Clash of the Titanic Twins

CLASH OF THE TITANIC TWINS

CW COMPARISON

DUCATI'S VEE-KING 916 TAKES ON SUZUKI'S REVAMPED, REFOCUSED TL1000R. WHICH TWIN WINS?

DON CANET

IF IMITATION IS THE SINCEREST FORM OF flattery, then Ducati must be flush with pride. Since the birth of the World Superbike Championship a decade ago, no bike has enjoyed as much success as the fire-engine-red Italian V-Twins. It's safe to say that the racing achievements and resultant sales success of Ducati's 916 Superbike have given rise to the recent wave of two-cylinder sportbikes emanating from the Orient.

This comes as welcome news to per formance enthusiasts seeking a heart throbbing, soul-stirring alternative to the typically smooth, high-revving inline-Fours. Last year, Suzuki, a company that has built a perfor mance legacy around its four-cylin der GSX-R sportbikes, launched its own hi-po V-Twin, called the TL1000S. But while the wheelie happy, first-generation TL proved potent enough to make its rider's pulse race, that bike was not designed with racing in mind. The opposite holds true for the new TL1000R. As the "R" suffix would attest, this bike was bred to bring home the victory champagne.

We at CW get excited when a new challenger enters the race-replica arena, because it gives us an opportunity to whip out the old performance yardstick. In recent years, we've found the Ducati 916 to be the quickest means of getting around a racetrack or down our favorite backroads. So, recal-~ ibrate your conversion table to show 916cc equals a yard and join in as we find out how the new TL1000R measures up. You've likely heard that the 9 16's tightly focused, com pact riding posture doesn't lend well to freeway transit. Well that may be, but Executive Editor Brian Catterson reported that he felt just duckie aboard the 916 during our initial supersiab test stint. Even though he's 6-foot, 1-inch tall, the Catman contends that the 916's narrow waist and sculpted fuel tank offer ample room for his long legs, while the taut suspension actually delivers a fairly compliant free way ride-provided you take a minute to dial the suspension adjusters to softer damping settings. This, however, is in no way meant to imply that the 916 is comfortable. To the con trary, the thinly padded seat transmits jolts from square edged bumps directly to your behind, while heat from the underseat mufflers roasts your rump during slow going. Additionally, if you value good hindsight, you'll be disap pointed with the 916's mirrors. As Associate Editor Paul Seredynski put it, "The view behind is like staring at an impressionist painting through a toilet-paper tube."

The Suzuki, in contrast, offers a comparatively cushy ride and slightly softer ergonomics. Sprung more softly than the 916, the TL floats over freeway joints with surprisingly little bucking motion, in spite of its ultra-short, 54.8-inch wheel base. While its low-slanted windscreen keeps wind turbulence beneath the helmet line, the spacious, thickly padded saddle promotes posterior prosperity below the beitline. And while its mirrors aren't exactly great, they are better than the 9 16's.

Suzuki has followed Ducati's lead and equipped both of its TL1000 Twins with electronic fuel injection. Like the proven setup on the 916, the TL-R exhibits excellent throttle response and ultra-smooth power delivery without the abruptness and surging that we've experienced with some other EFI bikes, including the TL-S (see sidebar). While neither the 916 nor the TL-R shakes excessively at any point (other than when lugging the motor under load at low rpm), the Suzuki is the smoother and quieter-running of the two. Keeping pace with L.A.'s 75-mph traffic flow, only a mod erate level of engine vibration seeps through the TL's bars as the engine plugs along at 4500 rpm. All things consid ered, the Suzuki is the hands-down winner in the drone mode comfort contest.

Staff Italophile Catterson was quick to point out that the Suzuki feels refined to the point of suffering from a lack of character. Fair enough: The Ducati does possess a sort of raw performance edge to it, feeling like a racetrack refugee that's been fitted with lights, mirrors and granted license to roam the open road. But any character deficiency seemed trivial once we made our way into the twists and turns of the local mountains. Here, either rider could put his steed's broad spread of power to good use. Feeling a little lazy today? No problem: Just leave it in one gear and let the V-Twin's seamless power delivery do all the work. Ridden this way, a big Twin sure can be relaxing-and quick, too! These bikes gobble up mountain roads like it's the last chance they'll ever get. Working either bike's close-ratio six-speed gearbox with the engine in the upper reaches of the rev range doubles the fun factor. Both offer very good shifting action and minimal drivetrain lash, though they each display a bit of clutch grabbiness on standing starts due to a narrow range of engagement. Moreover, the 916 has an extra-stiff pull at the clutch lever that'll build up your left forearm over time. A

At the opposite end of the spectrum is the TL's front brake lever-a light squeeze is all that's required for the dual Tokico six-piston calipers to bite hard on the 320mm discs. The 916's four-pot Brembo stoppers also get the job done, but require a firmer pull at the lever. The Suzuki's system provides greater feel, which helped it edge out the Ducati in stopping dis tance from 60 mph.

Complementing the superb brakes on both bikes is premi um rubber. At the business end of each is a 6-inch-wide wheel sporting an ultra-fat, 190mm-wide radial-Michelin TX25 on the Ducati, Dunlop D207 on the Suzuki. Endow just any bike with this much grip and you're likely to run short on cornering clearance. But with their vitals tucked in high and tight, neither touched anything down on the street. A rider's confidence will soar aboard these machines, given the high level of chassis stability, tractability and cornering ability they exude.

It wasn't until we pushed them hard around the 2.5-mile Willow Springs road course that any shortcomings became ) apparent. At racetrack speeds, the 916 feels solid and composed, and offers a level of feedback from the tires that only a well-prepared racebike could normally deliver. By comparison, the TL feels soft and vague, and struggles to match the Ducati's pace. While the Suzuki weighs 33 pounds more than the Ducati, you'd swear the difference was double or triple that amount when hustling them around the racetrack back-to-back.

'Where even the slightest rear-wheel slide can be felt through the 916's saddle, the TL doesn't always settle into a corner well enough to give a clear jndication of what's going on at the tire's contact patch-even the well-damped Kayaba inverted fork and high-tech rotary shock can't compensate for too-soft spring rates. We're not talking wild antics and gyrations here, but there's enough unso licited motion to keep your enthusiasm in check. Both bikes have neutral, yet fairly high effort steering when rid den at speed. The 916 allows precise and assertive steering input while the TL requires its rider to be smoother at the controls. At the end of the day, the Italian bike left the track smelling like a red rose with a full 2-second-per-lap advantage over its Japanese rival.

The Suzuki also kicked booty at the dragstrip. Although the TL was much more prone to wheelie off the line, it clearly beat the 916 through the quarter-mile and posted a significantly faster trap speed. Top-gear roll-on testing also showed the advantage offered by the TL's added displace ment. If pulling wheelies is your vice, either of these bikes will get it up with a stab of the throttle or well-timed tug on the bars in low gear. Maintaining the mono-cycle posture just doesn't get much easier than with a torquey, short wheelbase sport-Twin.

In terms of outright performance potential, Canadian Steve Crevier has put in some respectable performances aboard a fully race-kitted Yoshimura Suzuki TL1000R in its debut AMA Superbike season, but the bike has yet to set the roadracing world on fire. Ducati, on the other hand, has its hands full with the latest four-cylinder opposition, but has still managed to win races with its aging design. But the writing is on the wall, and it looks as though the days of Ducati dominance are nearing an end.

As for which of these sport-Twins is right for you, ask yourself this question: Are you a well-heeled fellow who values lap times and pride of ownership over such mundane concerns as price and ease of maintenance? If so, then accept no substitute: The Ducati is the bike for you.

If, on the other hand, you're a more practical sort-the type who'd rather use the $7000 price difference to purchase gas and tires, and who plans to use his bike for more than just spirited Sunday-morning sprints-then the Suzuki is the logical choice.

DUCATI 916

$16,495

SUZUKI TL1000R

$9499

HORSEPOWERI TORQUE