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General SportbikesThis area is made for sportbikes in general. Posts that dont really belong anywhere else besides here. Questions can be answered and addressed to fully understand certain aspects. If your question is Manufacturer specific please post it there.
Wow, Aprilia is back with a vengeance. Too bad it costs $22k! I can remember APrilia leaving racing in a hurry. Glad to see them back.
And Ducati, WOW. The lightest bike with the most torque, and it placed LAST, with Pascal.
If you read the whole article, they were having issues with the front wheel. Even after it got sorted, they said it was the bike that took the longest to adjust to.
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It looks like the RC8R carries the typical KTM philosophies. Low weight and low peak hp with high peak torque, but with 3rd place in fun factor. Sounds very KTM to me! Unfortunately many people will see the price and specs, but not consider the unprinted side of it that makes KTMs such awesome bikes: it's just plain fun to ride. Canet didn't do so good on it, but Eckhardt seems to have really been able to get the potential out of coming in 2nd only to that Aprilia!
In terms of acceleration, this class is as close as a hair. It appears the chassis, power delivery, and ergonomics make or break these bikes. Every company seems to have a different philosophy on how to do it better, and with tests like these it's all the philosophy that the testers like most.
What I find interesting is that even with lower weight and higher power figures, the Ducati still has identical acceleration figures and loses a bit in the lap times to the KTM.
I'd say KTM is the winner of this test, purely by looking at the numbers. The Aprilia may be a better bike, but they have been at this game for a while. KTM comes in with their first superbike ever, stomps on the others by having lower power figures, sets some impressive lap times, and scores high in the fun factor. They lost a lot of points in the engine and ergonomics, but even with an engine the testers did not like it was able to pull an amazing lap time in the hands of Eckhardt. Chalk one in the W column for KTM, it looks like they brought every bit of their of what defines their supermotos and dirtbikes into the superbike world.
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If you read the whole article, they were having issues with the front wheel. Even after it got sorted, they said it was the bike that took the longest to adjust to.
Where can we read the entire article? All I see are two pics? Or is this issue currently on store shelves? I was looking for more answers and feedback from the riders based off of the info provided in the pics, because I was left with a lot of questions, but I couldn't find anything online. Which track were they testing at? What were the issues with the front wheel on the Ducati? What were they having trouble adjusting to on the twin?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Enzo_Guy
It looks like the RC8R carries the typical KTM philosophies. Low weight and low peak hp with high peak torque, but with 3rd place in fun factor. Sounds very KTM to me! Unfortunately many people will see the price and specs, but not consider the unprinted side of it that makes KTMs such awesome bikes: it's just plain fun to ride. Canet didn't do so good on it, but Eckhardt seems to have really been able to get the potential out of coming in 2nd only to that Aprilia!
In terms of acceleration, this class is as close as a hair. It appears the chassis, power delivery, and ergonomics make or break these bikes. Every company seems to have a different philosophy on how to do it better, and with tests like these it's all the philosophy that the testers like most.
What I find interesting is that even with lower weight and higher power figures, the Ducati still has identical acceleration figures and loses a bit in the lap times to the KTM.
I'd say KTM is the winner of this test, purely by looking at the numbers. The Aprilia may be a better bike, but they have been at this game for a while. KTM comes in with their first superbike ever, stomps on the others by having lower power figures, sets some impressive lap times, and scores high in the fun factor. They lost a lot of points in the engine and ergonomics, but even with an engine the testers did not like it was able to pull an amazing lap time in the hands of Eckhardt. Chalk one in the W column for KTM, it looks like they brought every bit of their of what defines their supermotos and dirtbikes into the superbike world.
Now if only KTM could win some world championships with it.
If you read the whole article, they were having issues with the front wheel. Even after it got sorted, they said it was the bike that took the longest to adjust to.
I don't subscribe to CW, so I just went by the 2 graphs. Good info though.
I want the ape, so bad, I would probably trade my left nut. For serious.
I really want to try a tuono V4, so I'll wait anyways, but it's killing me. The V4 always seemed like the ideal layout - The power of a 4 cylinder, with the packaging of a twin. It's not just weight but how a bike carries the weight. The engine is very smooth and linear, with a nice burst at the top end.
I read it's got a soft rev limiter. It doesn't cut out, no matter how hard you twist, the engine will purr at max rpm. Throttle is 100% electronic. A V4 spinning to 14k rpm sounds bad ass. How high do moto gp bikes rev ?
Those bikes are so close it's not funny. Lap times on a well-prepped track are one thing, riding on the road is another. You should list wheel-base, rake and trail (I bet they do). The more stable bike might be the best street bike. Then again it's all about emotion. I would probably enjoy the meanest bike the most. Of course I have to pay off my credit card debt before I can buy any bike .
Exactly. With bikes this close the increased safety added by the C-ABS on the Honda makes it the clear winner in my eyes as I'm a 365 day type rider. Imagine being fully leaned over while emergency braking on gravel with a car stopped in front of you. This ABS is the real deal, and for the extra measly $1000 and 20 pounds that could save your life and still hang with the best superbikes in the world, hell I'll take that. Now if only I could get this same system on a GSXR-750 (or these manufacturers get off their ass and make some more 750-800 supersport models). When I can afford a brand new bike this will be a top consideration.
my goal is to have that BMW within the next 2 years after i graduate college and find myself a real job
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BMW might pull a rabbit from its hat. But it's such a crowded field, especially for another I-4. It needs to be cheap. A bit more upscale than the big four, but slide below the price of the two Italian marquees. The base 1198 and RSV4 are around 16-17k, so I think BMW will try and keep the S1000RR under 15k.
It looks so much better with the race fairing and red/white/blue paint. Whoever styled that thing should be fired.
I stopped by the store earlier this evening to try and pick this issue up with no success. I will zoom in a read what I can. Thanks.
Interesting impressions so far.. Not exactly what I would have expected based on my limited reading/knowledge.. The R1 with best engine in test? Thanks, Rossi and Co.? I have always been under the impression that twins were better with the smooth roll on power throughout the rpms. Or is "throttle response" as you "get on it" a bit different? As in not upsetting the suspension as much when you get on the power to exit the corner?
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