Yesterday at the official MotoGP test team conducted the first test of Yamaha 1000-cubic version of Yamaha YZR-M1 2012.
Showing posts with label test. Show all posts
Showing posts with label test. Show all posts
0 KTM 500 XC-W 2012
Prior to the event, I mentioned to KTM’s Tom Moen that I would like to ride the 500 for the race. As the one bike with the “new” model designation, it is the one that everyone seems to be most excited about. Of course around southern California, the big-bore KTM’s are always a favorite choice for the weekend desert dwellers. As there was only one 500 in the demo fleet, I felt lucky to get first dibs on it. As it turned out, no one else really thought it sensible to choose the biggest bike for National Enduro conditions. Nevertheless, I wanted to try it in the worst of conditions, the place where it would feel the most out of its element, before getting a chance to hit the desert back home with it.
The 2012 500 XC-W felt nimble while flicking from side to side, but its weight came into play during heavy braking.
KTM had scheduled a whole day for us to ride and do photos. However, the airline had other ideas and decided that they should hold on to all the journalists’ bags for an extra day or two. Ultimately, that led to a situation where eight of us were sharing gear and had just a few hours with the one photographer to get our best pics done.
It all worked out, but as we were lucky just to get a few photos in, any real work on race setup was out the window. I did a quick stab at the sag, checked the bars and headed to the starting line.
My first impression was how small it feels. All full size KTMs now share the same basic frame and body dimensions. Therefore, the 200 and 500 have the same cockpit size. The Neken bar has lots of sweep, similar to the newer Rental 672 of the 2011models. So even with the bar mounts moved forward, I was not able to get a very comfortable standing position. In the same manner, that smallish feeling carries over to how quickly the bike will flick side to side. That is to say, very quickly! This impression of the 500 makes it seem very light. So now we are back to that debate over a bike being light and feeling light.
The reality is that for everything talked about in the new specs for the 500, it is only one pound lighter than the old 530 XC-W. So for as much as the bike feels light when making transitions, there is no getting around that mass every time you get on the brakes; weight is weight.
Throttle response on the 500 is crisp and predictable, with bottom-end power coming on smoothly.
As it turned out, the Wyoming National Enduro was much tighter and technical than I imagined. Every test was cut just wide enough to get the bars through. It was a constant barrage of trees and limbs. Few riders survived with jerseys intact, most were torn to shreds and there were a significant number of raspberry arms to match.
I started my day by trying to override the 500, but neither of us were happy with that. Once I backed off just a little and carried a taller gear, the bike was easy to handle. It has a minimal amount of compression braking. The throttle response is crisp and predictable. Over the course of the day the lighter clutch pull became a very welcome change.
The motor is a unique mix of characteristics. It is fast, but does not always feel so. I did some impromptu third gear roll-ons alongside a Husaberg FX450 and the 500 easily outpaced the Berg. Power delivery off the bottom is smooth. It still has plenty of flywheel effect, so the response can feel sluggish at times, but as the day wore on, I got my timing down better and could keep everything flowing smoothly.
This is a big-bore bike, and as such it still requires some respect. The ground conditions were constantly changing from hard-pack to silt with plenty of patches of mud in between. On more than one occasion, I found myself completely sideways as I hit a slick spot and the wheel spun up before I could react.
Conversely, this motor does not like to rev. It feels as if it shuts off unusually early. Now keep in mind that the stock exhaust is whisper quiet and the fuel mapping is probably aimed more at emission standards than ultimate performance. It will win a roll-on contest, but doesn’t want to rev or act fast. In other words, it acts just like a big-bore bike should, no need to rev the daylights out of the motor, just keep it in the sweet spot and hold on.
So back to our race story. Overall, the bike did very well for the conditions. The power delivery worked well for most of the course. Turning and aiming the bike through the tighter sections was nearly effortless. The motor is easy to ride, but
While the bike's power and handling worked well throughout the race, its suspension isn't well-suited to open sections for a rider of our size.
still demands good throttle control. I only stalled the bike
While the bike's power and handling worked well throughout the race, its suspension isn't well-suited to open sections for a rider of our size.
twice, once due to a lazy clutch hand and the other was more like a flame-out. Each time the button brought it right back to life.
The suspension was too soft for the more open sections, but did well in the tighter areas. The bike has the heavy sensation of keeping the wheels glued to the ground; it goes through things rather than over them, again very typical for an open-class ride. I missed the shock setup by adding too much preload to compensate for the soft spring. The effect was a setup that was still too soft, but that would also kick on the rebound.
As the day wore on and I got tired, I was beginning to miss the ultra forgiving ride of the sibling 350 XC-F. On the 500, every turn takes just a little more braking effort and each acceleration requires just a tad more concentration and throttle control. But on the other hand, I can’t wait for the opportunity to turn the big five-hunnie loose in the desert. The flip side may just prove that any of those potential negatives will become positives in the open terrain. A strong, stable bike can chew up desert valleys with ease. I had better get some stiffer springs on order so I can be ready to roll once I get my hands back on the big bike.
0 Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200
Hop into the saddle and it’s immediately apparent how tall of a motorcycle it is. With a seat height of 34.3-inches it wasn’t exactly built to be ridden by vertically challenged folks. In fact, it’s quite a stretch to get both of my feet planted on the ground at a standstill (I’m six-foot tall). Compared to a pure supermoto, the seat is wide with ample padding which made it surprisingly comfortable even on a 150-mile ride. Grab a hold of the aluminum handlebar and you’ll notice its relatively low bend, though it’s not enough to alter the straight-up riding position and generally works well.
Flip the key, thumb the starter and the engine roars to life with an intoxicating melody courtesy of its mixed chain/gear-driven valve train and raspy exhaust note (86 dB idle / 98 dB at 4800 rpm) emitted from its twin underseat mufflers. Pull in the clutch, drop it into first gear and it’s time to ride…
As you pull away from a stop the bike feels slightly clumsy and top heavy. The first inch or so of suspension travel is soft which only exacerbates the condition. Fortunately its awkwardness vanishes above parking lot speeds.
(Left) Ground clearance is a big improvement as compared to the 750 model. (Center) Braking is one area that the Aprilia really excels at. (Right) The Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200 is a surprisingly comfortable bike on the street.
(Left) Ground clearance is a big improvement as compared to the 750 model. (Center) Braking is one area that the Aprilia really excels at. (Right) The Aprilia Dorsoduro 1200 is a surprisingly comfortable bike on the street.
Right off idle, the engine carburates cleanly with minimal vibration. Bottom-end power is robust with upwards of 60 lb-ft of torque from just over 4000 revs. This makes it quite easy to lift the front wheel off the ground in first or second gear. Peak torque of 72.78 lb-ft arrives at 7600 rpm and the torque curve remains flat even as the engine closes in on redline (9600 rpm). Both final drive gearing and the internal gear sequence work well to maximize acceleration yet gearing isn’t so short that you feel like the engine is going to be revving excessively in top gear, even at triple-digit speeds.
Like other Aprilia street models, the Dorsoduro 1200 allows the rider to select one of three engine maps while moving based on road conditions or rider preference by pressing the red starter button. “S” or Sport mode allows for maximum engine power (114.49 horsepower at 9000 rpm) with the most aggressive hitting throttle response. “T” or Touring also unleashes full engine power with a milder throttle response. Lastly, “R” or Rain mode limits the engine’s power for use on wet roads or other traction-limited surfaces.
(Top) The open cockpit allows the rider to move around the motorcycle. (Bottom) The aluminum handlebar has a low bend but is still comfortable on the street.
While we enjoyed the outright acceleration force in both Sport and Touring modes, the throttle is overly sensitive which makes the bike more challenging to control when you’re wheeling or modulating the throttle mid-corner. Based on that experience, I actually preferred riding the bike in “R” mode in slow-to-medium speed corners as it makes the bike friendlier to ride aggressively. Sadly, the U.S.-spec model doesn’t come equipped with ATC (Aprilia Traction Control) or anti-lock brakes in order to keep its price competitive, according to Aprilia. Instrumentation is comprehensive and fairly easy to read, but navigating the menu system is way too complicated and an area that Aprilia could really improve.
In our performance tests the Aprilia galloped to 60 mph from a stop in a time of 3.52 seconds. It continued to a quarter mile time of 11.57 seconds at 121.9 mph. With its relatively long wheelbase (60.1 in.), adequate feel from its hydraulically-actuated clutch, not to mention its open dirt bike-style cockpit which allows the rider to position weight over the front wheel, it’s one of the easier bikes to launch hard. As expected, one area the Aprilia fails at is fuel mileage. We averaged just 25.2 mpg which netted a range of less than 100 miles.
On the scale the Dorsoduro 1200 weighs in at 488 pounds with full 3.96-gallons of fuel. It’s a bit of a surprise because it feels much lighter in motion and is generally a fairly good handling motorcycle in the corners. Tip the motorcycle into a turn and steers with minimal effort though we wish it employed a slipper clutch as it’s quite easy to get the rear wheel to chatter during aggressive corner entry. Ground clearance is good as well, and is definitely an improvement compared to the 750 model.
As mentioned before the first inch or so of travel is soft, but as the suspension moves deeper into the stroke damping firms up in a progressive manner allowing the rider to better explore the handling capabilities of the bike. In fact its well-calibrated suspension settings are one of our favorite features of the bike. Not only does it serve up a high-level of sport ability in the corners, when rough pavement is encountered the bike delivers a very plush ride which makes it very enjoyable to ride all day. OE-fitted Dunlop Qualifiers (view more Dunlop motorcycle tires at Motorcycle-Superstore.com) deliver adequate levels of outright grip, but it would have been nice if Aprilia would have fitted a newer style tire with more road feel.
Stopping performance is another area that the big Dorsoduro impresses us even though it doesn’t make use of a slipper-clutch. The two-piece Brembo radial-mount front brakes deliver excellent power with sufficient feel through the stainless-steel brake lines. From 60 mph the Aprilia stopped in a distance of just 110 feet.
As expected the Aprilia impresses with the outright acceleration power from its big-bore engine, not to mention its corner-carving abilities when the road starts zigzagging. And it’s above average level of comfort now makes it a viable motorcycle for more than just backroad riding adventures. If Aprilia could improve fuel economy and fit a slipper clutch without bumping up the price we’d be completely sold on the Dorsoduro 1200.
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