2011 Harley-Davidson Blackline Review - Harley's latest bad boy goes barely legal

With the 2011 Blackline Softail, Harley-Davidson continues to evolve its Dark Custom lineup.

Carved from various standard Harley models, the Dark Customs have taken on a bare knuckles attitude expressed through no-nonsense styling underscored by a minimalist ethos and lots of blacked-out finishes. The unstated directive Harley seems to operate from with this sub-line implies that The Motor Company wants to pay tribute to (while also capitalizing on) the many subcultures built around Harleys – like the bobber scene, for instance.

The new Blackline’s silhouette makes known the bike’s Softail heritage, but this latest model to join the Dark Custom series also sports a lot of the chopping and bobbing seen on the likes of the Forty-Eight, Nightster and Iron 883.

The 2011 Blackline Softail keeps the faith in Harley’s Dark Custom lineup.

The Blackline’s abbreviated fenders, small, simplistic headlight and inconspicuous branding follow the lead of many of the Dark Custom bikes’ styling notes. A single instrument dial (a speedo with inlaid LCD that let’s a rider choose from tripmeter, odo, clock, gear position with digital tachometer or miles-to-empty) placed on the top triple-clamp is a departure from tank-mounted instruments found on the current line of Softails.

This downplaying of features is yet another indicator of the Blackline’s allegiance to the less-is-more credo of the Dark Customs.

Continuing the dark theme are black wheels, black fork legs, black headlight nacelle, black mirrors, black turn signals (with the rear set serving double duty as tail lights – first seen on the Nightster and implemented on the Iron 883 and Forty-Eight), black rear pulley, belt guard, rear fender struts, etc., etc. While the Blackline is fairly uniform to the blacked-out scheme, it doesn’t fully eschew chrome. The ‘Line’s air cleaner cover, brake pedal arm and lifter block cover are shiny, whereas these parts on the Sportster-based Darks are not.

The Blackline goes heavy on the black, like all the Dark Custom bikes.

A Barely Legal Harley

It’s possible the ‘Line is a bike Larry Flynt might find appealing.

When Harley designers and engineers finished crafting this bike, they decided to give it barely legal spacing between the mirrors – they just meet the DOT minimum requirements. The mirrors are attached to “split drag” handlebars that bring the rider’s hands unusually close together for a Harley, and also appear to push the bounds of allowable narrowness.

Harley went with an unfashionably narrow rear tire to complement the Blackline’s bobber bike inspiration. The tire not only goes well with the theme, it also lends to the bike’s easygoing handling.

This scrunched-together look is a key styling cue on the Blackline and a direct nod to the current crowd of bobber bikes and builders that often flout the law with their rebel ways.

The other standout feature that doesn’t standout until you start looking is the unfashionably narrow rear tire. As Kevin Duke informed us from the Blackline’s unveiling in January of this year, Harley fitted a 144mm 16-inch bun out back, while a narrow 21-incher – more common cruiser fare – spins up front. As Kevin said in his report from the unveiling, this narrow back tire “is a middle finger to the tired fat-tire movement.”

Make sure to read the Blackline preview for more in-depth details and to hear insights from the Harley team that created the bike.

Feet Forward, Fists Inward and Forward, Go Feel Lawless

You’re usually a law-abiding citizen, but from the moment you plunk your hiney in the Blackline’s dished-out saddle hovering 26.1 inches off the ground – the lowest dual-saddle seat height Harley offers – you start to feel your inner rule-breaker emerge. Set your boots on the forward mounted pegs, lean forward to clasp those illegal-looking, narrowly spaced bars and let the thrust of the torque-biased Twin Cam 96B propel you down the road while bad thoughts of joining a subversive biker club slip into your mind.

At the first sight of the highway patrol or local deputy your wicked train of thought derails, snapping you back into reality, where you realize you’d much rather finish paying down the mortgage than running from The Man. But you get the picture.

Ergos on the Blackline demand a reach to the bars and/or pegs for some riders but the overall layout should feel tolerable to most, and possibly natural feeling to tall riders with long inseams.

Despite the committed-looking riding position, the Blackline offers a pretty comfortable perch. However, if you’re under, say, 5 feet 10 inches, or have an inseam less than 30 inches, you might feel like you’re stretching for either the bars or pegs. Possible stretch aside, all but the shortest riders will find flat-footing at a stop easy stuff. Where the ergos start to reveal a shortcoming is during freeway sessions, when the windblast at 80 mph can start to tax your grip on the bars.

Although the riding position isn’t as extreme as the fold some custom bikes put their riders into, the Blackline’s ergos can, depending on the rider’s stature, somewhat force the rider into that notorious C-shaped riding position that so wonderfully acts like a parachute catching a bunch of wind.

It was also during freeway stints that I noted how well damped the rear suspension was over most bumps, save for the big ones – like mutant expansion joints – that’ll have most any cruiser punting its rider off the seat. Now, about those mirrors…

While the style of the closely spaced mirrors is spot-on for a production-based bobbed bike, rearward view is compromised – to the point that I gained a new appreciation for the view provided by the mirrors on some sportbikes (we often deride sportbikes for their limited rearward view).

Harley kept brand images to a minimum on the Blackline.

So limiting is the field of view in the Blackline’s mirrors that I often had to crane left or right while pulling my arm as inward as possible to see more of what was behind me. Harleys usually boast good mirror, um, performance, but this style-conscious set is borderline for-adornment-purposes-only.

The air-cooled big Twin is familiar stuff to those who’ve ridden the counterbalanced 96-incher, but it bears revisiting the many merits that’ve kept this engine in production for the last several model years. Prior to my Blackline ride it had been a while since my last trip aboard a big-bore Harley, and I found its smooth, torquey power is ready at a moment’s notice, regardless of gear selection or rpm, a pleasing and fun reminder of just what a good mill this engine is for a cruiser.

Power response from the trouble-free EFI isn’t instantaneous like perhaps on a modern sport-tourer or standard motorcycle, but the big flywheel effect in this Twin keeps the engine digging into its deep well of twisting force. Even while in top-gear at freeway cruising speeds the Twin Cam 96B propels the Blackline forward deliberately with respectable acceleration when your action at the twist grip says, “Gimme more! Now!” to the Milwaukee motor.

If cruisers in general have a well-known limiting factor, it’s lean-angle clearance, i.e. how far you can tip in to a turn before you hear and feel metal grinding on asphalt.

The counterbalanced Twin Cam 96B powering the Blackline is standard equipment in Harley’s Softail line. It’s an engine we’ve come to like, but we expect H-D to fit 103-cubic-inch motors in future models so it’s competitive with its cruiser rivals.

It doesn’t take much effort to auger the Blackline’s long footpeg feelers into concrete during a turn, but in fairness, the lean angle clearance didn’t strike me as excessively less than many low-slung cruisers I’ve bent through a corner, whether in the canyons or around town.

Also low effort is the Blackline’s steering. With fat rear tires as the ruling class for so long, it’s possible you’re not yet ready to embrace the appearance of that “skinny” rear tire. But trust us when we say the tire’s width lends favorably to handling.

With less rubber real estate out back, the Blackline requires less energy of the rider for initial steering input, and the bike doesn’t exhibit the desire to right itself mid-corner (like you have to fight the bike to hold its line in a turn) as many 200mm-plus rear tire cruisers tend to do. With a sizable span of 66.5 inches between wheel axles, and pretty relaxed steering geometry of 30 degrees of rake and 4.84 inches of trail, the Blackline’s neutral handling and willingness to steer belie its 683-pound curb weight.

Stopping performance, like the engine performance, is something regular Harley riders are accustomed to: sufficient power with an okay feel at the lever. But, give the front brake lever a hearty grab with all four fingers and the single caliper and disc will reel in this Dark Custom quickly enough.

Additionally, Harley has made ABS available to the Blackline – a feature usually the realm of a number of the company’s VRSC and touring models. Regrettably, optional ABS, that in 2010 normally added $845 to the MSRP of certain models, is now available on the Blackline only as part of the $1195 Security Package that includes proximity-fob keyless ignition. Package-only pricing follows this pattern where ABS is an option for select 2011 models.

Bobbed and Black is the New Game, But Only Two Want to Play

A black-as-sin Vivid Black Blackline retails for $15,499, while the Cool Blue Pearl/Vivid Black and Sedona Orange/Vivid Black have price tags marked $15,998. Incidentally, the color on these color options exists on about 3/4ths of the fuel tank – the rest of the scheme retains the black heart of the Dark Custom line.

Some might say the high-ish ape hanger-style bars and wide front tire on Victory’s High-Ball keep it from competing directly with the Blackline. Yet the High-Ball’s clear-as-day bobber inspiration fits the bill and says that Victory is interested in a share of the crowd shopping the Dark Customs.

A Harley model better fit to the High-Ball is the Dark Custom Cross Bones. Alas, we’ve good reason to believe the Cross Bones is off the map in H-D’s 2012 lineup.

Is the Blackline number 1? Outside of the Dark Custom family, the Blackline has only Victory’s bobber-themed High-Ball to compete with. No other major-brand bike builders have entered this retro-style genre.

The High-Ball is powered by Victory’s 106 cubic-inch, 6-speed Freedom 106 V-Twin. From Victory and Harley comparos we’ve done, we know that, while not as smooth as the silky Harley Twin-Cam engine, the Victory Twin produces a good bit more power at the wheel – like at least 20 hp and 20 ft-lbs more than the 96B Vee.

Then consider the High-Ball’s $13,499 MSRP. Furthermore, Victory is the only other major manufacturer of cruisers pursuing this bobbed theme at a production level.

Fair game says me.

Source : motorcycle.com

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Metzeler Sportec M5 Review

Elephants, Metzeler’s logo, are embossed along the edges of the company’s new Sportec M5. Our job was to kill them.

But before you slay the elephant, first you must pass the tire’s 5-stage lean-angle indicator, a series of numbers from 1 to 5 that Chris Wall, Metzeler’s U.S. director of marketing, describes as a “chicken-strip meter.”

When scrubbing number 1, you’re only leaning over about 25 degrees. You’ll have to be cranked over about 45 degrees to burn off the number-5 section. And then the elephant hunting begins.

Metzeler’s new Sportec M5 Interact, complete with 5-stage lean-angle indicator and a pesky elephant.

Decoding the beast

Interact_Tension_inside

Varying tension of the Interact’s zero-degree steel belts optimize them for the differing loads subjected to each part of the tire.

The Sportec sits between the sport-touring Roadtec and track-ready Racetec, and the M5 replaces the Sportec M3. But there’s more to the story.

The Sportec M5 also includes Metzeler’s newish Interact technology (already employed in the Racetec and Roadtec) in which its zero-degree steel belts are arranged with varying tension levels in strategic zones along its profile. The M5 is divided into three sections. High-tension cords are used at the edge of the tire for stability and feedback, and also in the center of the tire for durability. Between those two segments of the tire is a low-tension area for quick warm-up and better grip at street-typical lean angles.

“Altering the tension of steel belts affects a tire’s stability, grip and mileage,” says Metzeler R&D Director, Dr. P. Kronthaler. “And performance of the tire compound is influenced by the belt’s tension.”

The Interact tech allows a multi-zone tire that isn’t encumbered with the step between compounds as in dual- or tri-compound rubber, allowing for a more continuous transition from zone to zone.

The multiple-tension belts and a new polymer foundation allow the tire to have a silica content 55% greater than the Sportec M3. Silica is a key ingredient in supplying wet grip and ensuring quick warm-up. The Racetec, conversely, uses carbon black instead of silica, as silica “suffers a lot at high temperatures,” explains Salvo Pennisi, Metzeler’s chief test rider.

The Racetec’s lack of silica and its minimal tread siping make it a less versatile street tire than the Sportec M5. But the track-performance cost of the M5 is quite small. Pennisi says the new Sportec is only about 1 second slower than the Racetec around a 3-mile track.

The Sportec M5 also boasts a new tread pattern inspired by the Greek letter Pi, with two lateral sipes capped by a longitudinal one. A well-rounded performance tire like this needs to be able to handle wet conditions, and Metzeler says two grooves in the front M5 are always in contact with the road to evacuate water. Out back, the contact patch always touches at least one groove.

Compared to the Sportec M3, Metzeler claims the M5 has improvements in both dry and wet performance while durability remains constant. The greatest advance over the M3, according to a Metzeler chart, is in the “riding easiness” category.

Testing, testing, 1-2-3…

Metzeler invited the moto press to test the new Sportec at the fantastic Portimao circuit in Portugal’s Algarve region. Pennisi says the hilly track is a good simulator for a challenging mountain road.

The Metzeler reps showed their faith in the M5’s ability to warm quickly by not bothering to employ tire warmers. The new buns were mounted on a variety of sporty bikes, as Metzeler intends the new tire to have a wide range of application, everything from sport nakeds to race-reps to large supermotos.

BMW’s oddball HP2 Sport provided our first chance to assassinate Metzeler’s elephant.

A light rain fell on our session aboard the racy Yamaha R6, but the fun continued unabated.

I selected an exotic BMW HP2 Sport for my first stint on the shiny, new tires. In hindsight, this probably wasn’t the best choice, as the HP2’s Boxer motor, Telelever fork and shaft drive makes it a bit of a strange duck and provides atypical feedback compared to a traditional sportbike.

However, it didn’t take long before I was able to trust the grip from the M5s, and I was soon able to confidently lean the HP2 far enough to drag its rear-set footpegs. I began to enjoy the tires’ neutral turn-in response and track-worthy adhesion.

A post-ride inspection of the tires showed I had scuffed all the lean-angle indicator numbers, but I had only decapitated the elephant, leaving the pachyderm’s body unscathed.

The elephant would have the last laugh on this day, as a light rain began to fall while I zinged out of pit lane on a new Yamaha YZF-R6, ensuring only modest lean angles. But since we were there to test tires – and ones that have been developed for wet use – it turned out to be perfect conditions.

Although presented with a cool, damp track, the Sportec M5s came up to temperature quickly and were surprisingly trustworthy in the treacherous conditions. My confidence swelled, allowing me the speed to pass several riders and drag a knee puck a few times. I occasionally felt the rear tire spin up while accelerating leaned over out of corners, but it always happened predictably and was easily controlled.

In this kind of dicey environment, I was happy to be on the Sportec M5 rather than the Racetec with its stiffer construction and absence of silica.

More Grip Than You Think

The difference between a motorcycle having enough traction and not having enough can be teensy, but the consequences of loosing grip can be considerable. This is especially evident when riding on wet roads.  Most street riders don’t get this much fork dive when braking on dry roads. To show how much traction the Sportec M5s offer in drenched conditions, Metzeler set up a braking course in a downpour for us to sample a BMW S1000RR. Naturally, the Beemer was equipped with its antilock brake system so we wouldn’t do any helmet surfing. We brought the S1000RR up to about 55 mph, and then – taking an electronic leap of faith – hammered on the front brake lever as if about to rear-end a Hummer. I knew I was going to be impressed how quickly an ABS-equipped bike can be slowed in the wet, but the rate of deceleration was nothing short of incredible. The ABS gave supreme confidence, and the tires produced mind-bending traction levels that got the bike slowed quicker I thought possible on a wet surface. But was this astounding performance due to the tires or the ABS? Well, being able to stab the brakes like an idiot, on a wet road, was only possible due to the ABS, as even full-on rain tires wouldn’t be able to withstand such ham-fistedness. But worthy of note is the eyeball-bulging deceleration enabled by tires that offered the traction necessary to make it possible. ABS skeptics who ride in the rain would be enlightened by a test such as this.

HAL 9000 Is My Co-Pilot

Electronic rider aids have been described as crutches. But unless your last name is Rossi, your skills could probably use the help – especially when it’s raining.

These were my thoughts after pounding out laps on BMW’s tech-heavy and blindingly fast S1000RR around the challenging Portimao circuit in a sodden downpour. With its traction control and antilock brakes, it was like cheating.

It was also an excellent way to explore the wet grip from the Sportec M5s without balling up the bike in a gravel trap.

Traction control and antilock brakes: Duke gladly takes all the help he can get!

Again the M5s demonstrated their ability to evacuate water and retain traction on a soggy surface. BMW’s DTC was ideal for checking acceleration grip, as the throttle could fearlessly be whacked open during corner exits. Considering the wet surface, the force of acceleration was phenomenal, even pulling up the front wheel occasionally.

The Sportec M5s inspired confidence even when presented with a wet racetrack.

Traction in the corners proved to be fairly abundant, although my knee puck (and the pesky elephant!) weren’t in danger of being scuffed. Turn-in response remained as neutral as it was on the other bikes I tested, even though this was a 190mm rear tire instead of the 180/55-17 on the R6. Metzeler notes that each size of Sportec was developed on its own, explaining that some other manufacturers develop one particular size which is then modified for other sizes.

Wet-braking grip, too, was sensational, as the ABS allowed me to use nearly the same brake markers as I did in the dry. It will be very interesting to watch a rainy World Superbike race this year, as both Honda and BMW have homologated their ABS systems for 2010 Superbike use, which should give them a decided advantage in the wet.

Perhaps the most salient point brought up during my S1000RR stint was that no one passed me all session, which isn’t usually the case when riding amongst the typical motojournalist grand prix.

The Verdict

We came away impressed by Metzeler’s new sport tire, the Sportec M5 Interact, now available at dealers.

Metzeler couldn’t have planned a more perfect environment in which to test the new Sportec M5 Interact. The track itself is hugely entertaining, and we were able to ride in sessions that ranged from full dry to soaking wet.

Through it all, the Sportec M5s performed as well as could be expected. Dry grip was excellent, and we barely even approached their racetrack limits. In damp conditions, traction was abundant enough to drag a knee. Adhesion during wet braking tests was greater than most riders use on the street in dry conditions. And, even during a deluge, the M5s supplied the traction and confidence necessary to clock in respectable lap times at Portimao.

All-weather sport riders will enjoy the versatility and performance of the Sportec M5 Interact. Fashionistas will dig the tread pattern and lean-angle indicator zones.

The new Sportec is hitting dealers now and is available in popular sizes for 17-inch wheels. Suggested retail prices are around $180 for fronts; $221.95 to 281.95 for rears. Keep in mind that a careful shopper can find tires at much-reduced sale prices. For more, check out www.us.metzelermoto.com

Meanwhile, I can’t wait to go elephant hunting again.

This is how dry we wished Portimao was for our S1000RR sessions!

Source : motorcycle.com

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Metzeler Roadtec Interact Z8 Tire Review

According to Metzeler, the German tire company can manipulate the performance of its motorcycle tires by adjusting the tension of the tire’s steel cords. Metzeler calls the process Interact technology, first seen two years ago in the Z6 Interact sport-touring tire (reviewed here), and has imparted the new-for-2011 Roadtec Z8 tire with this technique.

Between the carcass and external compound of a Z8 tire resides more than 120 steel cords. Like a string instrument, each cord can be tuned to produce a different effect. In the case of the Z8, the result is better grip and tire longevity rather than tonality.

The Roadtec Z8 boasts three tension zones: the center and two sides. To deliver the highest mileage possible, the tension of the cords in the center zone is high. For maximizing grip, the tension of the cords in the two side zones is reduced. It’s said to offer the benefits of a dual-compound tire while using just a single compound.

The handling and grip performance of the new Roadtec Z8s was impressive no matter what model bike I was riding.

“The compound interacts with the tension of the wire,” explains Metzeler’s senior test rider, Alessandro Abate. “The higher the tension the less the tire’s compound will move. The lower the tension the more flexible that part of the tire will be.”

To simulate real-world conditions, Abate, a former Italian national roadracer, travels to Metzeler’s purpose-built tracks located in various regions around the globe. In the course of developing the Roadtec Z8, it’s Abate’s job to ride pre-production tires with a variety of cord tensions and decipher which is the best combination of tensions.

“Depending on the tension of the cord a tire can feel over-inflated or under-inflated,” says Abate. He also provides feedback on a tire’s carcass strength, durability and, of course, grip.

Three areas of tension provide a sport-touring compromise of grip and longevity.

Compared to the Z6 Interact, the Z8’s new design is said to offer much better handling, with improvements also to levels of traction in both wet and dry conditions.

Metzeler gave us a chance to try out the new Roadtec Z8s on a variety of motorcycles during a damp, cool day. Since the Z8s are classified as sport-touring tires, it seemed appropriate to choose bikes befitting of the title, so miles were accumulated on a BMWK1600GTL, a Kawasaki ZX-14 and a Ducati Multistrada 1200. (Roadtec Z8s are original-equipment fitment for BMW's K1600s and feature stiffer sidewalls and a second ply to better handle the bike’s weight. All other Z8s are of the same construction.)

Sportiest of the big touring rigs, the Z8-shod Beemer ground pegs while strafing the tight corners in the coastal mountains above Malibu, California. It was my first time aboard the new K and I couldn’t get enough of the performance, and especially the sound of the new inline, six-cylinder engine, and I commenced riding it more like a sportbike than its intended purpose. Never once did the Z8s allow the big bike to step outta line or give me worry as I worked the tourer through the twisties.

“I was shocked at the nimble characteristics of the K1600 when I rode on them a few months ago,” says Duke about the Beemer’s press launch. “Part of it is due to the bike’s relatively light weight and sorted chassis geometry, but the well-mannered Z8s also deserve credit. I also rode the GT version of the K1600, and the tires hung in past the point of scraping its higher footpegs.”

Next up was the sportier and more brutish ZX-14. With this bike it was easy to overpower the grip of the rear Z8, but the few times it did light-up, the feeling was never one of losing control. Even on the damp, overcast side of the mountains the Z8s maintained composure while I descended in elevation to ocean-level aboard the big ZX.

The Z8s on BMW’s K1600 are specially-constructed to better handle the bike’s additional weight.

As one of my personally favorite bikes, I was looking forward to riding the Ducati Multistrada on the final portion of the trip. This was the tightest, most aggressive riding of the day, and my appreciation and familiarity with the performance of the versatile Ducati allowed me to really push both the bike and the tires. After this hard-charging leg of the trip was over, I was really impressed by the grip of these so-called sport-touring tires.

Conclusion

The performance and grip of the new Roadtec Z8s is quite impressive, especially for sport-touring rubber. Our day on the Z8s didn’t reveal much about the tire’s durability, but Metzeler says to expect slightly better mileage than the good-wearing Z6.

For sporty riders looking for tires with tenacious grip and extended endurance, Metzeler appears to have delivered an excellent combo in the Z8.

The Roadtec Z8s are available in eight typical 17-inch-diameter sizes. Front sizes are 120/60-17 and 120/70-17, while rears range from 150mm to 190mm wide, including the recently popular 190/55-17.

Metzeler Roadtec Interact Z8 Pricing
Front Tires	$174 - $179
Rear Tires	$209 - $270

Source : motorcycle.com 

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2011 Middleweight Sportbike Shootout - Track [Video]

Last week we brought you the street portion of our Oddball Sportbike shootout featuring three machines that are outliers within the confines of the fairly rigid sportbike category but are competitively priced.

For street riders this discrepancy in engine displacement between the Ducati 848 EVO, Suzuki GSX-R750 and Triumph Daytona 675R means nothing. But at the racetrack, where you’re typically defined by one of two choices — 600cc or 1000cc — these three machines aim to carve a niche of their own. Welcome, then, to the track portion ofMotorcycle.com’s Oddball Sportbike shootout.

On the street, the Suzuki GSX-R750 narrowly edged out the Ducati and Triumph for top honors. Despite being the least exotic machine of the bunch, its comfortable ergonomics, confident chassis and user-friendly (and plenty powerful) powerplant proved a favorite amongst our testers, and we judged its performance-per-dollar ratio to be the best in this group. Given the GSX-R’s racetrack heritage, we had our doubts about its street manners. But at the end of the day, it did exactly what a streetbike is supposed to do: put a smile on each of our faces every time we threw a leg over it.

The 1.7 miles of Auto Club Speedway’s infield road course would play host to our Oddball Sportbike shootout this year. Who’s your money on?

To their credit, the Ducati and Triumph both proved to be fantastic machines in their own right. All of our testers were enamored by the Ducati’s absolutely planted front end, while the Triumph nearly won us over with its astute chassis and charismatic engine.

But the racetrack will prove to be a different environment. To be honest, all three of these machines were bred for the track, with street provisions just mere afterthoughts.

We chose the tight confines of Auto Club Speedway’s infield road course to lessen the Suzuki’s horsepower advantage over the other bikes, especially the Triumph.

Leveling the playing field as best we could, we fitted all three bikes with Bridgestone’s latest D.O.T. racing rubber, the Battlax Racing R10 (see sidebar for more information). Also, because there’s a significant discrepancy between the power output of our little trio, track selection was taken into careful consideration. A long, open track would skew the results in favor of the more powerful Ducati and Suzuki as they would be able to pull away from the Triumph, whereas a tighter, technical track should (in theory) negate that advantage and give the Trumpet a fighting chance.

We chose to ride with our friends at Fastrack Riders for their first event of the year at the infield road course at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. This 1.7-mile track configuration makes do without the long, banked oval section of the former AMA track and is quite tight and technical, a perfect venue to pit these three machines against each other in a battle royale for national pride.

So which will it be? The throaty V-Twin of the sinister-looking Ducati, the screaming four-banger of the reliable Suzuki, or the raspy inline-Triple of the lean, mean Triumph that takes top honors? Read on to find out.

2011 Triumph Daytona 675R
$11,999

If this were a beauty pageant, we’d wrap things up here and call the Triumph Daytona 675R the winner. But alas, this comparison is more than skin deep, and if the Trumpet were to have any chance at winning this shootout it would have to perform as well as it looks.

We’re happy to report that, in many ways, it does. A theme we harped on about the Triumph on the street was its amazing agility. That surely isn’t lost on the track. Direction changes on the 675R are lightning fast and require little effort. At a tight and technical course like the infield section at Auto Club, this proved to be a huge advantage.

“Neither the Suzook nor the Duc could carve up the track’s tight sections like the nimble and small-feeling Triumph,” said Duke. Credit to that goes to the most aggressive chassis geometry, backed up by an Ohlins NIX30 fork and TTX36 shock – the most dramatic (and obvious) improvements to the R model over its standard variant. The 43mm fork is actually 5mm taller than the Kayaba units on the standard 675, which slows the R model’s steering ever-so-slightly, but in this company it has the quickest steering of the three.

Carving corners and ripping up racetracks are just two of the 675R’s specialties.

As delivered, the suspension’s heavy-rate springs provided a ride much too stiff for our liking. But the bike was transformed into a compliant track weapon with a few adjustments. The amount of adjustability and the corresponding difference it makes is a product of Ohlins’ commitment to advancing suspension technology.

There’s no getting around the fact that the Triumph lags in the power department, but a linear torque curve and close-ratio gearbox does its part to hide that shortcoming as best it can.

With agility and nimble feet being its greatest strength, where the 675R falls short in this trio is in the power department. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the machine with the least displacement delivered the least amount of power — 111.2 horsepower at 12,800 rpm. Torque, too, is smallest with 48.4 ft.-lbs. at 10,000 rpm, though its curve is pleasingly linear throughout the rev range. Interestingly, up until approximately 4800 rpm, the Triumph actually produces more torque than the GSX-R750. It lags behind after that, but not by much. This, combined with its racetrack-appropriate tall first gear, resulted in explosive drives out of slow-speed corners.

On track this linear powerband more than held its own against its two larger rivals. While tailing GSX-R750-mounted Duke, the Triumph stayed within a whiff of the Suzi’s exhaust fumes around most of Auto Club’s corners. Only on the front straight was the Gixxer able to stretch its legs and barely pull away. This disadvantage in power for the Triumph had an interesting byproduct, as our testers still managed to have the most fun aboard the 675R. “There is something intrinsically satisfying about holding a throttle wide open, and you can do it more often on this bike,” notes Kevin as to why he enjoyed the Triumph.

For reasons yet clear to us, the 675R suffers from a high-frequency vibration when taxing the Brembo brakes in a racetrack setting.

While the Brembo monobloc brake calipers, combined with its steel-braided lines and Brembo radial master cylinder, make quick work of scrubbing off speed, one puzzling anomaly I noticed during my first ride story of the 675R was a high-frequency vibration pulsing through the lever during especially hard braking, and it’s a condition we were able to recreate during our track testing. “It slightly spoils what is otherwise a fantastic brake system,” Duke says. Still, this didn’t upset the chassis during turn-in.

Other notables about the Triumph: in contrast to the Ducati and Suzuki, when aboard the 675R, one sits “on” it rather than “in” it. The 5mm taller fork tubes push the clip-on bars up slightly, but the pegs still rest rather high and rearward. This results in a seating position that’s not quite as track-oriented as the Ducati, but one still clearly focused on spinning laps. Pete felt “perched over” on the Triumph, with much weight on his wrists. This bothered him most under the strain of heavy braking.  

Further, the standard quick-shifter we enjoyed on the street proved to be a big asset on the track. When fractions of a second mean the difference between winning or losing, perfect full-throttle upshifts with just a flick of the toe are a godsend.

The Trumpet, despite being the uprated R model, is still sans a slipper clutch, though it is available as an accessory in the Triumph racing catalog. That said, none of our testers complained that it was missing. Triumph employs a clever trick wherein, upon deceleration, the fuel-injection system opens a throttle plate slightly to reduce engine braking, which helps calm the rear end similar to a slipper clutch.

We also had no complaints about the large tachometer which was easy to read at a glance. Progressive shift lights, too, are easily spotted in the peripheral while riding. However, the white-on-black LCD info panel was as difficult to read on the track as it was on the street.

The harder we ride the 675R, the bigger our smiles become. It’s that much fun to ride.

For the trackday enthusiast, the smiles-per-mile factor is very high on the 675R. To put it bluntly, this machine is just plain fun to ride. Its handling is not only quick, but it inspires confidence as well. And there’s no better melody in motorcycling than a three-cylinder wailing at the top of its lungs. All three riders recorded their second-best lap times on the spunky little Triumph, though it should be noted that a long, flowing track would likely skew this result against the 675R.

2011 Suzuki GSX-R750
$11,999

In this battle against European exotica, it’s easy to think the relatively bland Suzuki GSX-R750 would get lost among the crowd. But if there was one motorcycle that never suffered from an identity crisis, the venerable Gixxer 750 is it. The father of the modern-day sportbike, Suzuki virtually created the word upon the 750’s release in 1985. That heritage, and the lessons learned from all those years in racing, have culminated in the finely honed machine you see here.

We harped about the instant familiarity the GSX-R600 provides during our 600 shootout, allowing all of our testers to get up to speed quickly. With a larger-displacement engine wedged inside the same chassis, some of us wondered whether that balance we adored on the 600 would transfer over to the 750 on the racetrack.

So familiar is Pete with the GSX-R750 that this picture was taken on his very first lap of the day. Okay, not quite, but we all quickly got up to speed on the obedient Gixxer.

The answer is a resounding yes. “Because I feel so immediately comfortable on the GSX-R750, my confidence is boosted and I’m ready to start riding aggressively right out of the gate,” writes Pete. Kevin, too, was delighted at how little time it took to feel comfortable at the Suzuki’s controls, noting how it only took him a few laps to scrape the footpegs at their lowest setting. Once we moved them back to their highest setting — which didn’t require readjusting the shifter or brake lever — ground clearance was never an issue. In contrast to the Triumph, you sit “in” the Suzuki, which has the least aggressive rider triangle of the bunch (relatively speaking, of course).

The Triumph 675R is able to close in on the GSX-R750 in the tight stuff, but the Gixxer pulls a gap whenever a straightaway presents itself.

While it’s true that our GSX-R750 made the most power at the wheel between our trio (120.5 horsepower), we were surprised that the number was so low. In years past we’ve seen the middleweight Gixxer pump out five to seven more horses. Regardless, it’s still the horsepower king of the bunch, and from the saddle the Suzuki’s advantage over the others was obvious, especially down Auto Club’s front straight. Duke noticed 140 mph on the clock at the end of said straight, five miles per hour more than the next-fastest Ducati. Power comes on in a linear fashion, with a noticeable pull past 10,000 rpm that indicates the 750 is indeed stretching its legs. Throttle response is mostly smooth, though we noticed a slight abruptness when reapplying throttle, especially at slower speeds.

Another reason we’re big fans of the GSX-R750 is because whenever we come off it, we wish 600s could be this good. Whereas 1000cc sportbikes have gotten to the point that electronics are nearly required to tame the power, for mere mortals like you and me, the 750 has the right amount of grunt to satisfy our urges for speed without scaring the crap out of us. This balance proved useful at the track, prompting Kevin to write, “The Gixxer 750 proved to be very competent at this tight circuit, and I’ll bet quicker under me than if I had a Gixxer Thou.”

Increasing or arresting lean angle on the Suzuki is made possible thanks to a completely neutral and linear chassis.

As far as handling goes, the Suzuki falls somewhere in between the Ducati and Triumph. Quickness and agility doesn’t quite compare to the 675R, while stability at full lean is lacking ever so slightly to the 848. That said, the Gixxer exhibits the same neutrality from its chassis that we enjoyed on the 600. Direction changes require a simple tug at the controls before the chassis seamlessly falls into place. While this characteristic suits a more flowing course, it was mostly a non-issue navigating through the tight switchbacks at Auto Club’s infield course.

Bumps are absorbed by the less prestigious though more-than-capable Big Piston Fork from Showa. The unit features full adjustability and is mated to a Showa shock with separate high- and low-speed compression damping. Initial setup on the Suzuki leaned toward the soft side, and it wasn’t until the pace picked up that some of our testers noticed the bike protesting. “As delivered the Suzuki’s suspension was better suited for the street than track,” Pete says in his notes. “Its softer settings eventually revealed themselves with an occasional squirm and wallow during corner exits or over rough patches of pavement in the track.”

A Showa Big Piston Fork quells bumps for the Suzuki, while Brembo calipers again take care of stopping duties. This time, however, they’re fed fluid through rubber lines.

Duke backed Pete’s feelings about the suspension, calling the street settings we initially set on the bike “a little too loose.” Personally, I didn’t mind the softer settings and actually enjoyed the bike moving around a little underneath me. However, the suspension’s full adjustments can provide more buttoned-down responses to suit most riders with a few simple turns.

By now you know that all three machines are equipped with Brembo monobloc brake calipers. The Suzuki, however, is the only one of the three not equipped with steel-braided brake lines, opting for rubber hoses instead. You would think this would be a major disadvantage on the track, but in reality we were surprised at how well they held up the entire day without any signs of spongeyness at the lever. In fact, I personally preferred the set of Brembos on the Suzuki as it allowed me to use more of the lever travel during braking, which suits my style.

It should be noted that the GSX-R is the only bike here that comes with a slipper clutch and it worked flawlessly throughout the day. Not that we taxed the clutch very much since the gearbox is one refined piece of kit. Shifts are crisp and precise even without a quickshifter like the Triumph. The gauges are easily read at a glance, with a big tachometer dominating the instrument pod. Also amongst the readouts is a gear-position indicator which was much larger than the one on the Triumph, another feature we liked about the Gixxer.

A big tachometer is easy to read, while we also dug the big gear-position indicator.

The Suzuki is also the only bike here with different power maps. While it automatically defaults to A mode on startup, giving it full power, B mode reduces power significantly throughout the rev range, giving it 675R-ish type feel from the saddle. A nice feature for the ham-fisted, it’s possible to give it a big twist of throttle in B mode while leaned over and not worry about spinning up the rear. A racer might appreciate this reduced power mode should they ever race in the rain.

So how good is the Suzuki? Trackday enthusiasts will no doubt appreciate the wide powerband of the Gixxer. Its familiar (and adjustable) ergonomics will also appeal to a wide range of riders. Get it on the track and it’ll steer with ease, stop on a dime and, depending on the circuit, even keep up with the literbikes. As far as laptimes go, you might have guessed by now that all three of our testers achieved their best lap time aboard the GSX-R750.

At the end of the day, all three testers set their fastest times aboard the Suzuki.

In the face of Triumph’s race-bred suspension and the Ducati’s uprated engine, it’s interesting that the Suzuki stands among this crowd unashamed at the fact that its distinctive feature is that there’s no singular piece that stands out. Taken as a whole, however, the Gixxer’s advantage becomes clear — all the pieces of the puzzle work together in such harmony that quick lap times are a natural byproduct.

Conclusion

When deciding a winner based on track impressions, there’s a qualifier one needs to take into consideration: purpose. What do you intend to do with the bike?

This is one of those tests where our hearts and our laptimes aren’t exactly in agreement. Make no mistake, all three machines are well suited for track duties, but to us a trackday is all about having a good time. Whether you ride alone or with your friends, the machine you’re on should give you a smile each time you ride it. And in that regard, all three of our testers gravitate towards the Triumph 675R. Its quick steering, nimble handling, linear powerband and, most importantly, distinctive personality remind us each time we throw a leg over it just why we enjoy riding on the track.

As competitive as this field of three was at the racetrack, Suzuki’s GSX-R750 distinguished itself as a cut above each time we rode it.

But when it comes to track testing, the numbers don’t lie. Considering how each one of the testers went quicker on the Suzuki GSX-R750 than any of the other machines, that’s a testament to the Gixxer’s performance and Suzuki’s experience building track-ready weapons. Also earning consideration for the Suzi’s top ranking is the huge amount of aftermarket support for GSX-Rs.

And it’s for these reasons that we name the 2011 Suzuki GSX-R750 the winner of our Oddball Sportbike track shootout. This backs up the top spot it earned during our street evaluations as well. Congratulations, Suzuki.

Bridgestone Battlax R10

As motorcycle manufacturers are constantly pouring money into research and development to make their machines go faster around a track, tire manufacturers are also devoting time and resources to ensure the rubber that meets the road can handle these new technologies. New from Bridgestone, for example, is the the Battlax R10. Utilizing the experience gained from being the sole tire provider in MotoGP, the R10 replaces the BT003 as Bridgestone’s premier D.O.T.-approved racing tire. An all-new tread design incorporating 3D grooves maximizes stability under braking and acceleration, while the carcass of the tire utilizes “flexibility-optimized construction” to help it come up to temperature quickly and provide maximum grip. Profile shape for the R10 assumes a broader stance, moving away from the more triangulated profiles from years past. Bridgestone says the vertical grooves in the middle of the front tire “optimize steering angle” at slight lean, while they “enhance grip performance” and help make slides easier to manage in the rear. Bridgestone also uses a Mono-Spiral belt — a single strand of cord around the circumference of the tire — to minimize tire growth at high speeds. Bucking a trend used by other tire manufacturers, the R10 does not use multiple-compounds in a single tire. A medium compound is the only front tire option, while medium or hard options are the choices for the rear. Bridgestone contends that the R10 doesn’t need multiple compounds because they’re made to be effective in a wide range of conditions. The company also claims a big improvement on initial grip compared to the BT003, plus a higher overall grip level that’s sustained for the same, if not longer, period of time than its predecessor. Bridgestone sent us the hard compound rear tire for our track day, taking into consideration the hot ambient temperature at the California track. Tire warmers weren’t used during our testing, yet it only took one full lap to bring the tires up to temperature. Feedback from the tires was excellent, though Duke did notice that at the recommended cold tire pressure of 28 psi front and 27 psi rear, all three bikes were slower to steer compared to the day prior on our street ride. For that we had the tires inflated approximately seven psi higher at each end. We were really impressed by the edge grip offered by the ‘Stones and even more impressed with its durability — after more than 100 miles of racetrack thrashing, the R10s maintained their high grip levels the entire day without a single slide or protest. Rest assured, we were worn out well before the tires. Bridgestone has a winner in the new R10. Whether you’re a racer fighting for wins or a trackday junky looking to get the most out of your tires, the R10 is the real deal. Available in a 120/70-17 front and 180/55 or 190/55-17 rear, check out http://www.bridgestonemotorcycletires.com/ for a vendor near you.

2011 Ducati 848 EVO
$12,995

After watching Jason DiSalvo take several wins in AMA Daytona Sportbike competition this season aboard a Ducati 848 EVO, we had high expectations for the stock version of that machine as we taxed it around Auto Club Speedway. If you’ve read Editor Duke’s first ride piece of the 848 EVO from its introduction at the Imola racetrack in Italy, then you’re aware that the new bike isn’t much of a departure from the old except in one crucial area — the engine. Throttle bodies grow from 56mm to 60mm in equivalent diameter, while intake ports also receive some tweaks. Perhaps the most significant upgrade comes in the form of revised intake and exhaust camshafts with higher lift. Combined with reconfigured combustion chambers netting a 13.2:1 compression ratio, Ducati claims crankshaft horsepower of 140 at 10,500 rpm. We guessed rear-wheel ponies just north of 120.

So, we were a little underwhelmed when our test bike pumped out just 118.6 horsepower at 10,400 rpm on the Dynojet dyno at Mickey Cohen Motorsports. That’s just two more than our standard 848 made back in 2008. More telling is where that power is made — much higher in the revs. Looking at our dyno chart you can see the EVO doesn’t come alive until 7000 rpm, where it leaps ahead of the Suzuki and Triumph all the way to its 11,500 redline. Also telling is that between those two marks the Ducati makes as much as 20 more horsepower and 10 ft.-lb. more torque than the next closest bike, the GSX-R750.

The EVO exhibits uncharacteristic power traits for a V-Twin. With the bulk of its power coming high in the rev range, we found ourselves riding the Ducati like an inline-Four.

The Ducati’s sinister matte-black paint job is $1000 less than the red or white offerings, but it’s difficult to photograph without looking like a black blob.

To add insult to injury, tall final-drive gearing only exacerbated slow-speed acceleration on this technical racetrack. All three testers noted that they found themselves between gears through many of the turns. We’d recommend a rear sprocket with a few more teeth, as that would tighten up the gaps between gears in the transmission and yield a different reaction regarding gearing.

If there’s one thing Ducatis are known for, it’s a supremely confident chassis.

Engine and gearing quirks aside, we were pleasantly surprised at how well the Ducati’s chassis handled the track. On the street we noted that, while completely stable and planted on its side, initiating a turn required some effort compared to the other two bikes here. This is mostly due to the 848 EVO having the longest wheelbase of the trio at 56.3 inches (compared to 54.7 inches and 54.9 inches for the Suzuki and Triumph, respectively).

The Ducati’s heavy steering was much less noticeable within the confines of the racetrack, and were it ridden on its own, we’d have no problem rating the steering with words like “quick” and “nimble.” But when stacked against the likes of the Suzuki and Triumph, it definitely required the most effort transitioning through the quick switchbacks at Auto Club Speedway.

The only area where the Ducati’s chassis had a slight disadvantage was in quick transitions, though it performed better than we predicted.

That said, its manners while leaned over nearly horizontal — like its 1098/1198 sibling — continue to impress us. “It’s as though it would continue its large, sweeping arc around a corner even if I wasn’t still aboard,” quipped Kevin about the EVO’s ability to precisely hold its line. The Ducati’s sure-footed chassis certainly would’ve been a bigger asset at a higher-speed racetrack with more flowing corners, but its relative lack of agility in this group held it back slightly on Auto Club’s tight layout. 

On the suspension front, the 848 EVO uses a fairly standard fully-adjustable 43mm Showa inverted fork mated to an equally adjustable Showa shock, the same as the previous 848. Ohlins suspenders might have been a nice upgrade, but the Showa components performed quite well at the track. Neither end required much adjustment from us the whole day and absorbed the bumps with adequate feedback.

Both Pete and Duke favored the Ducati’s flavor of Brembo monobloc brakes.

One area of this test where neither bike had much of an advantage over the other is in the braking department. With Brembo supplying monobloc calipers to all three machines, their excellent performance is just what you’d expect. And because we’ve waxed poetic about Brembo monoblocs and their powerful stopping power in the past, we’ll sum up by saying they’re good. Real good. In the court of personal preference, however, Duke picked the Ducati’s Brembos as “the best for the track,” as their strong initial bite and the 848’s stability under braking make it a confident stopper.

In the street test, Pete noted how the racer-like ergos of the Ducati made it less than comfortable during the freeway drone. But that butt-up, head-down rider triangle that’s murder on the street feels completely natural on the track, lending itself to extreme body positioning should one feel the need. The slippery footpegs we noticed on the street weren’t much of an issue on the track, though that issue was replaced by an LCD instrument panel which was darn-near impossible to view at a glance.

All told, the Ducati 848 EVO is a strong performer. Revving it like a four-cylinder took some getting used to, but once we adapted, taking advantage of its high-rpm power and confidence-inspiring stability made it a hoot to ride. Surprisingly, despite having the second-most peak horsepower, all three testers posted their slowest time on the EVO.

Unfortunately for Duke, Fastrack removed the transponders from our bikes before the last session of the day, when he was finally starting to gel with the 848. “It’s too bad we didn’t have a transponder for this session, because I definitely went much quicker than I did earlier,” he noted.

As it stands, the Ducati falls short of matching the lap times of the other two around a tight track. Note the undertail mufflers, which are 2 inches longer than on European-spec 848s.

Source : motorcycle.com

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