Upscale Sportbike Comparo | High-End Hardware

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G2X DATA ACQUISITION

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LAP TIMES

Lap times are slightly slower than the last time we ran literbikes at Buttonwillow in our 2011 comparison test (July ‘11), a reflection of significantly higher temperatures and the continued degradation of the surface. While the MV Agusta carded the quickest lap time, it is just .055 seconds quicker than the Aprilia; in fact, note that the Aprilia leads the MV almost the entire virtual lap as shown by their icons, and it’s only in the last corner that the MV pulls an advantage. The Ducati trails the Aprila and MV by just a quarter second. The slim spread in lap times is indicative of the almost equal racetrack performance of the three bikes expressed by Bradley at the end of the day.

In general, the Aprilia and MV make time in the fast sweepers of the track, where their power and surefooted handling help them post consistently quicker segment times than the Ducati. In contrast, the Panigale makes time anywhere that quick transitions are essential — coming down the hill out of turn 4 and the turn 7 chicane — due to its light weight. The Ducati turns that prowess through the chicane into the highest speed recorded on the straight, faster even than the significantly more powerful F4RR. The Ducati is more than a half second behind the other two bikes midway through the lap, but makes up almost half that deficit through the chicane and on the straight. The heavy MV Agusta loses out to both the Ducati and Aprilia in the chicane, but its steamy motor allows it to make up at least some of the ground on the following straight.

In terms of longitudinal and lateral acceleration performance, no one bike shows any significant advantage over the course of the lap. The Ducati does post the highest deceleration number of the trio — .97 g into turn 6 — but in other corners the Aprilia is stronger on the brakes; the MV consistently shows slightly less braking power than the other two bikes. In our literbike comparison test earlier this year, the RSV4 R model had impressive trail braking, shown as high combinations of braking and lateral acceleration. But while the Factory did record the highest peak value here, it does not show any consistent advantage as the R model did previously. Likewise, one bike doesn’t stand above the others in terms of acceleration exiting the corner.

The MV and Aprilia are almost identically matched in cornering and braking performance, but anytime the track opens up and speeds get near triple digits, the MV shows noticeably more acceleration, in spite of its heavier weight and lack of a quickshifter. This is just enough of an advantage for the F4RR to edge the RSV4 in lap time. The Ducati’s nimble handling and light weight definitely work in its favor in some corners, but at Buttonwillow there are not enough slower transitions to offset its lack of power and front-end confidence in the faster corners; with such a small spread in performance, however, the results could very well have been different at another racetrack.