Amazing Motorcycle 2011 Triumph Daytona 675R

Triumph is guilty of not updating its supersport machine, the Daytona 675, for some time. Introduced in 2006, five years later and the bike is basically the same. Yes, it got a few minor upgrades in 2009, but hardly enough to call it a major revamp. Honestly, we’re not complaining too much. The era of the constant updates kept us on our heels trying to stay current on all the changes. And really, the Daytona 675 is a damn good motorcycle.

But there’s always room for improvement. Enter the 2011 Triumph Daytona 675R. Taking a page out of Ducati’s book, when deciding to upgrade the base 675 by adding the letter “R” at the end, the boys in Hinckley added a touch of exclusivity by turning to Ohlins for some top-shelf suspension components.
Instead of the 41mm Kayaba units on the standard bike, a 43mm NIX30 fork makes its way onto the R model — the same unit used by many AMA teams. Out back sits Ohlins’ top-of-the-line TTX36 shock, itself a similar unit used by a host of AMA and international race teams. Until now this was a level of suspension technology that was only starting to trickle down to exotic Italian literbikes.

To take it one step further, Triumph also hit up Brembo to make sure the new bike stops as well as it looks. The company’s four-pot monobloc calipers, which are starting to become the gold standard in stopping technology, are radially mounted and bite on 308mm discs. A Brembo radial-mount master cylinder replaces the standard Nissin unit and has an 18mm diameter (1mm smaller than the Nissin) for better feel from the stronger calipers.

Other than that the 675R doesn’t vary too much from the standard model. The same 675cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 12-valve three-cylinder engine remains, albeit with minor EFI tweaks to improve fueling. It’s mated to the same six-speed, close-ratio gearbox, only now the R model comes equipped with a quickshifter from the factory (It’s an option on the base model).

Other changes are purely cosmetic. Carbon fiber adorns the front fender, the rear subframe is powdercoated red, wheels get red pinstripes, and the bodywork gets a dynamic new paint job and graphics kit. We’ve always thought the standard 675 was one of the more eye-pleasing middleweights, and the R model takes the eye candy to another level.

Wonderful 2012 Honda Gold Wing

The purpose for this back-to-back comparo – made evident on the tight, switchback roads of California’s Coastal Range we were traversing – was to highlight the improved handling of the 2012 Gold Wing. Where the old Wing wore Dunlop tires, the new Wing is shod with Bridgestone rubber. But, as Honda was quick to point out, the Bridgestones were developed to work in harmony with the 2012’s revised suspension, so they won’t necessarily give new life to the old Wing.

Besides new top and bottom internal bushings in the fork, Honda was only able to say that there are revised front and rear suspension settings in the 2012 Wing. Front-wheel travel is stated at 4.8 inches, which is a reduction from the 5.5 claimed for the previous Wings. But Honda tells us that travel is actually unchanged, figuring the old spec was a typo and confirming the new 4.8-inch figure.

Whatever the case, there is a marginally improved aspect to the 2012 Gold Wing’s handling manners. I say marginally because the 2010’s handling is already impeccable for such weighty machine, but the new model is a little more eager to drop into a corner. And where the 2010 model requires slightly more input to hold its line navigating a long corner, the 2012 holds its lean angle and maintains the rider’s chosen arc. Cornering clearance seemed equal to the ’10 Wing, and both were equally resistant to bottoming out.

The most noticeable seat-of-the-pants improvement to the 2012 Wing, quite literally, is its seat. Hopping off the old model and onto the new model, it was clear that the new urethane seat material and seat cover are truly an improvement. Not quite Tempur-Pedic mattress material, but the GL’s new seat provided support equivalent to that level of comfort. And any passenger will be greeted by one of the best pillion seats in the business, a much more comforting place to sit than the BMW GTL’s seat – if you don’t want whining from the back seat, you’ll hear less of it with the Wing.

Because navigating a 900-pound motorcycle through territory where sportbikes normally roam demanded my full attention, I wasn’t able to fiddle with the Gold Wing’s upgraded electronics. Yes, I did manage to find an appropriate station on the Wing’s XM satellite radio (some heavy metal to accentuate the heavy peg grinding), but Honda did upgrade other aspects of its audio and navigation systems.

Amazing Motorcycle 2011 Ducati Monster 1100 EVO

Changes to the air-cooled L-Twin include revised cylinder heads with reworked intake ports, inlet valves gaining 5% more lift, and exhaust valve lift increased by 4%. Top-end oiling is improved for better cylinder head cooling, and revised piston shape bumps compression to 11.3:1 from 10.7:1 on the previous Monster. Keeping the pistons spinning is a new, lighter-weight flywheel designed similarly to the flywheel in Ducati’s supersport 848.

An all-new 2-1-2 exhaust migrated from under the Monster’s saddle to the right side of the bike. Although the new exhaust bears more than a passing resemblance to the Diavel’s exhaust, according to Monster 1100 EVO Project Engineer Giuseppe Caprara, the systems are not the same.

What the Monster EVO does share with the Diavel is its “race-like” slipper clutch, which incidentally is not the same as the APTC slipper clutch in the Monster 696, 796 and Hypermotard 796.

Caprara also confirmed to me that it’s chiefly the reworked cylinder head that gives the Monster 1100 EVO a 5-hp gain over the previous model’s 95 hp at 7500 rpm (76 ft-lbs at 6000 rpm remains unchanged from the 2010 Monster 1100).

Considering we live in a world where literbikes make 200 hp at the crank, speed junkies may not get excited by a modest gain of 5 ponies. But what is noteworthy is that this new 100-hp figure allows the Monster 1100 EVO to lay claim to possessing the strongest Desmodue engine Ducati has ever created. (motorcycle.com)

Amazing Motorcycle 2011 Aprilia Tuono V4R APRC

The V4 engine, taken directly from the RSV4 R superbike, suits the Tuono perfect with an absolute abundance of power. Aprilia has only de-tuned it slightly, down only 13 horsepower short of the RSV4 R. The Tuono is hard physical work when it hits the higher revs as I really have to push myself forward to avoid hanging after the bike by the handlebar. The Tuono munches up all the short straights at the Ricardo Tormo circuit like nothing else, and quickly it seems the whole circuit is a succession of corners with one long start/finish straight.

With the APRC traction control I can accelerate early from great lean in safety, and even on level one it feels safe despite some nice sliding action out of most corners. The only place on the Valencia circuit where there’s some room for relaxation is down the straight, but even here the enormous power and the wind pushes you back until it’s time for hard braking whilst shifting down the box.

Later in the day I preferred to short-shift up the quick shifter more to save my arms from the strain, and it hardly felt like I was going any slower. The three lower gears on the Tuono are lower than on the RSV4 R and it can be felt! Due to that great quick shifter I also made my way all the way up to sixth several times down the straight. The slipper clutch is equally good when shifting hard down to second ahead of the fast left-hander at the end of the straight. Then it’s all full throttle and sliding and a little wheelie all over again.

Amazing Motorcycle 2011 Honda CB1000R

Before the age of CBRs, GSX-Rs, ZX-Rs, and YZF-Rs, bikes like the CB1000R were considered the superbikes of the day. With minimal bodywork and upright handlebars, standard bikes like this didn’t have a category – they could do it all. Over the years, that formula has mutated into the genre-specific motorcycles we see today. Honda is aiming to bring back that classic style of the CB750 into a form fit for the 21st century.

Where else should we start, then, but the engine. Based on the 2007 CBR1000RR 998cc motor (before the current generation), Honda refrains from calling the repurposed mill detuned, but instead calls it “retuned” for “loads of right-now power.” Whatever you want to call it, the “old” Honda superbike engine from just a few years ago now pumps out a modest 107 horsepower and 63.6 ft.-lb. of torque, according to the Superflow dyno at Gene Thomason Racing.

Retuned as it might be, the mill has plenty of power to get you out of the tightest situations. Or, if you’re like me, it has enough grunt to allow the rider to leave it in sixth gear and never touch the shift lever again at speeds above 20 mph. Speaking of gearing, the CB1K shifts with precise clicks each time you call for a gear. This is a feat we’re used to in many of Honda’s sport and sporty-type bikes.

Unlike Honda’s sportbikes, or any sportbike for that matter, the cockpit of the CB1K is noticeably neutral and unusually narrow, especially considering there’s a liter-class engine underneath you. Seat height is a reasonable 32.5 inches. The reach to the gold-anodized, tapered handlebars feels natural, while the footpegs are seemingly directly underneath the seat, which itself is fairly well cushioned. All told, the rider triangle harkens back to that of the CB750 of yore. Its narrow stature, however, “almost feels motard-like” as our own Pete Brissette put it. (motorcycle.com)

Amazing Motorcycle 2011 Suzuki GSX1250FA

The GSX1250FA’s engine is certainly one of the bike’s best qualities. With maximum torque at a V-Twin rpm (72.3 lb.-ft. at just 3,500) the GSX romps out of corners with a robustness that belies its modest 92.6 hp at 8,800 rpm dyno figure. The abundance of low-end power augments real-world usability and ensures you’re never left wanting when running a gear high or in need of emergency passing power. It should be noted, however, that as pleasurable and user-friendly as the fuel-injected 1255cc inline-Four is, considering its displacement, we were hoping for at least triple-digit horsepower numbers.

A surprising attribute of the GSX1250FA is its handling prowess, especially considering its low-tech tubular steel frame and 567-lb curb weight. It’s no Jenny Craig poster child, but in the canyons the GSX manages its weight well and will easily keep on the rear wheel of faster, lighter bikes piloted by lesser riders. Competitive models such as the new Kawasaki Ninja 1000 and Yamaha FZ1 are lighter and better handling, but without these bikes playing devil’s advocate, a GSX1250FA operator will be riding in ignorant bliss of the bike’s weight problem.

As capable as the GSX is in the canyons, it’s equally at home digesting freeway miles in commuter mode or during long-distance road trips. Ergonomics are comfortable with plenty of seat-to-footpeg legroom and a moderate reach to the superbike handlebars. The suspension is well-balanced on the plusher side for extended seat-time comfort. It’s only in the canyons, during aggressive braking and cornering, when the bike’s weight occasionally overwhelms the suspension, but otherwise the bike’s 43mm fork and single rear shock keep the GSX composed.