| Specifications |
| |
BUELL 1125CR |
DUCATI STREETFIGHTER |
| MSRP |
$11,999/$12,214 (as tested) |
$14,995 |
| ENGINE |
| Type |
Liquid-cooled, 72-degree 4-stroke, DOHC V-twin |
Liquid-cooled, 90-degree 4-stroke, DOHC L-twin |
| Displacement |
1125cc |
1099cc |
| Bore x stroke |
103.0 x 67.5mm |
104.0 x 64.7mm |
| Induction |
Marelli EFI, dual 61mm single valve throttle bodies, one injector/cyl. |
Marelli EFI, single-valve oval throttle bodies equivalent to 60.0mm dia. Single injector/cyl. |
| CHASSIS |
| Front suspension |
47mm inverted cartridge fork, 4.72 in. travel |
43mm inverted cartridge fork, 5.0 in. travel |
| Rear suspension |
Single shock absorber, 5.0 in. travel |
Single shock absorber, 5.0 in. travel |
| Front tire |
120/70ZR-17 Pirelli Diablo Corsa III |
120/70ZR-17 Pirelli Diablo Corsa III |
| Rear tire |
180/55ZR-17 Pirelli Diablo Corsa III |
190/55ZR-17 Pirelli Diablo Corsa III |
| Rake/trail |
21.0 deg./3.3 in. (84mm) |
25.6 deg./4.5 in. (114mm) |
| Wheelbase |
54.6 in. (1387mm) |
58.1 in. (1475mm) |
| Weight |
458 lb. wet (208 kg); 426 lb. dry (193 kg) dry |
427 lb. wet (194 kg); 400 lb. dry (182 kg) |
| Fuel consumption |
38 to 40 mpg, 38.8 mpg avg. |
35 to 43 mpg, 39.4 mpg avg. |
Opinions
Jim O'Connor
I certainly considered the Buell 1125CR an underdog when going up against the Ducati Streetfighter, but once I threw a leg over both motorcycles, the test got interesting.
Reversing all my preconceptions, the Buell was a real "blast", no pun intended, to ride. The power was substantial, feeling more torquey than the Ducati most of the time. Where the Ducati had twitchy steering and instant-on braking, the Buell felt natural in the corners and the brake feel was very good. So, in a sense, the Buell won the test for me. Except for one critical area, I just can't get into the looks of the thing.
While a bystander during the test liked the looks, I simply could not find an angle that made me happy. Sorry Eric, I really did try. So, the question becomes, would I buy a motorcycle I thought was ugly? The answer is no. I need to be able to look at a motorcycle and find something esthetically pleasing about it, no matter how small. And no matter how I tried, I just couldn't do that with the Buell.
Troy Siahaan
Strumento da tortura, or "torture rack" according to my Italian friend. That's probably how I can best sum up the Streetfighter. I've never gotten along with the liquid-cooled Monster line (love the air-cooled ones, though!), and despite Ducati changing the name to Streetfighter, I still can't come to terms with it. I honestly think if it had real handlebars that rise up a couple inches my opinion would change. Of course, they'd first have to do something about the exhaust shield because it's still an annoying hindrance whenever I'm positioning my foot for a left turn.
The Buell isn't all roses either-but at least it feels like a motorcycle to me and handles like one as well. Sure the thing looks better when you're blindfolded, but I actually don't mind the looks that much. It beats the Ducati in all the performance aspects I care about and costs a nice chunk less. That's enough to sway my opinion.