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

The Ducati 1198 is not radically changed for 2011, but now features more of the company’s electronic aids and is the dark (red) horse in this comparison test. Ducati Data Analysis and Traction Control are now standard equipment, and the bike is also fitted with a quickshifter. MSRP remains unchanged, however. The Kawasaki ZX-10R also boasts traction control as standard equipment for ‘11, along with a host of refinements. We’ve already extensively covered the Kawasaki in Kento’s first-ride article (“New Generation Ninja”, March ‘11), and we also had a chance to spend some time on an ABS model (see sidebar page 44).

The burning question is, then, can either the Ducati or Kawasaki topple the BMW in a combined street and track evaluation? We spent a day at Buttonwillow Raceway and logged some canyon time to find out; each of our three test riders (staffers Kent Kunitsugu and Bradley Adams, along with hanger-on Eric Nugent) evaluated each bike in 10 categories of performance at each venue, with those scores averaged for a street, track and overall rating.

Kawasaki ZX-10R: 84.0 points
Again just missing out on top honors in scoring, the Kawasaki was the subjective favorite of two of our three testers for street work. The ZX-10R’s relative lack of power is just as noticeable on the street, as is the slightly abrupt throttle. However, the key again is how the Kawasaki get’s what power it does have to the ground. “The Kawasaki is the most comfortable, its power is the most manageable and its electronics are the least intrusive on the street in comparison to the BMW,” wrote Bradley. And while the ZX-10R’s suspension is well-suited to street use (and adds to the comfort level compared with the two European bikes), “It still doesn’t have the agility of the BMW,” noted Kento. “It requires a bit more effort at the bars to initiate a turn.” It’s worth noting the price difference between the Kawasaki and the European models: “I think it’s somewhat unfair to compare the Kawi to the big Euro boys,” noted Eric. “It’s really not in the same league. Sure it’s a 1000cc bike, but the differences you pay for with the BMW and Ducati are what seem to be missing from the Kawi: the slightly unrefined chassis compared to the Euro bikes, as well as the power.” Nitpicks, really, but that’s what it takes to determine a ranking when the bikes are so close in performance.

BMW S 1000 RR: 85.2 points
Topping the street rankings by just as close a margin as it did at the track, the BMW scored highest in six categories after the street ride and does little wrong. “While it’s not the king in all categories, it does well enough in most of them to put it on top — albeit just barely — in my opinion,” summed Kento in his notes. While the boss-man rated the BMW’s ergos highest in his street notes, Bradley felt that they put a lot of weight on his arms for a long ride, and that “The stiff suspension has your insides hoping the next stop is sooner rather than later.” It’s the details that put the BMW at the top for everyday street use as well as strafing the canyons: comfortable ergos, adequate mirrors, the best instrument panel in the group, a nimble, quick-steering chassis, and — of course — that incredible engine coupled with the nicest transmission and quickshifter. “The BMW just offers such an amazing all-around package that it’s going to be hard to put anything up against it,” wrote Eric. Simply put, there were fewer nits to pick with the BMW, and that was enough for it to edge the Kawasaki in the street rankings.

The BMW is stouter than the Kawasaki across the range, and its curve is slightly smoother as well. We’ve already made arrangements to derestrict our test unit and see how that uncorks the top-end power. Our BMW test bike felt significantly stronger than our unit from last year; power and torque are just slightly higher, with the difference in feel most likely due to its different crankshaft.

The BMW’s analog tach and large, clear instruments were our testers’ favorite, as were the switches and controls. As we’ve long found with the 848/1098/1198 series, none of our riders were happy with the Ducati’s GP-style instrument panel, finding it hard to read and the small shift lights difficult to see. The Kawasaki’s LED tachometer is plenty bright, and the instrument panel nicely laid out, but it’s still easier to read a needle on a dial.

The ABS brakes on our BMW’s test unit faded over the course of the track day and even on the street ride. The ZX-10R’s brakes were rated the best on both street and track, with outstanding feel and feedback. The Ducati’s monobloc Brembos are every bit as powerful but initial bite is just a bit too powerful. In terms of suspension, the Kawasaki rated highest, again on both street and track, with the Big Piston Fork and horizontally mounted shock giving a great compromise between comfort and performance.

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.

We used the 200/55 rear tire in SC1 compound for our literbikes, and were impressed with the new tire’s performance. All three bikes took to the new sizing well, requiring little in the way of setup changes to account for the tire’s increased diameter and profile. And even with the softer SC1 compound on a sunny day with a high of 70 degrees, we were able to log more than 50 laps on the bikes with only slight degradation at the end of the day.

Visit www.us.pirelli.com for more information about the new tires, or contact your local trackside vendor. We had Corey Neuer at CT Racing (www.ctracetires.com) hook us up with some of the first 200s in the country and provide trackside service for us at Buttonwillow.

Unlike a standard ABS that only monitors wheel speed, the KIBS has its own ECU that monitors a wide range of data points, including (besides front and rear wheel speeds) caliper pressure, throttle position, engine rpm, clutch actuation, and gear position. By monitoring all these parameters, Kawasaki says the KIBS is able to better sense when a potential wheel lockup situation will occur, and react with much greater precision and speed.

We found the KIBS to work very well, with a fairly high intervention point in the braking envelope as long as you didn’t do a panic grab on the lever. There’s plenty of feedback and modulation available, with no mushiness or numb feeling at the lever when the system kicks in, and only a slightly perceptible pulsing can be felt. Grab the brakes in a full-blown panic stop however, and you can definitely feel the system reduce brake pressure and pulsate as it struggles to balance grip with stopping power. This is more readily apparent at slower speeds and/or over wet or rough pavement where the tire is more likely to lose traction in a severe manner.

Is it worth the extra $1000? That depends on your skill level and how you plan on riding, because unfortunately you cannot turn off the KIBS. Thus, if you’re an expert rider (be honest with yourself) planning on doing any track days, we’d recommend sticking with the standard ZX-10R. Everyone else will more than benefit from the added safety net provided by the KIBS.

What About The Others?
Over the last few years, the literbike class has grown almost exponentially to include big-bore twins and resurgent Euro-spec models that are closer than ever in terms of both price and performance. To properly test the full lineup of 2011 “literbikes” would be a huge undertaking, with nine models now falling into the category. Along with the three bikes in the main part of this story, the Aprilia RSV4R, Honda CBR1000RR, KTM RC8, MV Agusta F4, Suzuki GSX-R1000 and Yamaha YZF-R1 are all current models. Toss the variant models into the mix, such as the KTM RC8R, Aprilia RSV4 Factory and APRC SE models, and a comparison test soon becomes a logistical and practical nightmare.

The models listed above return unchanged for the 2011 model year with very few exceptions, and we are well familiar with their respective — and respected — performance levels. Limited space would allow us to only touch on each bike’s capabilities in a single comparison test, and rather than do that, or split the class into two parts as we did last year, we chose to concentrate on just the new models — the Ducati and Kawasaki — and see how they stack up against the class benchmark, the BMW. To read more about the other literbikes, and see how they fared in our previous comparison tests, visit www.sportrider.com/magazine/1107. Additionally, stay tuned for future installments in our “Literbike Mods” series that will be featuring some of the models not tested here.

The Kawasaki ZX-10R is obviously our returning champ’s closest competition. The all-new 2011 model’s traction control beats the BMW’s hands down and it is so good that you very seldom realize it’s even on. And despite feeling rather docile out of the corners, the Kawasaki is right there in terms of top speed on the racetrack, which says a thing or two about its strong engine.

All told, the Kawasaki is probably the most fun to ride around the track, and it’s definitely the most comfortable around town. But there is still something about the BMW that sets it apart from the others. And maybe it’s not just one in particular thing. It’s just the package as a whole is that little bit more refined than the other’s. That in mind, the BMW takes the cake.

A prime example is the ZX-10R’s sophisticated TC program that allows the system to intervene in such a subtle manner that you often forget that it’s actually working; the systems on the BMW and Ducati, meanwhile, remind you every time they arrest a slide. Remaining behind the scenes as a safety net is the best scenario for rider aids, and the Kawasaki does this well.

It’s hard to ignore the top-end performance advantage and competent handling of the BMW, though. The 2011 model’s heavier crank definitely makes a difference in feel and ability to get the power to the ground, making the S 1000 RR feel like a true racebike when it charges off the corners.

But I also prefer the ZX-10R’s more communicative feel to the BMW’s comparatively harsh and stiff chassis. And I could buy numerous aftermarket goodies to get its power back up to spec with the $2000-plus I’d save. It’d be close, but I’d probably go with the Kawasaki.