds and from 0 to 250 km / h in the aforementioned 10.6 seconds.

Expressed in meters, this means: After just 45 meters, the 100 mark is reached, a good 150 meters further the BMW whizzes past at 200 km / h, and after a little more than 400 meters there is 250 km / h. A still unbelievable performance, which at best can be followed by the equally strong Kawasaki ZX-10R (see measurements on page 31). The rest of the field is noticeably losing ground, neither the rest of the Japanese nor the MV Agusta F4 RR (also much shorter than last year’s, lightning-fast standard F4), the Aprilia and certainly not the KTM can follow. But that was almost certain from the paper form, even if one would have expected more of the MV (plucking clutch!) With its 190 hp.


“How do we do it?” “Always full throttle!” “All right”.

The most exciting question, however, is: what is the Ducati doing, because it is really serving up first of all? Measured 190 PS on the crankshaft, with 195 kilograms the lightest in the field, plus the petite stature and megabit electronics on board, a gearshift, an aerodynamic kit – something should work there, right? It is also possible, even if the low weight and the electronics do not help you in terms of top speed. The Panigale is actually doing really well on top, even if it remains a decent distance from the top values ​​of the BMW. With 292 km / h it lines up behind the two powerhouses S 1000 RR and ZX-10R and is astonishingly on a par with the 10 HP weaker Aprilia, which is obviously really well positioned aerodynamically. But not only that. Compared to the Panigale, the RSV4 not only shines with its more even power delivery, but also with its finely controllable throttle response and the best automatic gearshift in the field. With the result that the stronger Ducati of Aprilia has to give priority to the acceleration disciplines. And another point stands out. In the pull-through test in last gear (from 150 to 250 km / h) there is little left of the Panigale’s glory of performance due to the blatant drop in torque between 4000 and 8000 rpm, which we already attested in the 1000-point test on the crankshaft ( see rear wheel performance curves on the previous page). In the range between 120 and 220 km / h, the Duc is clearly below all others and consequently has by far the worst pull-through values. The S 1000 RR (also the best in this discipline) gives her an incredible 4.3 seconds, the Aprilia RSV4 still over three, and even the KTM, penultimate in this exercise, is still over two seconds faster.

In this field these are worlds. And points that cannot be made up for at the other end of the driving dynamics scale. The Panigale Brembos decelerate brilliantly and finely dosed from 250 km / h, the Duc is when braking mode one (without stoppie detection) is activated after almost 230 meters. That’s great, not to be beaten in this field. And yet she has to share the top spot on the podium. Now guess who with? Right, BMW is at the forefront once again. The bottom line is that the Munich-based woman is ahead in the chapters of top speed, acceleration, torque and braking distance – and is thus unmatchable in the lead. In terms of straight-line stability, fuel consumption and wind protection, a midfield position is easily enough to win here in Nardo. Seen in this way, the Panigale does not have to worry that it also misses points with regard to the uneasy directional stability. That would not have changed anything about seventh place overall.


Driving comfortably fast is no problem with the GSX-R 1000.

Speaking of placement: where does Japan and the rest of the world end up? The Aprilia with its astonishing chassis (ultra handy on the racetrack, amazingly stable in Nardo) and its great driving performance in good third place behind the strong and equally enthusiastically stable Kawasaki. The MV, with a lower top speed than last year, but better pulling power and still good stability, ranks fifth, while the rest of Japan romps in fourth (Fireblade), six (GSX-R) and eight (R1) and reveals a philosophy with which one is still good at it in civil life, but with which one can get little at an exceptional event like this. The crucial point: Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha build engines that work reliably anytime and anywhere and have usually proven this for years, but forego the last bit of top performance. In numbers, that means almost 30 hp behind (on the crankshaft), on the rear wheel it is around 25 horses. These engines are then packed in chassis that are similarly knitted. Neither super-handy nor as hard as a board, but mass-compatible and – this should not go unmentioned at this point – rock-solid. The result: at best, with the MV Agusta, you can circumnavigate the Nardo slope as safely and easily as on the Japanese 1000s. Just not that fast, while especially on the neither particularly fast nor stable KTM, you might feel uncomfortable in view of the fragile straight-line stability.

The bottom line is that only the middle field remains for this philosophy in this exceptional situation. The sounding out of what is technically feasible, what is innovative and fascinating is done by others. BMW, for example, with the S 1000 RR, whose exceptional position is confirmed again in the Nardo roundabout. Or the Aprilia, whose independent V4 concept has meanwhile reached an inspiring maturity. And Ducati too, because technologically they took the lead. Even if it doesn’t exceed seventh place here in Nardo either.

MOTORCYCLE speed rating


Ducati 1199 Panigale S A top performance on the brakes, but weaknesses when it comes to straight-line stability.

Max.
Point number		 Aprilia BMW Ducati Honda Kawasaki KTM MV Agusta Suzuki Yamaha
Top speed 40 36 40 36 33 38 31 34 35 34
Straight-line stability 30th 27 26th 25th 29 27 24 28 27 26th
Acceleration 0–250 km / h 30th 25th 28 24 23 27 20th 24 23 21st
Braking distance 250–0 km / h 30th 27 30th 30th 25th 26th 24 25th 23 25th
Pulling 150–250 km / h 20th 17th 20th 9 15th 15th 14th 18th 15th 15th
Consumption constant 250 km / h 20th 15th 16 14th 16 18th 17th 13 16 12th
Windbreak 30th 23 24 25th 27 24 26th 25th 25th 25th
Buzzer 200 170 184 163 168 175 156 167 164 158
placement 3. 1. 7th. 4th. 2. 9. 5. 6th. 8th.

1.BMW S 1000 RR
The fact remains that there is no herb in Nardo against the combination of this extremely powerful engine and the best brakes in the field.

2. Kawasaki ZX-10R
Pure power for the second: Not quite as strong and fast as the BMW, but with a super stable chassis and good brakes, the Kawa comes in second.

3.Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC 
Aprilia defends its podium from last year. It is extremely stable, really fast, pulls through well and brakes brilliantly. Chapeau!

4. Honda Fireblade
Thanks to the special steering damper blessed with the best straight-line stability, plus a decent draft – that’s enough for fourth place.

5th MV Agusta F4 RR 
Because the RR has a shorter gear ratio than the basic F4, it runs into the limiter at 289 km / h. But it shines like the Fireblade with great straight-line stability.

6. Suzuki GSX-R 1000
Driving comfortably fast is no problem with the GSX-R 1000. On the other hand, when braking and accelerating, others are better.

7. Ducati 1199 Panigale S 
A top performance on the brakes, but weaknesses in straight-line stability and especially in pulling through. This is no longer possible. Despite the aero kit!

8. Yamaha YZF-R1
The characterful row four with unusual crank pin offset has never been a performance miracle. And no food lover either. The clutch is too soft.

9. KTM 1190 RC8 R 
The exemplary performance characteristics of the V2 do not help the KTM here because the top performance is missing. And the handy running gear straight-line stability.

The mega test at a glance


The super athletes: Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC, BMW S 1000 RR, Ducati 1199 Panigale S, Honda Fireblade, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, KTM 1190 RC8 R, MV Agusta F4 RR, Suzuki GSX-R 1000, Yamaha YZF-R1 at high speed -Track in Nardo.

It was a mammoth task for Ducati, that much is clear. Advancing into four-cylinder performance worlds with the V2: this may be possible on the racing course, with the uncompromising focus solely on fast lap times. In civil life it seems a bold undertaking.

Nonetheless, they went to work in Bologna with enthusiasm, pushed ahead with a sophisticated electronics package, threw the tubular space frame overboard, and surprised everyone with many independent solutions and a breathtaking design. In addition, they undoubtedly created the best Ducati superbike of all time.

The fact that it was still not enough to oust the BMW from the throne probably didn’t really surprise anyone in Bologna and – at least as far as the everyday rating is concerned – it was certainly never the goal. The defeats on the racetrack and in Nardo, however, should hurt. And all the more so because the Aprilia RSV4 Factory surprisingly established the competition in its own country with an independent concept in second place. But just a reminder: The Aprilia also took time, has been further developed over the years and has only now reached full maturity.

The same applies, by the way, to the KTM, which has blossomed into a famous country road racer and which only throws back the complete waiver of assistance systems, while the Japanese wars, with the exception of Kawasaki, mainly fight with the fact that they are – even if this does not necessarily reflect the points evaluation Challenge from Munich did not take up and fell behind in terms of performance as well as with regard to the electronic helpers.

Now that doesn’t mean Japan builds bad superbikes. But then, when it counts, namely on the racetrack and in terms of image, they have lost touch a bit, while the MV Agusta can still keep up there. But their concept is also getting on in years. In both cases we look forward to something new.


BMW S 1000 RR.

The overall result

Max.
score		 Aprilia BMW Ducati Honda Kawasaki KTM MV Agusta Suzuki Yamaha
Total of 1000 points  1000 678 716 672 694 690 668 629 676 668
Total race track rating 400 368 364 359 326 351 324 334 329 328
Total speed rating 200 170 184 163 168 175 156 167 164 158
Total overall rating 1216 1264 1194 1188 1216 1148 1130 1169 1154
Placement overall 2. 1. 4th. 5. 2. 8th. 9. 6th. 7th.

1.BMW S 1000 RR
Everyday 1st place
Race track 2nd place
High-speed track 1st place

It’s not quite enough for a total triumph, because the angular racetrack did not suit the BMW. Nevertheless, it remains the measure of all things.

2. Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC
Everyday 4th place
1st place in the race track
3rd place high-speed track

2. Kawasaki ZX-10R
Everyday 3rd place
4th place in the race track
High-speed track 2nd place

4. Ducati 1199 Panigale S.
Everyday 6th place
3rd place race track
7th high-speed track

5. Honda CBR 1000 RR Fireblade
Everyday 2nd place
Race track 8th place
High-speed track 4th place

6. Suzuki GSX-R 1000
Everyday 5th place
Race track 6th place
High-speed track 6th place

7. Yamaha YZF-R1
Everyday 7th place
Race track 7th place
8th high-speed track

8. KTM 1190 RC8 R
Everyday 7th place
Race track 9th place
High-speed track 9th place

9th MV Agusta F4 RR
Everyday 9th place
Race track 5th place
High-speed track 5th place

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