Split-Decision Superbikes
SPLIT-DECISION SUPERBIKES
CW COMPARISON TEST
TESTING THE LATEST CROP OF LITERBIKES ALONGSIDE DUCATI'S NEW 959 PANIGALE
Bradley Adams
Bodies start to ache at around 4:30 in the afternoon, our early-morning enthusiasm replaced by muscle spasms in extremities we’ve neglected for far too long now. We should be relieved the track goes cold at 5 p.m. Excited even by the thought of rest. And yet we aren’t. Fuel still sloshes about their containers, tires have life left in them, and we collectively want more— more laps around the track, more time on each bike, and more of everything that comes with riding a sportbike full tilt around a fast, flowing racetrack like
Buttonwillow Raceway. Good motorcycles make you feel as if no trackday is long enough or no destination far enough away. With us are four truly exceptional motorcycles.
There’s a semblance of similarity between the bikes we’ve brought with us to Buttonwillow, with only Ducati’s 2016 959 Panigale suggesting something is at odds. The rest—Aprilia’s RSV4 RR, Kawasaki’s all-new ZX-10R, and Yamaha’s YZF-Ri—are all built with the intention of winning races, shattering lap records, filling podiums the world over, and pulling on the heartstrings of the power-hungry enthusiast. Consider this test then an opportunity
to see which pulls the hardest, how the latest literbikes from Aprilia and Kawasaki stack up to a derivative of last year’s superbike shootout winner, the RiM, and how Ducati’s largest-ever “middleweight” compares to the (notall-that-much) bigger competition.
Consider it also something no amount of muscle spasms could convince us to cut short. Body aches and sunsets be damned; we have throttles to twist.
2016 DUCATI 959 PANIGALE
Of all the bikes, Ducati’s 959 Panigale plays the nicest with our battered bodies. At 420 pounds, it’s not the lightest bike here and actually weighs 4 pounds
more than the lightest bike of the lot, Yamaha’s Ri. It flicks from side to side with the prepotency of a middleweight though, its lightweight handling and lower power output making longer stints at the track feel like less a burden. Unlike its bigger brother, you ride it. It doesn’t ride you. A lot of people will appreciate that. After a full day spent in the saddle of bikes that find joy in plucking your arms from their sockets, we certainly do.
The “chassis” is still unique in regard to feel and feedback, but with the suspension set up as desired you can push the bike harder, playing up its strengths by flicking it from one side to the next in rapid succession. More than once, a 959-mounted test rider would roll up on the Kawasaki ZX-10R or Yamaha Ri in Buttonwillow’s tight esses section and win back every inch he’d lost on the long back straight.
Conversely, getting chased by a literbike reminds you that the 959 is more middleweight than literbike. You tuck in as tightly as possible to limit drag, brake later, and make the most of every available rev, subsequently working the shifter more in an attempt to keep the engine in its happy place. Maybe it’s through probability that we ended
up with the most false neutrals on the Ducati—and if not, then a transmission that’s just a touch less seamless.
As a package, the 959 would benefit from brakes with more initial bite, an on/off throttle transition that doesn’t almost immediately relegate you to the medium engine power delivery setting, and something that better shields you from engine heat. Those negatives aside, the bike delivers on its promise to be something more exciting than a middleweight and at the same time something more user-friendly than a literbike. For the canyon rider or trackday enthusiast who’s happy keeping his arms in their sockets, it’s a truly legitimate option.
2016 KAWASAKI ZX-10R
Jumping from Ducati’s 959 Panigale to Kawasaki’s ZX-10R requires a mental recalibration of sorts. The throttle is still on the right, the clutch on your left, and footpegs up to just about your derrière. But this isn’t the same motorcycle. It’s wider at its hips, longer, and you sit in it versus on it. In a category now dominated by narrow waistlines, crossplane cranks, V-4S, and V-twins, the Kawasaki is now, in a way, the misfit.
Compared to its predecessor, it’s also
APRILIA
RSV4 RR
$16,499
DUCATI
959 PANIGALE
$14,995
KAWASAKI
ZX-10R
$15,299
YAMAHA
VZF-R1
$16,990
THE NUMBERS BIKE Price Dry weight Wheelbase Seat height Fuel mileage 1/4 mile 0-60 mph Top gear 40-60 mph 60-80 mph Horsepower Torque Braking 30-0 mph 60-0 mph APRILIA RSV4 RR o $16,499 o 435 lb. o 56.6 in. O 32.7 in. O 34mpg o 10.00 sec. @ 148.51 mph o 2.7 sec. o 3.1 sec. o 2.9 sec. o 171.9 @13,550 rpm o 75.4 lb-ft. @ 10,360 rpm o 3Oft. 0 125 ft. DUCATI 959 PANIGALE $14,995 420 lb. 56.4 in. 32.7 in. 37 mpg 10.34 sec. @138.41 mph 2.8 sec. 3.6 sec. 3.3 sec. 136.3 @ 11,040 rpm 69.3 lb-ft. @ 9020 rpm 31 ft. 126 ft. I(AWASAKI ZX-1OR YAMAHA YZF-R1 $15,299 $16,990 424 lb. 416 lb. 56.7 in. 55.6 in. 32.3 in. 32.8 in. 33 mpg 35 mpg 10.07 sec. @147.10 mph 10.11 sec. @146.62mph 2.8 sec. 2.9 sec. 3.4 sec. 3.0 sec. 2.9 sec. 3.0 sec. 167.0 @11,020 rpm 162.4 @12,720 rpm 76.0 lb-ft. @11,200 rpm 73.2 lb-ft. @ 8790 rpm 31 ft. 32 ft. 124 ft. 126 ft.
better. More refined. As if Kawasaki perfectly isolated each and every wrinkle in that bike’s previously imperfect canvas and ironed it out. Guest tester Sean MacDonald says, “I couldn’t get the previous ZX-ioR to steer, but this one I can.” Credit the updated crank and suspension here, the former being a change we didn’t expect anyone but Tom Sykes or Jonathan Rea to feel but did.
The Showa Balance Free Fork is one of the best production forks we’ve yet
tested and likely adds to the confidence, with great support at corner entry but no midcorner harshness. Together with a rock-solid chassis and Brembo M50 Monoblock brake calipers, it allows you to run deep into a corner and yet always get slowed, turned, and back on the gas.
Unfortunately the bike is still a bit of a workout, each of the test riders commenting that, of the four bikes here, it was the one that took the biggest toll on their body.
Alack of midrange power doesn’t help matters, the Kawasaki lacking grunt and feeling the least aggressive of the literbikes off a corner. In the toR’s defense, power builds evenly from 6,500 rpm, and power delivery is smooth. Suspiciously smooth even, especially when compared to the bikes we first rode in Malaysia.
That smoothness runs deep in the Kawasaki’s makeup, and for the rider who wants the, errr, uniqueness of a Japanese-made inline-four screamer
LAP ANALYSIS Buttonwillow West Loop
Back in the day, a handheld stopwatch was used to gather comparative lap times and help determine the measured performance when evaluating sport motorcycles on a road course. We now benefit in the use of a VBox Sport CPS datalogger that has not only eliminated the reaction error of the human thumb but allows a more in-depth analysis of each bike’s quickest lap. Splitting the lap into three sectors: The first involves trail braking into Pacific, followed by a TC-tripping exit on the drive leading into the Riverside sweeper and fast dogleg that follows. Cresting Phil Hill through the middle section puts a premium on stability and grip to maximize drive onto the fastest part of the lap. The final sector begins in a second-gear hairpin and threads the Esses, a section that rewards a balance of agility and confidence-inspiring stability. Hard braking into Sunset sets up the slower of two corners we have selected for comparative point-to-point average corner speed. -Don Canet
PIRELLI DIABLO SUPERCORSA SC
A last-minute attempt to get each of the four bikes in this comparison test on comparable race rubber led us to Pirelli and the experienced staff at its West Coast distributor, CT Racing, who was able to outfit each bike with Diablo Supercorsa SCI rubber, in a 200/55-17 rearforeach of the 1,000cc bikes and stock 180/60-17 size for the 959 Panigale. Completely accommodating, CT Racing even helped with install, only balking at the Yamaha R1, which would benefit greatly from 90-degree valve stems.
Developed for the World Supersport and Superstock Championships, the tires feature a profile designed to maximize the width and length of the contact area, as well as an optimized carcass for improved stability on the brakes.
Over the course of the day, the tires provided exceptional grip and feel. Lateafternoon slides were smooth and predictable but also few and far between, with the tires still having plenty of usable rubber after a full day of riding and providing great drive grip. They truly are nothing short of spectacular and well worth a try.
If you’re on the West Coast, be sure to contact CT Racing (ctracetires.com, 831/419-9680) for more information on how to get a set of your own, or search pirelli.com for Eastern US and Canada distributor information.
engine with the electronic rider aids not available on the Honda or Suzuki, it’ll be a tough motorcycle to overlook. A quick glance at the price tag of the non-ABS model tested here only makes ignoring its presence all the more challenging too.
2016 APRILIA RSV4 RR
Opposite the smooth and almost seamless Kawasaki is Aprilia’s RSV4 RR, which has always been, and continues to be, a motorcycle that you connect with
on more of an emotional level—one that, with every tap of the starter and every blip of the throttle, you fall a little more in love with. It evokes happiness, as a motorcycle should. Smitten by the Panigale’s looks, Sean MacDonald argues that it isn’t special enough, but every other tester argues he’s crazy.
The RSV4 is not one of those bikes you fall out of love with the second a road tightens up either, or the instant a commute turns longer than expected. It’s
comfortable for taller and shorter riders alike, the repositioned-for-2016 clip-ons set up in a way that makes them easy to reach, and the rock-hard seat shaped so that it enables you to rack miles up in relative comfort, especially when compared to the saddle on the Ri.
That well-rounded design is put to the test most by the suspension, which feels imbalanced front to rear and is a little more of a challenge to set up. There’s also (and maybe even as a result) a lack
YOU COULD FALL IN LOVE WITH ANY; WE’VE UST WITH THE RI-AN EXCEP TIONAL MOTORCYCLE TH TRULY MAKES YOU WISH
of ground clearance, with Road Test Editor Don Canet noting that, “The chassis movement is what I call seesaw. I was surprised that cornering clearance is limited on the right too, with the fairing lower and muffler shroud touching down. Worse yet, the butterfly valve pivot of the exhaust also touched down.” The electronics package is admirable but falls slightly behind, the traction control system not providing the same level of confidence as the Ri’s system,
even if the quickshifter is on par and much better than the Kawasaki’s, which has the most aggressive cut of the units here. We’re thankful traction control is there, mind you. Because 171.9 hp...
Of the bunch, the Aprilia pulls the hardest, building the biggest head of steam off a corner and into Buttonwillow’s esses. Fortunately, it also sports Brembo’s truly phenomenal M50 calipers and sheds speed with ease. That, along with the RSV4’s chassis, which
provides more front-end feel than anything in the category and allows for latecomer trail-braking, makes for a bike that does an impressive job of running nose to tail with the competition.
2016 YAMAHA YZF-R1
The Aprilia’s biggest competition comes in the form of Yamaha’s Ri, a bike that, in this test, instilled the most confidence in everyone from self-proclaimed trackriding rookies to seasoned experts. It
makes good power but not in an alarming manner. It steers quickly but isn’t twitchy. And its electronics step in but are careful not to neuter the experience.
Along list of attributes conspire to make the bike so confidence inspiring, starting with the chassis, which is balanced and offers exceptional feedback at full lean. Brakes are strong as well, and while the system offers slightly less feel when compared to the M50 setup on the Kawasaki and Aprilia, there’s little lost as you slip past trackside brake markers. Meanwhile, the suspension is easy to dial in, with the stock settings being so
good that few to no setting adjustments are required before going out and turning quick laps at the track.
The same settings make the bike feel stiff and a little less friendly in streetriding situations, and the aggressive throttle response in Power Mode 1 doesn’t help. Whatever the bike loses in terms of around-town rideability, it makes up for when you get into the canyons though. And here, it was the only bike that truly made us smile. You hit the lines you want, with less midcorner corrections, because you’re confident. You’ve got this. The bike’s got this.
Back on the track, its electronics prove the best of the bunch, if not because of how smooth the intervention is then because of how predictable the systems are. Every lap, at the same exact section of track, the rear of the bike steps out the exact same amount. It’s predictable; you feed the throttle on already knowing what the bike is going to do. It’s riding nirvana. Riding a Yamaha Ri is nirvana.
FINAL THOUGHTS
At the end of the test, conversation turns back to “special,” and testers agree that the Ri is special enough. Some base that on looks, others on bark, and the rest on sheer performance. They’ve all agreed it has its own faults, but it is the best bike of the lot and all for different reasons.
The rest of the bikes have advantages of their own. The Kawasaki, for example, has that screamer of an engine that’s fun in its own way and would likely make for a great racebike. The Ducati, meanwhile, would be perfect for that guy who wants something more than a 600 but less than a 1000, and the Aprilia for those who want their ride to be slightly more of an emotional experience.
You could fall in love with any; we’ve just fallen in love harder with the Ri—an exceptional motorcycle that truly makes you wish your ride would never come to an end.
Which is why it’s now 4:55 p.m. and we’re heading out for one last session! ETU
■ Lightweight handling ■ Great looks ■ User-friendly power • Exceptional fork • Improved electronics • Great top-end power • Brutish engine • Confidence-inspiring chassis •The soundx2 • Capable chassis • Best electronic rider aids • Fit and finish
• Aggressive on/off throttle > Lackluster brakes > Engine heat • Lack of midrange power • A workout • Cramped ergonomics • Weight • Outdated dash/switches difficult to use • Suspension needstuning • Rock-hard seat • Tall gearing • Aggressive throttle in Powerl
