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European two-cylinder bikes in a comparison test

Eurofighter

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In motorcycle construction, the European manufacturers are considered specialists for sporty two-cylinder bikes. Time for a colorful PS-style class reunion. Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200, BMW R 1200 RS, Ducati Hypermotard 939 SP, KTM 1290 Super Duke R SE and Moto Morini Corsaro 1200 Veloce in the comparison test.

From a distance it must sound like a storm when the quintet made up of Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200, BMW R 1200 RS, Ducati Hypermotard 939 SP, KTM 1290 Super Duke R SE and Moto Morini Corsaro 1200 Veloce turn on the gas tap at the same time. The roar and thunder stand in stark contrast to high-speed four-cylinder screeching.

European two-cylinder bikes in a comparison test

Eurofighter

Ducati Hypermotard 939 SP is the beginning

PS auxiliary drifter Flo makes the first serve on the Ducati Hypermotard 939 SP and comes across the bend. As a former Supermoto DM driver, he knows the concept of long suspension elements, high seating position and wide handlebars inside out. “The Hyper is really fun!” Flo sums up in the afternoon. He is right. Above all, the Duc makes it easy for the pilot to have fun, because the fun bike shines with polished manners. Your 90-degree V2 runs smoothly and cultivated, the power delivery is linear and predictable.

We prefer to drive the “Race” mapping in combination with the “High” throttle response. Despite the direct response, hardly any load changes are provoked. In addition, the smooth, precise clutch and the fabulous one-finger brake are positive. We narrow streets you can literally squeeze out the briefly translated Hyper and wave lightly around the bends in Supermoto style. Hanging-off doesn’t work particularly well, but the seat that takes getting used to is placed too close to the steering head.

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Despite the direct response, hardly any load changes are provoked.

You will look in vain for the much-cited jitteriness in driving behavior in the previous models. The Ohlins chassis also deserves praise. When standing, the shock absorber looks extremely tight, as is typical of Ducati, and the fork is rather soft, but the setup fits. Bumps are absorbed straight away. The fork dr Ducati Hypermotard 939 SP responds fine during normal braking, only dips really deep during a provoked stoppie.

Warning: In case of doubt, the sporty ABS does not prevent any rollover, at least in the first two of three levels. Overall, the Ducati Hypermotard 939 SP works great, and we could well imagine a few aggressive horses with more power in this chassis. The big end comes when you look at the price: Ducati calls for a cheeky 15,590 euros for the Hypermotard 939 SP.

The Aprilia Dorsoduro comes as a Euro 4 machine?

For this sum, italophile lovers of fun bikes get two to two and a half Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200 on the used market. Currently the manufacturer from Noale only offers the Dorsoduro 750 as a new vehicle, but continues to install the 1200 engine in the Caponord touring tourer. A meanness! Our rental machine for this test was made in 2011. But it quickly arouses hope that Aprilia will perhaps revive the big Dorsoduro as a Euro 4 machine.

Just like with the Ducati drive, the cylinders of the V2 are at an angle of 90 degrees to each other. So the large-volume twin runs cultivated, but does not quite achieve the sophistication of the Hypermotard. The character of the Dorsoduro engine is very different from that of the Ducati. The Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200 speaks with a very distinctive accent through the techno-heavy thunder. With its measured 130 hp, the front wheel becomes light in second and third gear out of every tight corner. And so the Dorsoduro still offers flawless driving pleasure even after five years, although ABS and traction control intervenes roughly by today’s standards. In a direct comparison with the Ducati Hypermotard 939 SP, it is noticeable that the engine revs up less rapidly and does not respond as quickly.

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In 2011 the Dorsoduro did not have an anti-hopping clutch

Despite the higher peak performance and larger displacement, the Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200 cannot drive away from the Ducati Hypermotard 939 SP in narrow terrain. Sometimes the reasons for this are due to the age of the test machine. The throttle is stiff, the clutch and brake require manual power and the gear shifts bony. In 2011 the Dorsoduro also did not have an anti-hopping clutch, which is why the rear wheel rattles roughly when braking hard.

In contrast to the first impression, the Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200 is closer to a naked bike than the Ducati Hypermotard 939 SP after the first few meters. Its long wheelbase in combination with the stiff-looking chassis gives the Aprilia stability on flat slopes. On wrinkled asphalt, however, it occasionally tends to hit the handlebars. In everyday life, turning maneuvers “on the postage stamp” succeed without any problems, and you sit comfortably on the bike. Come on Piaggio, the great Dorsoduro really deserves a successor!

Moto Morini Corsaro 1200 Veloce lives up to its name

Away from the narrow supermoto playgrounds on the Swabian Alb, the Moto Morini Corsaro 1200 Veloce lives up to its name. It thunders past both the Ducati Hypermotard 939 SP and the Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200 as soon as the opportunity presents itself in the form of a longer straight between. In the wild, the Morini looks like a representative of a rare species that was previously thought to be extinct. For a while it actually was, but Motorrad Bayer took care of its revival. The dealer from Niederriden (www.motorrad-bayer.de) in the Allgau is taking over the general import for Moto Morini in Germany with immediate effect.

Compared to the other Eurofighters in the test field, the Moto Morini Corsaro 1200 Veloce distinguishes itself through its consistent purism. ABS, traction control or electronic riding modes? Forget it! Indiana Jones would want a bike like this, no doubt about it. The drive of the Morini is a force and offers high entertainment value. Even when starting, the 87-degree V-engine sounds as if it was about to suffer a bearing damage. Then a kind of bubbling mixes in, before the V2 thuds deeply around 3500 rpm and serves a fat wave of torque that doesn’t ebb up to 9000 rpm. Wheelies are child’s play. Sometimes you unintentionally lift your front wheel when you start driving at the traffic lights. The downside is the constant travel jerking below 6000 rpm.

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The coolness factor of the Moto Morini Corsaro 1200 Veloce cannot be downplayed.

Morini owners with fan glasses are certainly just as bothered by this as they are by the other properties that shape the character of the machine. Linnets fail because of the clutch that demands the strength of a seasoned man. That’s what you need with the brakes. A sharper initial bite would suit her just fine. The Sachs chassis responds insensitively on bad ground, which results in a certain tendency to kickback (no steering damper on board). You can still be sporty with the Moto Morini Corsaro 1200 Veloce. The quick handling does not really suggest a total mass of 216 kilos, and there is also no lack of an anti-hopping clutch. The Corsaro only tolerates a sharp turning over less well, the low side stand grinds in deep left turns.

The gears continue to slide smoothly through the transmission, but the shift travel is noticeably long. The arrangement of the footrests does not suit taller drivers particularly well. They are placed relatively far forward and are quite slippery. The only thing that helps is retrofitting with accessories. It would be good for our street scene if we saw a Moto Morini here and there in the future. The coolness factor of the Moto Morini Corsaro 1200 Veloce cannot be downplayed.

BMW R 1200 RS by far the heaviest

Behind the Moto Morini Corsaro 1200 Veloce, BMW’s touring athlete R 1200 RS hums relaxed along the country road. PS tester Jacko has to take courageous steps to be able to provide the motif for some spectacular driving shots. In an instant, the traction control of the BMW R 1200 R is deactivated at the push of a button, the PSler jumps on the bench and snaps the sports boxer onto the rear wheel with carefully measured use of the gas and clutch. The fact that the stunt works with the machine, which weighs at least 245.5 kilos, is not least due to the cleanly tuned engine. We prefer the “Dynamic” driving mode, in which the R 1200 RS reacts most directly to forward commands. It’s amazing how the boxer accelerates without load changes. No disruptive movement whatsoever comes from the drive train, nothing at all.

You can stand whatever you want to the boxer engine. A racer would be more likely to get V2 in at least nine out of ten cases if he had a choice between the two. But what manners the Munich-based people have instilled in the powerful flat twin deserves respect. The driver of the BMW R 1200 R only has to admit defeat to the driver on the Moto Morini Corsaro 1200 Veloce further up in the engine speed range from just under 7000 rpm. The coordination of the chassis electronics including traction control and automatic gearshift with blipper function ensures the next wow factor.

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The fact that the stunt works with the machine, which weighs at least 245.5 kilos, is not least due to the cleanly tuned engine.

On the test track, which is characterized by undulating asphalt, the semi-actively controlled spring elements in "Road" mode with a helmet symbol (regulates the spring preload) in conjunction with the traction control (linked to the selected driving mode) keep the vehicle on course even at full throttle. The blipper of the BMW R 1200 RS does its job so well that you don’t want to go without it. Its permanent use hides the fact that actuation of the first three gears with conventional clutch use often occurs with an audible “clone”.

The long idle travel of the brake lever and the shifting pressure point arouse displeasure after having gone harder a few times. Sooner or later the BMW R 1200 RS will have to tear down compared to the other Eurofighters. Their comparatively high weight, the limited lean angle and the indifferent feel for the front wheel remind us that the emphasis in their name is more on "Tourer" than on "Sport". If you still want to move in this direction with a boxer, you should definitely check out the R 1200 R roadster version.

KTM 1290 Super Duke R SE: Cross between blue whale and T-Rex

What remains is the KTM 1290 Super Duke R SE. The suffix stands for "Special Edition". With the SE, the Mattighofen-based company is offering a special model of the 1290 Super Duke R as a swan song for the first series. Sure, the Euro 4 update is just around the corner. The SE has an Akrapovic rear silencer, wave brake discs, a CNC-milled aluminum triple clamp, comes with a better grip and at the same time more comfortable seat and has a protective engine cover made of carbon along with a few other pretty details. Everything is chic, but priced quite confidently at 17,995 euros.

All I can say about the KTM 1290 Super Duke R SE is that there is little new to say. Your monumental 75-degree V2 with two balancer shafts unleashes primeval violence that is surprisingly easy to get onto the road. The rest of the bike just seems to be built around the above-ground V2. When you talk about the 1290 Super Duke, you mean this Frankenstein engine.

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The KTM 1290 Super Duke R SE simply eats the other four Eurofighters for breakfast.

It is best imagined as a cross between a serene blue whale and an aggressive T-Rex. The KTM 1290 Super Duke R SE eats the other four Eurofighters very easily for breakfast, it has significantly more power practically everywhere. During testing, the brake is even more controllable and has an even firmer bite than the previous test machines of the same make. The wave discs are a small accessory with a big effect.

We hope for further developed electronics from the upcoming model update. A multi-level, finer traction control would be great, which at least allows wheelies in one mode and which you can change while driving. With the current KTM 1290 Super Duke R SE, the traction control for wheeling only has to be laboriously deactivated when the vehicle is stationary. Should there be any further wishes, we would opt for a tighter chassis and a quickshifter. And to top it all off, maybe a credit card with no limit, with which you can buy a large garage that can hold a lot of two-cylinder Eurofighters.

Technical data Ducati Hypermotard 939 SP

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Ducati Hypermotard 939 SP.

Here you can see an extract of the technical data. If you would like the complete measurement values ​​determined by us, including all consumption, torque and acceleration values, you can buy the article as a PDF for download.

Technical data KTM 1290 Super Duke R SE

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KTM 1290 Super Duke R SE.

Here you can see an extract of the technical data. If you would like the complete measurement values ​​determined by us, including all consumption, torque and acceleration values, you can buy the article as a PDF for download.

Technical data Moto Morini Corsaro 1200 Veloce

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Moto Morini Corsaro 1200 Veloce.

Here you can see an extract of the technical data. If you would like the complete measurement values ​​determined by us, including all consumption, torque and acceleration values, you can buy the article as a PDF for download.

Technical data BMW R 1200 RS

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BMW R 1200 RS.

Here you can see an extract of the technical data. If you would like the complete measurement values ​​determined by us, including all consumption, torque and acceleration values, you can buy the article as a PDF for download.

Technical data Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200

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Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200.

Here you can see an extract of the technical data. If you would like the complete measurement values ​​determined by us, including all consumption, torque and acceleration values, you can buy the article as a PDF for download.

Test result and conclusion

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If you are on power, you are automatically on the Super Duke. Thumbs up for the orange reactor!

1. KTM 1290 Super Duke R SE: Even a good two years after its debut, the V2 wrecking ball impresses with its sheer violence combined with child’s play of user-friendliness. With the power, no eye stays dry. The SE version of the Super Duke upgrades the machine overall, but does not hide known weaknesses.

2. Ducati Hypermotard 939 SP: Almost quietly and secretly, the long-legged Ducati collects so many points that it just barely missed victory. The nervousness of her predecessors hardly gets through to her, and the overall package seems coherent.

3. BMW R 1200 RS: It is neither the fastest nor the handiest nor the most beautiful. But in the context of its design as a sports tourer, the R 1200 RS can hardly be chalked up, the device simply works well.

4. Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200: In terms of the fun factor, it seems incomprehensible why Aprilia is no longer transplanting the big V2 into a bike like this one. A few modernizations to the engine with the latest electronics package would be sufficient to bring the Dorsoduro back into play.

5. Moto Morini Corsaro 1200 Veloce: Nice that there is a new general importer for Moto Morini in Germany with Motorrad Bayer. The current Corsaro 1200 Veloce ranks as a "cult club" beyond the significance of a point rating. A very sympathetic plane for real guys who need a big wallet. Hopefully, Euro 4 won’t mix fabric softener in the Corsaro’s DNA in the future. 

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