| Author | Message | ||
     T_man |
I own an '08 1125R and had the opportunity to test ride a new Ducati Streetfighter and 796 Hypermotard - back to back this weekend. The Ducati crew put on a very spirited ride with plenty of corners and fast blasts. After the Duc's I got back onto my Buell and rode the exact same test loop I did with the demo bikes to really hash out the differences... Streetfighter: Horny. Horny. Horny. Good and bad.. that seating postion is frickin' horrible - but otherwise its decently comfortable. Looks awesome and sounds deadly even with stock pipes. Fuelling was acceptable - some snatchiness down low and farily abrupt. Power was roughly the same as my 1125, front end communication was superb, turn-in superb, line holding superb. However, these Duc's were shod with excellent new tires (super corsas)Brakes were a cut above the 1125. Overall - what I expected. 796 Hypermotard: Cushy seat - but ball busting - always sliding forward. Stable, neutral handling - like a dual sport in some ways. Fuelling was terrible - think early 1125 pre-flash but worse - I'm not kidding. Power was suprisingly strong, brakes were good too. Back onto my 1125R: NICE seating position, a bit funky looking after the sauve Duc's - apocolypse now soundtrack (HPE pipe). Fueling and delivery was twice as good as the Streetfighter and ten times that of the Hypermotard (Erik Buell Racing ecm). Power was equal or just a tad more than that of the Streetfighter. Turn in as good as the Duc's - stability slightly less (worn Corsa III's). Brakes were noticably worse than either Duc. Some definite clunking going on when the front brakes are first applied. Overall: I'll keep my 1125R for now thank you very much, but I must say - the Ducati temptress has etched out more than a passing interest in the brand. | ||
| Kirb |
Ducati is having some fueling issues...not that many mags will hammer on that like they did the '08 1125. People with Streetfighters are still bitching about the fueling, pre-production Multistradas are suffering as well. The 796 too? yikes. Ducati better get that sorted out or people will go elsewhere before spending $2500 on pipes and ECMs to fix it. The Duc dealer told me the '10 Multistrada was a GS killer...I chuckled. Good luck, I told him. Dual Brembos (monobloc?) are going to kick ass over any Buell setup. They have been at it longer, they spend more $$ on them. Brembos are expected on a exotic brand like Ducati. Same for higher end suspension. Glad you got a chance to ride some. I took a KTM 990 adventure and 990 super duke out during Daytona. Buell had nothing to worry about there (except for the adventure- that bike kicked some major off-road ass) | ||
| T_man |
I wish I had chance to ride a Monster 1100 - I did sit on one and it felt the most comfortable by far. The power of the air cooled 796 was quite a surprise and I'd imagine the 1100 would pull quite a bit stronger. The sound those Duc's emitted was pretty nice too - my 1125R sounded like a offshore race boat in comparison. | ||
| Ratgin |
(except for the adventure- that bike kicked some major off-road ass) I so want to have a 990 Adv R. But i looked at it and the ride height and unless it comes with a small step ladder im sunk. It sucks being 6"2 and 28ish inseam. | ||
| Quetip |
I test rode the Streetfighter S at Road America this past weekend. My biggest gripe are the ergonomics. Seat was super awkward, and it was so skinny it was like riding a broom stick. Maybe I'm just used to my 1125CR because I was much happier getting back on it right afterward. As far as power it felt like even if you were steady with the right hand fueling was abrupt. Other than that it was great acceleration, not sure if it was faster or slower than mine. Both have more power than I know what to do with. Handled great, brake were great. Sounds excellent. Looks spectacular! Costs $16k | ||
| Zackxb12s |
The streetfighter is a sweet ass bike but not for $16k | ||
| Chessm |
i have an 09 CR and i got to test ride the streetfighter S on a spirited demo ride. and i have to say, if money was taken out of the equation, i thought that the streetfighter s was a better bike. now factor in the price...was it 3 or 4 times better? no it wasnt. i fully expected to hate the bike due to the comparos that i read between the CR and streetfighter but i didnt have any of those issues. the lighter weight of the streetfighter s and overall confidence inspiring handling won me over. ive had the suspension professionally set up on the CR twice and only now after 5K miles have i started to feel confident enough in the bike to get the chicken strips down to a respectable size (this is with me hanging off like a monkey). this is in contrast to how comfortable i instantly felt with my XB, with a duke 690 im riding now, with my GF's z1000 (ok this one took like 1K miles), and an r1 i was riding for a while. but ya, when you factor in that price...i can wait the 5K miles to get good with the bike vs the $10K price difference oh and just to add...i dont see the point in the 796 hypermotard when you can easily find used versions of the 1100 for close to the same price. | ||
| Father_of_an_era |
Its odd that you didn't feel confident on the CR because I immediately felt comfortable with my R. I wonder what the differences are in contrast to everyday ridding and/or hitting the twisties? | ||
| Socalbueller |
I've demoed a few air cooled ducs and none of them will run below 3500 rpm, bucking and chugging. The liquid cooled ones are sweet IMO, sound and power delivery are great. The SF riding position I didn't mind but it didn't handle like my Firebolt, turn in was slow and it felt kind of weird. The 1198 handled better and I liked it except for the seating position. The bars were lower than I'd like them to be but I could probably get use to them but the dealer breaker on that bike is how much the seat slants into the gas tank. Every little bump I go over I kept sliding forward. Haven't figured out the advantage of that on the track. | ||
| Chessm |
i was instantly comfy on the CR when it came to city riding or commuting. but when it came time to chase sportbikes and motards down the fun, tight and technical playgrounds in my area, i was geting left behind. something i wasnt used to on my XB for example. im pretty sure that if i actually owned a streetfighter s...i would still not push the envelope as hard as i do on my xb for the fact that i would be thinking of how expensive it would be if did anything under than shiny side up on that bike. | ||
| Jdugger |
> Haven't figured out the advantage of that on the track. So you aren't pushed back in the seat under acceleration and can ride the front through a corner. I am always finding myself having to push up and forward on the Buell's pegs to keep my head out in front of the bike. | ||
| T_man |
Jdugger - thats a good point I had forgotten about until your post brought back memories of the same. Those Duc's aren't served any justice at all if not on the racetrack methinks - and if I ever find myself financially able - I may just have to get one of those shiny red bikes for the track only. | ||
| Dktechguy112 |
chessm, I know what you mean about the ktm 690. My bro had a ktm 690 smc, that bike didn't have the grunt of the buell, but in the corners it was amazing. What i love about the ktm 690 is how easy it is to ride fast through corners. You felt like the bike was part of you riding it. I don't have enough miles on the buell to have that feeling yet, but I'm sure I will. |
