2010 Bike of the Year - A Tough Crowd

Aprilia RSV4 Factory
vs.
BMW S 1000RR
vs.
Ducati 1198S
vs.
Kawasaki ZX-6R
vs.
MV Agusta F4

The economic downturn of the past two years has changed that landscape. While the Japanese have pulled back their horns due to large overhead costs to ride out the economic storm, the European manufacturers have been moving ahead with new-model plans already in place - and those bikes have proven to be game changers.

Don't mistake that pleasant demeanor for a dog of a bike, however. Ridden to its strengths, the little ZX can more than hold its own despite being down an average of 48 horsepower to the other bikes in this comparison. Corner entry and midcorner speed are the Kawasaki's trump cards, and that plays right into the Showa BPF's ability to provide excellent feedback and control as you tip the ZX-6R into the corner, trail braking to scrub off some speed as you scythe towards the apex. Speaking of brakes, all our testers raved about the Kawasaki's binders enough to rate them tops in the test.

Nonetheless, most of our testers felt it was more work to hustle through the twisty bits quickly compared to the relatively lazy effort needed with the top literbikes in this group. Where the Kawasaki often required two gearshifts, the others could be left in a single gear; and the concentration necessary to keep corner speed high became tiresome for a few testers. And anytime the road started opening up, being short almost 50 horsepower was a disadvantage that required even more riding skill to make up the difference.

And you'll probably need that concentration, as not only is the new 998cc engine just as/if not more powerful than its 1078cc predecessor, it has lost little of the signature quick-revving acceleration of previous MV powerplants. Granted, the new F4's powerband is more linear than any inline-four of recent memory, but when you combine a lively engine character with 157.1 horsepower (in addition to the MV's Mk II traction control), it means you'll be approaching the next corner rather quickly. Thankfully the F4's chassis is more than up to that cornering task, with strong brakes, excellent suspension and a chassis with agility that rivals the benchmarks in the class.

Several issues conspired to drop the MV down in the street rankings, however. Besides the usual very aggressive ergos that put a lot of weight on your arms, nearly all testers complained that the F4 vibrated much more than the other fours on both the street and track, an issue that became tiresome even on short rides. Many also complained about the footpegs, which are very short and have little grip.

As one of the two bikes here that come equipped with Öhlins suspension, the 1198S obviously has the goods to maintain that speed through the corners with ease. Steering and front-end feedback through the signature chromoly steel trellis frame are sharp and clear, and although the Öhlins fork and shock are sprung a bit stiffly for street use, stability is rock solid through anything public pavement can throw at the Ducati.

While the 1198S's committed riding position didn't draw as many complaints as the MV's, its underseat exhaust heat drew more. Transitioning from full lean on one side to the other required more effort than the others, and like the MV, the digital LCD dashboard with bar-graph tachometer is difficult to discern at a glance.

One telling characteristic of the RSV4 Factory was the fact that every single person who rode the Aprilia came back raving about it. The Aprilia is hands down the most agile of the liter-size bikes here, able to carve rings around the others and feeling like a tight and compact 250GP racebike in the presence of literbikes. And yet that small size apparently doesn't compromise fit for larger riders - several of our testers are six feet or more, and only one mentioned anything about a cramped cockpit. Öhlins suspension components ensure superb roadholding and chassis stability, and Brembo monobloc calipers biting on 320mm discs provide brick-wall stopping power.

Being able to revel in the Factory model's variable-intake-enhanced V-four engine confirmed our complaints regarding the standard R model's lumpy powerband. Instead of a flat-spot-ridden acceleration curve that blunted drives off corners, the Factory model just continues pulling hard, allowing you to maintain that momentum you built up from getting on the throttle earlier and harder. And it's hard not to love the exhaust note of a V-four screaming at 12,000 rpm.

So why did the Aprilia finish behind the BMW on the street? Interestingly, despite the raving subjective comments, many testers' evaluation sheet numbers had the S 1000 RR on top. Nitpicks included a plank of a seat that was small and hard, barely functional mirrors, and an engine bay that radiated a lot of heat anytime you weren't pinning the throttle and going fast.

As we've stated before, the BMW is an incredibly well-sorted and refined literbike for a first-time effort. Ergos are aggressive enough for track use while still retaining just enough real-world practicality to keep you from making constant appointments with your chiropractor/orthopedist. The seat has enough padding to keep you from going numb yet still gives you some feedback, the mirrors are functional, the instrument panel is nicely laid out and easy to read at a glance, and all modes and information are accessible without taking your hands off the bars.

Although lacking the midrange of some other literbikes, the BMW has sufficient quantities to keep pace until it can access its unrivaled top end power (although admittedly you will seldom find the opportunity to use that much horsepower on the street). Running in Race (or Slick mode, for those with sufficient skill) offered the best throttle response while keeping the DTC from interfering too much with corner drives. Some testers felt the throttle response was too sensitive though, causing the bike to react to minute throttle movements over bumps.

The Sachs suspension offered a nice compromise between street plush and racetrack firm, and the safety net of ABS is a definite plus on the street. And while the BMW isn't the most agile literbike, its handling manners ranked second only to the Aprilia.

As long as you're willing and able, the Kawasaki's engine can help you generate good drives off the corners that can keep the others well within reach. Granted, you need to keep the tachometer needle floating above 9000 rpm at all times (and preferably at 11,000-plus rpm) to maintain that speed, but it's all in a day's work for a 600, right? One of the advantages of a 600 is that throttle control isn't quite as critical as with the literbikes, so you're often able to carry higher corner speed due to minute throttle movements having less of an effect on the chassis.

Corner entry is aided by the Kawasaki's excellent slipper clutch that prevents engine braking from intruding on bike control, while the superb front brakes allow you to move your braking markers that much deeper due to their power, responsiveness, and feel. Being the lone 600, the ZX-6R was easiest of the group to flick from side to side in the esses, or carve into the ultra-fast Riverside turn, making up some time on the literbikes.

That said, the Aprilia wasn't that far off the Kawasaki as far as agility; "Chassis never was the best of the 600s, and in this company [the Kawasaki's] flaws were that much more pronounced," wrote Trizzle in his notes. Used to be that 600s had a marked advantage over literbikes when it came to quick handling; that gap is shrinking ever smaller.

With 157 horsepower on tap, the MV is certainly not lacking for steam, and its linear powerband and much smoother throttle response means that accessing that power in a corner is easier than ever. And with the addition of the Mk II traction control system (using a rate-of-change algorithm instead of wheel speed sensors), the snappy nature of the engine is less of a liability when driving off a corner. The system is very transparent in the lower (less intervention) settings, with none of the "throttle lag" feel that you get with some of the other systems.

Steering habits are sharp and precise, with good stability through the fast stuff, although some of the nastier bumps at Buttonwillow would sometimes feed back into the chassis and upset things a bit. Brakes were very powerful, but lacking a little on feel toward the limit, and the short, slippery footpegs became more of an annoyance on the track. The MV also noticeably lost speed quicker than the others anytime you rolled out of the throttle the slightest bit. Still, the MV is no doormat at the track as evidenced by its lap time; but the aforementioned issues dragged down its ranking in this tough crowd.

The downside to the Ducati's massive torque reserves is that it runs out of breath up top compared to the four-cylinder machines. With wide gear spacing necessitated by the short rev range (the rev-limiter cuts in at 10,200 rpm) and a powerband that starts tailing off at 9000 rpm, this means that watching your shift points is critical to avoid losing forward momentum. The problem is that the Marelli LCD instrument panel's bar-graph tachometer is extremely difficult to discern at a glance in broad daylight, and the LED shift lights are too small to be of any help, especially on a track like Buttonwillow where the turns come at you in rapid-fire succession.

The Ducati can get around the track quickly - it just takes a lot of work, almost as much as a 600.

The S 1000 RR isn't the most agile literbike around, but it holds it own; and while the Sachs suspension may not be equal to the Öhlins components on the Ducati and Aprilia, they're easily more than adequate for the task. With the DTC/Race ABS set in Race or Slick mode with a rider of appropriate skill aboard, the BMW can generate tremendous drives off corners by harnessing the engine's incredible power just enough to keep the rear tire hooked up and driving forward.

But it's the Race ABS that probably ended up holding it back from its absolute potential in this crowd. Although its intervention threshold in Slick mode is set very high - and its actual intervention very transparent when activated - it appears to take just enough of an edge off maximum braking to lose time compared to the others. But even if we'd shut off the ABS, that's no guarantee it would have set the quickest time. And had it done so, would that have made a difference in the final rankings? In examining the evaluation sheets, probably not.

It's easy to see why. The same agility and composure the chassis demonstrated on the street was duplicated on the racetrack - only magnified tenfold due to the increase in pavement it could play with and the increased speeds. That poise in any cornering situation fosters gobs of rider confidence, aided by the smooth and strong V-four engine that supplies easily manageable yet stout acceleration. It certainly isn't the strongest of the bikes in this group, but the Aprilia's lithe handling allows the powerplant to generate speed in cornering situations and areas of the racetrack where the others would find it difficult. The difference in performance between the standard R and Factory engines may not be huge, but the impact of the Factory's smoother powerband on its ability to exploit that power is unmistakable.

The Öhlins suspension components play their own role as well. While the Showa pieces on the standard R models are far from subpar, the increased competence of the Öhlins fork and shock when the pace is really ramped up contributes to the Factory's unflappable handling. The lighter forged aluminum wheels surely play a role here as well.

The Brembo monobloc calipers and 320mm discs provide excellent stopping power, although they definitely weren't the top-rated brakes in the test. Some testers complained of slight fading during hard use, while others wished for a little more feel at the limit. But these were minor blemishes on what ended up being glowing reviews on nearly every evaluation sheet.

Lap Times
Aprilia: 1:09.194
BMW: 1:09.765
Ducati: 1:09.718
Kawasaki: 1:09.943
MV Agusta: 1.09.428
Considering the disparity of equipment in this test, from the Kawasaki ZX-6R to the almost twice as expensive Aprilia RSV4 Factory, the lap times are remarkably close. Less than a second covers the five bikes, with the Aprilia leading the way by more than a quarter-second. Unfortunately, the surface at Buttonwillow has deteriorated significantly since our last test at that track in 2009, and the times are correspondingly slower.

From the speed data, it's clear the bikes are quite evenly matched over the course of the lap. Each straight section shows the Kawasaki at a clear disadvantage to the other bikes, while the BMW shows moderate gains. Over the first half of the lap, it's almost a draw between the five contenders. Because we use only the West Loop at Buttonwillow, the first turn doesn't see much activity and is usually quite slippery. Here, the BMW immediately opens up a gap on the other bikes, perhaps thanks to its traction control system. In the all-important fast and bumpy Riverside turns (sections 2 and 3), the MV Agusta is quickest while the slowest Aprilia loses just a quarter-second in segment time. The BMW actually leads the way through the first half of the lap, with the Kawasaki and Ducati trailing.

Surprisingly, the lightweight and quick-steering Kawasaki cards the slowest segment time through the Chicane while the BMW makes it through marginally quickest. The Kawasaki may have made it through the previous turn plenty fast enough, but the big bikes have more entry speed and gain more on the exit, making up time overall. The next straight, between the Chicane and the final turn, sees the maximum speeds for the lap; here the BMW shows its power advantage, but the MV Agusta is less than 1 mph behind while the Kawasaki lags by almost 10 mph.

The final turn, a moderately tight, 90-degree bend, may seem simple enough but actually decides the BMW's fate in overall lap time. Heading into the turn, the BMW is behind only the Aprilia according to the lap-time difference channel, but falls behind the MV Agusta and the Ducati through the turn. Just as on the run up to Turn 4, the BMW loses out under hard braking; here, however, there is not enough of a straight following for it to make up the difference. The BMW's ABS system is the probable culprit here; although it works extremely well in Slick mode with a very high threshold before intervention (and when it does intervene, it does so very transparently), the BMW builds up so much speed down the straight that the braking effort is high enough to cause ABS actuation, causing a loss of braking power compared to the others.

The MV Agusta loses time off the start at the dragstrip thanks to a balky clutch but comes on strong enough at the far end to post a faster trap speed than the 1198S and RSV4. The S 1000 RR's Gear Shift Assist helps it to a quarter-mile time almost a half-second quicker than any of the other bikes. In top-gear roll-ons the 1198S gets an initial jump on the others, but the BMW soon takes over with times even better than the Suzuki Hayabusa.

This chart shows actual thrust at the rear wheel in each gear for each bike and takes into account engine torque and total gear reduction. The 1198S, with the most torque and a widely spaced gearbox, makes the most thrust in first gear; note, however, the gaps between the lower gears that result. The MV Agusta, BMW and Aprilia make more thrust in the higher gears. The bar chart shows calculated top speed in each gear; here you can see the relative spacing in the bikes' gearboxes.

There are three different versions available (A, B, and C for varying weather/track conditions), with all using 100 percent synthetic compounds for quicker warmup and better wear characteristics. You can find the recommended version specific for your bike (although the list does need to be updated to 2010 models) by logging onto www.michelinpowerone.com, where the interactive site allows you to input the type of riding, weather, track type, and pavement condition to select the proper tire.

We used the "Version A" compound in the front and "Version B" compound in the rear, although the weather conditions became warmer than we'd planned, with ambient temps nearing 100 degrees F. Nonetheless, the Michelins performed amazingly well, warming up quickly and providing fantastic grip along with superb handling characteristics. Steering habits were very precise, and stability through Buttonwillow's fast, bumpy turns was exemplary. Even more impressive was the durability; despite being on the outer edge of temperature recommendations for the Version A and B compounds, the wear rates were barely moderate, and overall grip levels remained high for the majority of the day.

Though it was close among the big dogs there was definitely a clear cut winner and it was the Aprilia that deserves the title of Bike of the Year. The RSV Factory has the feel and precision of a 600 yet pulls like a pissed off pit bull involved in a tug-of-war. The V-4 dominates the sport category in impressive fashion.

Side note: if I was to choose an all-around bike with the street environment being a critical deciding factor, it would be the BMW. The Beemer's usable electronic functions, big block motor and brilliant ergos are second to none in this gang of five.

The pendulum has clearly swung the other way this year, much of it due to the economic crisis affecting the higher-volume Japanese corporations that had higher overhead costs to deal with. But I think a big part of the performance shift is the ability (and desire) of the smaller Euro brands to be a little more adventurous on the design front. Ducati ushered in the current electronic revolution with the 1098R's traction control system, BMW took it a step further with its Race ABS setup, and most of the other Euro brands are quickly following suit. The Japanese have been a bit more cautious about adopting this technology, for various reasons.

And while the Aprilia RSV4 Factory isn't exactly dripping with cutting-edge new technology, its superb performance is at the forefront of a major European renaissance. They're not just expensive styling exercises anymore.