BMW S 1000 RR vs. Kawasaki ZX-10R vs. Ducati 1198 - The Empire Strikes Back | 2011 Literbike Comparison Test

The Final Countdown
Add it all up and the BMW comes out on top as the best literbike for 2011, besting the Kawasaki in the final scores by a mere 1.4 points (out of a possible 100). If you simply must have the best performing literbike available on the showroom floor, there is no question the BMW is for you. There are a couple of things to note here, however. First is the Kawasaki’s $2100 savings compared to the BMW’s MSRP with race ABS, traction control and Gear Shift Assist. You can do a lot to better the ZX-10R with that kind of money, if you are so inclined. And second, the BMW does require more work to access that level of performance, whereas the Kawasaki is deceptively quick and requires less effort. Our man Eric summed it up best in his notes at the end of the test: “The BMW feels like it is taking you for a ride at times because of its speed. But for now I think it’s the best bike for the money you’re spending.”

Even though just .13 seconds separate the BMW’s and the Kawasaki’s fastest lap times, the GPS data from the track shows the two bikes are practically dead even over the entire lap, with almost identical segment times in all but three corners. The difference came down to turn 1, where the BMW makes a much more aggressive entry and pulls out a .2-second gap right away in the lap. It’s not until sweeping turn 6 that there is any appreciable difference in the data, with the BMW arcing through the turn quicker but the Kawasaki making up the deficit almost to the millisecond on the exit and through the chicane. A slightly tighter line on the Kawasaki through the final turn helps it claw back another small part of time, but not enough to offset that lost in turn 1.

Surprisingly, even though all our test riders raved about the BMW’s power compared with the Kawasaki’s, the ZX-10R loses only small slices of time on each of the track’s straights, and makes up that slight difference on the brakes into the following corner. It’s interesting to note that the BMW’s quickshifter does give it a slight advantage on each straight, and maybe enough that the finishing order at the track would be reversed were the Kawasaki so equipped. As we pointed out in our Bike of the Year test last year (Oct. ‘10), the BMW’s ABS system does limit braking performance in Slick mode to the point that it’s noticeable on the data, and this year Bradley rode with the ABS turned off at the track.

What is noticeable from the lateral G data (not shown here) is that the Kawasaki is somewhat more adept at trail braking into turns, posting higher combinations of lateral and braking G in most corners. The Ducati and BMW show similar trail-braking data over the lap, and no bike shows any appreciable advantage or disadvantage in combinations of lateral and acceleration G (accelerating out of a corner while still leaned over).

The Ducati loses ground steadily to both bikes over the entire lap, ending up a second behind the Kawasaki on its fastest lap. Even though the 1198’s speed trace is noticeably lower than the Kawasaki’s and BMW’s on most of the straights, the Ducati doesn’t lose much time in those areas. That said, you can see a couple of spots (the exits of turn 1, turn 8 and the chicane) where the speed trace goes flat, indicating the 1198’s engine is up against its rev limiter. Under braking and on corner entry is where the Ducati loses the bulk of the time compared with the BMW and Kawasaki, the strong bite of the 1198’s Brembo monobloc calipers and the bike’s nose-heavy attitude combining to make aggressive braking somewhat difficult. Of note is that the Ducati is just as fast as the other two in the transition areas of Buttonwillow, through fast turns 2 and 3 as well as through the chicane.