City Bikes

City Bikes

HERE IN AMERICA, WHERE MOTORCYCLES ARE VIEWED PRIMARILY AS ENTERTAINMENT, WE tend to buy bikes with the intent of leaving the city behind. But in Europe, Asia and other parts of the world where motorcycles have long been considered a valid form of transportation, many two-wheelers seldom stray from the concrete canyons. That, combined with low cost and high fashion, helps explain the overseas popularity of scooters and small-displacement motorcycles, which never have managed to penetrate our bigger-is-better mentality.

That’s too bad, because if you think about how you really use a bike, you’ll likely conclude that a city bike would suit your purposes better than any cruiser, sportbike or tourer. After all, every trip you take begins and ends at your house. So unless you live in the sticks, you spend a significant percentage of your riding time in or around a city. What better to thread the needle between all those road-clogging cars than a snappy, lightweight, highly maneuverable motorcycle-preferably one with someplace to stash your stuff? Maybe all those guys riding dualpurpose bikes with milk crates bungeed to the seat are onto something...

Those, however, are severely lacking in style, whereas the three city bikes shown here are downright fashionable. Over the past few years, Ducati’s “naked” Monster models have become all the rage in European cities, particularly in image-conscious Italy. The Dark models are especially popular, thanks to the low price tags afforded by their resilient flat-black paint and, on the 600cc model at least, use of a single front disc brake.

Forget the bus, here are three more entertaining ways to get to work

BRIAN CATTERSON

BMW F650CS

$9190

This Ducati replaced the Monster 600 with a new el, the 620i.e. By increasing the air-cooled, two V-Twin's stroke 3mm, displacement m 583 to 618cc, and more aggressive tuning th a larger airbox and a new fuel-injection system in the wet-clutch, five-speed motor producing as much power as its 750ce sibling.

actually two versions of the 620i.e. We chose model, which costs $500 more than the Dark i or yellow paint and dual Brembo front disc

aster family, the 620 works ;-that is, it’s a sportbike and equipped with wide ebars. As a result, the seating posimore relaxed than that of a sportbike,

re aggressive than most standards, ling is generally light thanks to the se afforded by those wade bars, but lock is limited, and in fact can bothersome in slow-speed ng. So, too, the abrupt lowttle response, narrow range of engagement and tall first gear, ch together conspire to make smooth takeoff! bit of a juggling act. Once up to spedd, however, the 620 is pure bliss. Shed the shackles of the city and ygu’ll find the Monster works quite well On twisty backroads. The

oowerband is typical two-valve Ducati, griintYwith usable power throughout the rev ránge. The S4 Monster-derived chassis sits low to accommodate shorter riders, which means that cornering clearance is somewhat limited, but you’ll

be going pretty fast by the time you start dragging hard parts. The suspension is similarly compromised, and feels a tad unbalanced in stock trim; you need to add some shock-spring preload and dial in a bit of rebound damping to suit your weight.

What the Monster lacks is amenities. There’s no fairing to shield you from the elements, and no place to stow your stuff (though the Ducati Performance catalog does list three different tankbags and a rear bag kit). A helmet lock is as extravagant as it gets.

You certainly can’t say that about the BMW F650CS, which features a motorcycling first: a “stuff bay” storage compartment that takes the place of a traditional gas tank (the real tank is under the seat). The CS comes equipped with a nylon tankbag as standard, but options include a hardcase, stereo and a locking helmet/cargo net. There also are two tailpacks that slip over the standard luggage rack and passenger seat.

BMW’s F650 range has been growing in popularity to the point that last year, the GS Single was the best-selling model worldwide, and the GS and Dakar models were the fourth and seventh best-selling models in the U.S., respectively. But where those dual-purpose bikes were created to take on the wilds of Africa (at least in spirit), the CS is intended for the asphalt jungle.

Like the Monster, the Beemer has a low seat that accommodates shorter riders (an optional saddle and lower-profile rear tire further reduce that height). High, wide handlebars make for a very “active” riding position, similar to that of a dirtbike, only you sit down “in” the bike instead of up on top of it.

Though the Rotax-built, fuel-injected, dohc, four-valve Single doesn’t have the snap of an off-road bike, it does make good, usable power, especially in the higher regions rev range between 4000 and 7000 rpm. Short gearing lets the 650 leap off the line, but

DUCATI MONSTER 620i.e.

$6995

first gear is over in a flash, necessitating a rapid-fire shift to second. Click the gearbox up into fifth and you’ll find that the CS cruises comfortably at freeway speeds, its tiny windscreen doing a remarkable job of deflecting air.

Again like the Monster, the Beemer works pretty well on twisty backroads, its supple, relatively long-travel suspension keeping the footpegs off the tarmac most of the time. Our testbike was equipped with ABS (a $500 option), and while the cycling action sometimes felt a bit coarse (particularly in the rear), there’s no denying the CS stops in a hurry.

As does the Honda FSC600 Silver Wing, which more than one of our testers discovered the hard way. Like most scooters, the Wing has two brake levers: The right one controls two of the three pistons in the front brake caliper, while the left one controls the other front piston and the rear. Yank the “clutch” lever like you would on a motorcycle and you suddenly find your face smashed flat against the windscreen!

Scooters have never really caught on in the USA, but the FSC600 might just change that. Powered by a liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, 582cc, dohc, laydown parallel-Twin, this stepthrough boasts near-motorcycle performance coupled with traditional scooter conveniences such as a huge, illuminated underseat storage compartment and automatic transmission.

HONDA FSC600 SILVER WING

$7499

still is as easy as it gets. Simply twist the throttle

and, at 2000 rpm, the centrifugal clutch engages and you roost away. Strangely, the engine note barely changes pitch as you accelerate, the three-stage V-Matic belt drive holding the revs constant until it engages “top” gear. Hold the throttle to the stop long enough and the Silver Wing comes within 1 mph of cracking 100 mph, effectively making it the Hayabusa of scooters!

With a 120/80-14 front and 150/70-13 rear tire, the FSC600 has fat contact patches by scooter standards, and so tenaciously clings to the road; only when you try to rail a comer do you find that the spongy suspension and rearward weight bias make for slightly flighty handling. Yet despite the small-diameter wheels, lean angles are tmly impressive. Dizzying, even.

With rubber engine mounts, dual counterbalancers and a commodious fairing, the Silver Wing is supremely smooth and relatively quiet at freeway speeds (only taller testers complained of helmet buffeting), which is something you could never say about traditional scooters. That’s because this is one of the new breed of what Europeans call “maxiscooters,” big bikes designed to carry two adults and their luggage beyond the city limits.

This is a good thing, in that it expands the scooter’s traditional limitations. But it’s also a bad thing, in that bigger is not necessarily better in traffic. Even by motorcycle standards, the Silver Wing is long, heavy and, thanks to its large fairing, floorboards and seat, really wide, which makes weaving between cars no easier than on a motorcycle. Compared to the other two bikes in this test, in fact, it’s actually more difficult.

So, which city bike is best? That’s more of a philosophical question than a performance issue. Like tailgating a bus, you have to back off to see the big picture.

Each of these three machines strikes a different compromise between practicality, performance and price. The Ducati is a stripped-down sportbike, and feels like it, in that it boasts none of the others’ frills. On the other hand, it topped all facets of performance testing, and-quite probably for the first time in CW comparison history-it’s the bargain in this group, costing $500 less than the Honda and $2200 less than the BMW.

The BMW is functionally the best city bike here, in that it possesses the traditional attributes of both a lightweight motorcycle and a scooter. Then again, it’s a Single that costs more than either Twin.

The Honda raises scooter performance to near-motorcycling levels; that, after all, is why it was included here. But in striving to make the Silver Wing a better motorcycle, Honda negated some of the advantages of traditional scooters, such as maneuverability and ease of parking. And then there’s the high price: You’ll certainly want to think twice before you chain your $7500 Silver Wing between a couple of beat-up mopeds on a bike rack!

In the end, all three of these machines do exactly what they were intended to do, and if you’re in the market for a city bike, one of them should meet your requirements. Best of all, you’ll never again have to bungee a milk crate to the seat. □