Em Abril passado a MCN testou a nova Ducati Streetfighter.
Para comparações e conclusões recorreram á Speed Triple como referência do segmento.
Conclusão?
O resultado foi muuuuiiiiito interessante.
Streetfighter vs Triple (Comparativo MCN)
Ducati's exotic $14,000 Streetfighter S is every inch the most powerful and sensuous naked superbike the Italian company has every produced.
But MCN's test of the Ducati bruiser against the benchmark Triumph Speed Triple found that
even though the Brit bike makes less power and is nearly half the price of the Ducati it is a far easier machine to live with. The first road test of the Streetfighter on UK roads quicklyu showed the stripped version of the 1098 superbike carries too much of its racing heritage to cut it ias na affordable, practical road bike. Triumph's softer-performing engine with a typical road-biased chassis set-up that any rider, regardless of experience, can make use of.
Throughout our three-day road test,
the Ducati could not shake off the Triumph despite its performance advantage. But MCN's road testers agreed that the Ducati's more powerful engine (145.5 bph measured-28.5 more than the Triumph's 117bhp) and higher-spec Ohlins suspension would mean the Ducati will outgun most of its rivals, including the Triumph at a track day. As is so often the case, race track performance doesn't necessarily make it the better bike , and in the case of the Streetfigher here's why...
Engine Manners:For all its power and thundering torque output, you'd expect the Streetfighter to be able to cope with town work and slow traffic. But no, the Ducati annoyingly stutters and jerks below 2700rpm and occasionally fluffs its power delivery when the throttle is worked - Ducati admitted they had a problem with this early bike.
Above this point, the Ducati shows the 90 degree L-twin's true worth by using all its torque to devastating effect, especially with a rise in the road surface to lift the front wheel in first and second gear.
Ride the Ducati in isolation and life is a bowl of cherries. Fast A-roads become a blur when the engine revs, power and gears can be used to their best. The deceptive midrange stomp and bellowing exhaust note typify Bologna's finest.
But ride
the Triumph at low revs and it's more like a double helping of cherries with double cream on top. And on the same stretches of open road, the Triumph's whistling triple cylinder motor causes heart rates to jump. At 70mph the Ducati is way too over-geared and only runs happiest in top gear between 85-90 mph. The Triumph is more suited to legal speeds. After just 20 miles of pursuit riding, it was always the Ducati rider asking what is the point of 150 mph performance when 90 mph cricks your neck enough to become a physiotherapist's meal ticket.
Quality Suspension:The Streetfighter's Ohlins rear shock and forks give an exquisite combination of plush action with confidence inducing a feel on motorway sections and smooth wide a roads.
It's the same thumbs up action when banked over with the gas wound up--so good for feel and dealing with big torque action and sticky tires that we didn't bother switching on the Ducati Traction Control system on.
But even Ohlins suspension won't help cure the Ducati's problem of running wide. First and second gear corners highlight this annoyance. Not just on the way out of turns, where the only way to get round the understeer is to stand the bike up as quickly as possible and nail it, but also on the brakes going into turns.
The Duc rider has to exaggerate steering input, but also weight the bike with bum-off-seat action.
Compared to Triumph's easy manners, the Duc is clumsy at any thing below 50mph it would benefit from time spent dialing in a crisper geometry.
Hard charging across country routes justifies the use of Ohlins and its part in the Ducati's high price tag. The Triumph's Showa suspension starts to wallow and get loose, demanding adjustment, but the Ducati remains stable and poised.
Verdict:Triumph's Speed Triple retains its position as best large-capacity naked bike, but Ducati's Streetfighter runs it very close. The Ducati is stunning to look at and Trumph should take notice of this. The Speed Triple is starting to look dated and needs a deft modern touch to bring its styling up to date, lose weight and find some more punch.
But the Triumph is a sorted package; the Ducati doesn't justify its $14k asking price by doing anything significantly better. Take away the Ducati's traction control, Ohlins, lightwight wheels, and built-in datalog system and you're left with the $11,616 base model Streetfighter.
If money was no object, the Streetfighter S would be the choice because of its exclusivity and Kudos.
But by being affordable, practical, and functional, Triumph's Speed Triple gets our vote.