[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Same case with the H2 as well. It doesn't have a huge advantage on paper - but all the reviewers say they were mind blown by the power delivery.

If only the ZH2 at least looked neutral! Can't believe they couldn't take inspiration from the outgoing Z1000 which aged so well, that even Ducati was inspired.

I remember being a bit surprised by the consistent feedback on the Kawasaki H2, the power delivery was amazing thought its numbers were not class leading. Kawasaki seems to have pulled the same rabbit out of the hat with the ZH2. Actually, the more I see the ZH2, the more the looks are growing on me. I wonder how well Kawasaki could price it, if they decide to bring the bike to India. $ 17K price in the US is just a few grand more than the Japanese 1000cc sportsbikes.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Overall, both these nakeds seem to be just paper flagships. Way too much machine for anyone to use out on the streets!

Agree! Too much for international roads and waaayyyy too much for Indian roads.

I managed to find a comparison video between the Ducati Streetfighter V4S and it's other big rival, the KTM Super Duke 1290R. Very interesting observations from the Italian reviewers.

KTM Super Duke 1290R
- More agile
- Faster than the Ducati
- Braking is excellent on both but the Super Duke gets Supermoto mode
- More comfortable seating
- No semi active suspension
- Euro 19,700 price with accessories

Ducati Streetfighter V4S
- Stable and balanced, even at speed
- No fuel range (this might be lost in translation though)
- Domesticated beast
- Once again the same journalist feedback - it's an un-Ducati Ducati
- Euro 19,900 price for base V4 and 22,990 for the V4S

The KTM would be my choice for sure - faster, more agile, more comfortable and pocket friendly!

Moto.it

[bigron]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

.


The KTM would be my choice for sure - faster, more agile, more comfortable and pocket friendly!

I believer that the Super Duke R is the most maniac naked on the planet. One ride on this changed my perception on what a naked could do. Its a roller coaster that scares you but because it is so much fun you want to keep on riding it.

I often say that this is the bike that Satan uses when he is in a hurry!

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by bigron

I believer that the Super Duke R is the most maniac naked on the planet. One ride on this changed my perception on what a naked could do. Its a roller coaster that scares you but because it is so much fun you want to keep on riding it.

I often say that this is the bike that Satan uses when he is in a hurry!

Wow, you are a lucky soul for getting to ride the Super Duke R. Do share more details of the experience and some pics if possible.

Im not the biggest fan of KTM and their engineering philosophy but that Super Duke R is something else indeed. Too bad it isnt sold in India. The Aprilia Tuono is usually the preferred flavour in this segment for most riders but if I had to choose, it would be the 1290 Super Duke R all day.

[bigron]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Wow, you are a lucky soul for getting to ride the Super Duke R. Do share more details of the experience and some pics if possible.

It was a casual meeting for coffee with a few friends on one of our overseas trips that ended up being a bike ride.
Since I was visiting i was without a bike so one of the riders offered his super Duke R. He wanted to take the new s1000rr he had recently bought.

This was my first time on the super Duke since my previous KTM encounter few years ago was with a RC8 which I thoroughly enjoyed.

The Super Duke was extremely effortless and would pull like a locomotive from around 5500 rpm in any gear. This genuinely gives you a smirk everytime you go WOT ( I ride a de restricted and tuned gsx1300r so I have some experience with instant throttle responses).
There was hardly any wind protection. It became to much at times. The ergonomics are mostly spot on and has space to move about. Riders with average to taller heights will have no problem. Gear shifts were precise and effortless but a quickshifter is almost a must have on this. I dint think to mush about the TFT screen and it had extensive rider aids that I dint use or explored.
The handling is magical. Its like a gun. You decide where you want the bike to go, point the bike in that direction and the bike takes it from there. Seat is comfortable and the Ride quality is okay. Not to harsh. Brakes are brilliant and it does all this looking absolutely smashing.

[neil.jericho]

Wow, that sounds like an absolute riot!

For those wondering about the Super Duke R, here is Jeremy McWilliams racer, ambassador and test rider for KTM, leading Al from 44 Teeth around the track. That wheelie at the 3 minute mark when they are doing 230+ kmph shows what hooliganism it is capable of.

44 Teeth

!

[shan_ned]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Wow, that sounds like an absolute riot!

For those wondering about the Super Duke R, here is Jeremy McWilliams racer, ambassador and test rider for KTM, leading Al from 44 Teeth around the track. That wheelie at the 3 minute mark when they are doing 230+ kmph shows what hooliganism it is capable of.

44 Teeth!

Neil, Looking at the reviews that you posted, it looks like the Super Duke R will eat the Ducati street fighter for breakfast for the street riding conditions. Probably drag strip might be the place for the street fighter to regain some lost points.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by shan_ned

Neil, Looking at the reviews that you posted, it looks like the Super Duke R will eat the Ducati street fighter for breakfast for the street riding conditions. Probably drag strip might be the place for the street fighter to regain some lost points.

It certainly looks like the Streetfighter V4 is in for a very bruising battle with the KTM Super Duke R and Aprilia Tuono in the coming months. Now that the Covid restrictions are starting to get lifted in other countries, the motorcycle reviews and comparisons of different two wheelers have started again. It wont be long before we get in depth comparisons between the three that highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each bike, both on the road and on the track. On the road, the power output of these bikes is rather excessive so things would be on a more level playing field but the track is where the big differences come out.

In the February issue of Fast Bikes India, the UK team had compared the top 3 sports bikes sold today in a track only grand finale of sorts. It was the Ducati V4S Corse vs the Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory vs the BMW S1000RR M Sport. Though all the bikes had over 200 BHP, the difference in the BHP figures between the highest and lowest was marginal (only 5 HP) and similarly for the torque figures, the difference was only 6 Nm. Yet in the hands of a former racer, the difference in lap times between the fastest and slowest bike was an astounding two seconds! That meant that over a 30 - 40 minute track session, the fastest bike would way ahead of the slowest bike, despite both of them being neck and neck in the spec sheet numbers.