Electronic Warfare
ELECTRONIC WARFARE
Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC SE vs. BMW S1000RR vs. Ducati 1198 vs. Kawasaki ZX-10R Traction control comes of age; we search for the best digital superbike
BLAKE CONNER
CONFIDENCE BREEDS SPEED. TRACTION BUILDS CONFIdence. As with any activity in which humans push their own limits, having faith that you can take it to the next level is often the difference between success and failure. For most motorcycle racers, achieving this trust comes through years of endless practice, racing and spending every waking moment thinking about how to go faster. But most sportbike enthusiasts don’t have that much time. What we need is some instant talent, some instant gratification. The kind you can buy.
Thankfully, part of the formula can be found in electronic rider aids and engine management. With the era of electronic intervention truly upon us, we took the opportunity to gather the four most significant liter-class sportbikes on the market that feature factory-installed traction control to see which motorcycle not only performs best, but which one also gives the rider that extra bit of confidence to grab lost seconds on the track or favorite backroad. If, in fact, traction control actually does all this.
Our group: the $22,499 Aprilia R.SV4 Factory APRC SE, the top-tier offering from the Italian company, that includes Öhlins suspension and the full laundry list of electronic options. Our $15,880 BMW S1000RR was delivered with the Premium Package, including RaceABS, Dynamic Traction Control and Gear Shift Assistant. To say that this all-conquering brute has a (silicon) chip on its shoulder is a huge understatement. Next up is the $16,495 Ducati 1198, which gets DTC, Quick Shift and Data Acquisition as standard equipment for 2011, but makes do with Showa suspension in place of the $5G-more-expensive SP model’s fancy Öhlins. Perhaps the most hyped bike of 2011 is the brand-new $13,799 ZX10R (ours without optional ABS), complete with Kawasaki’s brand-new Sport-Kawasaki TC system. Rumored classleading power was never realized on U.S. bikes, as complying with noise-emissions regulations forced Kawi to remap the ECU to close the secondary throttle butterflies and exhaust valve in the upper rev-range. Bummer.
CW COMPARISON
Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, and that was the case with our chosen venue for the track portion of this test. Inde Motorsports Ranch couldn’t have been a better place to tax traction with our four fire-breathing repli-racers, not to mention all the other sportbikes we brought along (see track description pg. 44, plus the following comparison tests: Ducati 848 EVO. vs. Suzuki GSX-R750 vs. Triumph Daytona 675R; and Kawasaki ZX-6R vs. Suzuki GSX-R600). We spent the first of two days getting suspension, tire pres-
sures and electronics set up to Mr. Quick Wrist Cernicky’s liking. On the second day, we conducted threeto four-lap Superpole-type sessions, with a spare lap available if, say, an unseen distraction like a gopher snake was sunning itself on the racing line. Cernicky first ran the bikes in the predetermined (through our testing) traction-control setting. Then, we signaled him into the pits, checked tire pressures, disabled the TC system and sent him back out for another run against the clock, “old-school slip-’n’-grip style,” à la Kenny Roberts Sr.
After all timed laps were complete, the bikes were released to the pack of hungry Cycle World staffers, myself included. That would not only give us wider and more balanced opinions due to our broad range of riding skills but also help me translate Cernicky’s mad hand gestures and screeching tire noises when he described to me what each bike was doing after his hot laps.
For the timed sessions, all four bikes were fitted with a fresh set of Metzeler Racetec K3 Interact tires, always snug gling in tire warmers prior to rolling onto the track (the same tires were also
used for street testing). All official data was recorded via a GPS based Racelogic VBox III data-acquisition system, which not only gave us lap times but an almost unlimited amount of information,
including apex speeds for any corner, speed anywhere on the track and an in finite number of split options. A random drawing was conducted to determine the order in which the bikes were run, and here they are in that order.
Kawasaki ZX-10R
First up, the ZX-1OR, which was unani mously praised for its rider-friendly character, slick controls and comfort. The Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control (S-KTRC) offers three modes: Level 1 (least ignition cut) through Level 3. Additionally, three Power Modes pro vide Full, Medium and Low settings, while wheelies are managed in concert with the chosen TC setting. Unlike the BMW and Aprilia systems, the 1OR's doesn't employ a gyro to detect bank angle. It simply uses a pair of wheel speed sensors to detect rear-wheel slip and acceleration, and then feeds the ECU throttle-position and engine-rpm information that is sampled 200 times per second to optimize drive. Key is the fact that S-KTRC is the only system that tries to predict where traction is going instead of only reacting to a loss of it.
Ultimately, Cernicky settled on TC 2 and Full power for his Superpole session. "Kawasaki's traction control definitely works, because once the bike starts sliding, I can continue to open
the gas and there is never a spike of power; it just lays it down," Cernicky said. "The bike was a handful and slid ing everywhere with TC off." With TC on, the 1OR turned the third quickest lap time of the group (1:54.88), while disabled, it recorded the secondbest of the quartet, more than two-tenths quicker.
kawasaki ZXI OR
i~Ups A Super-slick slipper clutch A Most transparent traction control A Custom-tailored feel for everyone
"owns v Too-tall gearing, what are the other five for? v No quickshifter? What do I do? v Hey, Europe, give us our ECU back
Exceptionally tall gearing was an issue, as Cemicky discovered: “I spent a lot of time in first gear not because I was going slow but because second was way too fast.”
Keys to lost tenths?
“Rocketing down the main straight, I couldn’t believe the 10R is the only bike without a quickshifter,” said Cemicky. “I had to think about coordinating upshifts instead of focusing on my brake marker.”
The Kawasaki was 4 to 6 mph down on the BMW’s top speed at the end of the straight, clearly a product of the 14 hp it gives up to the Bavarian bike. This was also evident during the unfavorably windy quarter-mile testing conditions, where the Ninja couldn’t match the SlOOORR’s solid 9.87-sec./150-mph pass, trailing with a 9.97/146.32. But what it lacks in outright performance it makes up in feel.
“My personal favorite,” said Road Test Editor Don Canet. “The ZX-10R has an unmatched feeling of refinement. There are no quirks or rough edges that I had to adapt to in either its ergonomic makeup or fonction and performance.”
On the street, the Kawi is by far the plushest and most comfortable, largely due to the cushy seat, but the best mirrors of the group, good ergonomics and a stable chassis make it very forgiving for longer rides. The new all-digital dash wasn’t praised, though. While the big, graphic LED tach is easy to read, the LCD portion of the display (with speedometer and other info) is difficult to decipher at a glance.
Ducati 1198
Previously notorious for unique handling feel and engine character when compared to a typical Japanese Four, the 1198 series is by far the most “mainstream” offering from Bologna to date, as well as being the most potent-yet-forgiving superbike Ducati has ever built.
Entering the TC game first with its 2008 1098R was a huge advantage for Ducati. Since then, the technology has trickled down the model range.
Like the Kawasaki, the 1198 depends on information obtained from a pair of wheel-speed sensors, comparing data from the front and rear to determine slip. It also grabs throttle-position and engine-rpm info to establish the degree of ignition to cut.
Ducati 1198
A Very tractor-able power delivery A Simple DTC system; set it and go A Setup surprised us; write it down! A Ultra-powerful brakes
Vbowns V Nothing like a ride in the hot seat V Don't bother to adjust the mirrors. It won't help V Slippery footpegs don't inspire confidence V Too-sensitive front brake?
Ducati's DTC system has 8 levels of interrup tion, 1 being the least. Cernicky chose to run the 1198 on setting 3. Unlike the other bikes, the Ducati has a system that is straightforward, only requiring you to
choose a TC setting and not adding different parameters for power output or wheelie control into the equation.
How was the overall riding experience? “The Ducati forces you to ride a lot more relaxed, as it really performs better that way,” said Cernicky. “It has beautifully predictable V-Twin power delivery, and the DTC system is pretty much magic. But even with DTC off, it is so easy to predict traction that I can steer with the rear and be assured the thing isn’t going to snap sideways.”
Cernicky was positive his lap times on the Ducati were better than what was actually recorded. But it’s clear from the data that the 1198 was losing time into the stiff headwind up the main straight, where it gave up almost 9 mph to the BMW.
Through the track’s tight bits, the 1198 surprised us. Former AMA Pro Thunder champ and Ducati guru Jeff Nash did a stellar job of interpreting Cernicky’s feedback and transformed the normally heavy-steering Due into arguably the best of all nine bikes at the track, which is reflected in its test-leading, 63.7-mph average speed through the chicane interval.
“Reminds me of my cat, whose hind legs are longer than the fronts,” said Canet. “That’s where the similarities end, as my cat comers much better on
carpet than she does on tile. With its impressive DTC, the 1198 rails corners with solid precision and instills tons of confidence.”
Of all four bikes, the Ducati is least at home on the road. Excuse us
for sounding like a broken record (so analog!), but the 1198 has an unforgiving riding position, dumps heat onto the rider’s legs and has some of the most useless mirrors ever fitted to a two-wheeler.
BMW S1000RR
The S1000RR was the reigning CW Ten Best winner for Best Superbike, so we had high expectations for the Bavarian monster. After all, its class-leading 179.5 rear-wheel horsepower wasn’t even remotely challenged by the newcomers, and outside the dyno cell, the bike just plain stomps the competition. If there were ever a hairy-chested beast in sportbikedom, this is it; heavy clutch pull and a stiff throttle spring only add to the gruff impression. Riding position is pure aggression, although it’s not as punishing as the Ducati’s.
But with this brawn comes brains. Traction is monitored by a sophisticated Dynamic Traction Control system that uses a pair of wheel-speed sensors to determine rear-wheel slip; added input is obtained from throttle position, engine rpm and speed. Where it gets more complex is that a pair of underseat gyros are used to determine the bike’s bank angle, and then, depending on which of the four modes (Rain, Sport, Track or Slick) is selected, the ECU determines how much power, traction intervention and wheelie control to dole out by retarding ignition and controlling the throttle butterflies. Each mode has a predetermined allowable lean angle, beyond which the bike will not allow additional throttle input.
Cemicky ran the S1000RR in Slick mode, which allows up to 53 degrees of lean angle for full rider control and 5 seconds of wheelie freedom. Race ABS was turned off for hot laps.
“This thing is noticeably faster down the straightaway, even blasting into a strong headwind,” Cernicky said. “The motor screams hard all the way to redline; pretty friggin’ awesome. With TC off, a little warning light on the dash stays lit to remind the rider that he’s in the danger zone.”
BIVflM SI000RR
A What part of 180 hp don't you understand? A Well-balanced and well-behaved A Has DTC because it needs it! A Winning
W~owns V Intermittent mushy feel from ABS at front lever? V Abrupt, Sport-mode ignition cuts are annoying V Can we control our own wheelies, please?
Reminder flashing or not, Cernicky clicked off the fastest laps of the day, with and without TC: 1:54.11 and 1:54.37, respectively. With all that power on tap, aquickshifter and gearing much
better suited to mdc than that of the bR, the RR blitzed to a 148.7mph peak speed on the 2200-foot-long straight. It eats asphalt. "Ridiculously fast," said CW's Marketing Manager, Garrett Kai, on
hand to help us with testing. “Feels like it shortened the straightaway considerably.” Factor in a chassis that was set up perfectly by AMA SuperBike team owner Evan Steel, and the BMW proved impossible to beat this day.
“This bike may not be as stable as the 10R, but I can feel everything it’s doing, better,” said Off-Road Editor Ryan Dudek.
On the road, the SIOOORR is a bully. It cuts through traffic like an axe cuts through butter: total overkill. Ideal gearing, wicked power and the safety of TC; voted most likely to get you in jail.
Comfortable enough while being brutal, fast and satisfying.
Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC SE
Watching Max Biaggi blitz past the most powerful World Superbike competition at Monza this past spring, we couldn’t help but drool at the thought of getting to ride the RSV4 Factory APRC SE on a track. Don’t be overwhelmed by the alphabet soup.
SE stands for “special edition,” while you can think of Aprilia Performance Ride Control (APRC) as a software
suite that contains traction control (ATC), wheelie control (AWC), launch control (ALC) and a quickshifter (AQS). It functions similarly to the systems on other bikes but also allows
the computer to calibrate to non-stock tire diameters. The Aprilia also utilizes a pair of gyros and twin accelerometers to fine-tune intervention.
What’s so nice about the Factory SE is that ATC settings can be selected on the fly via left-handlebar-mounted paddles (no need to close the throttle as on the BMW), allowing the rider to choose different settings for separate sections
of track. Another cool feature is that AWC can be controlled independently from ATC and doesn’t harshly slam down the front end like the BMW does in its Sport mode.
Throughout the two-
day test, Cernicky struggled to get the RSV4’s chassis setup to provide the nthdegree of front-end feel he was after. It was very quick-steering, but he found it difficult to read front traction at the limit. Even so, with ATC set on level 4 of 8 and with AWC disabled, MC ripped off the second-quickest lap of the day (1:54.29).
“With TC on, I could get the throttle open really early and anticipate controlled power-induced wheelspin that the system allows,” Cernicky said. “I didn’t need it to slide at the rear to help me finish corners, because it steered so well, but it was there to flirt with.”
Aprilia RSV4 Factory APRC SE
i.ps A TO 2.0: great systems integration A Awesome soundtrack: Pavarotti sings. Slayer A Wheelie control puts you in control
Downs V On/off throttle fueling glitch V Really busy dash and rider controls V Where's the onboard espresso machine?
When flirting with traction, you sometimes lose. Unfortunately, in the final comer, on the first timed lap with ATC off, Mark went from flirting to flying.
“I was snowplowing the front tire into the chicane,” Cernicky recalled with cartoon birds flying around his head.
“I opened the throttle to get the rear tire spinning so it might ‘catch up’ with the front, but when I lifted the bike up through the mid-chicane transition, the rear tire gripped and I highsided. Gas cap, sky, ground, sky, tire wall... What
happened?” With the VBox laying amongst the desert rocks and the Aprilia’s nonTC lap data lost on impact, we were unable to gather an official time. Wftile the Aprilia’s TC lap time was
impressive, MC and other riders struggled to come to terms with the RSV4.
“The Aprilia is an exotic beauty in looks, sound and feel, but perhaps with this comes a temperamental nature that could use a little smoothing over,” said Canet. “The chassis never felt fully settled for me, and throttle response was also problematic—I encountered both hesitation and abruptness at times.”
On the road, when the RSV4 is not walking the razor’s edge of the track, its few flaws are a non-issue. Excellent handling, good useable torque, light controls and a more comfortable riding position than the Ducati’s make it a street-friendly exotic.
Conclusion
What we ultimately discovered is that traction control delivers confidence and lap-time improvement in different doses depending on who’s twisting the throttle.
With Cernicky in the saddle, a couple of trends are visible from the VBox data. The bike with the most power (BMW) and the one with the most torque (Ducati) were easier to ride with TC on, resulting in faster lap times at Mark’s pro-level pace. In the case of the ZX-10R, which went quicker with TC disabled, Cernicky felt that he may have been better off in setting 1 for less intervention, but S-KTRC works so transparently, it was hard to tell if it was cutting power. As for the Aprilia, we’ll unfortunately never know what the outcome would have been. Also, because the crash was initially caused by losing the front, we can’t say for certain if TC would have saved him.
But comments from other CW staffers unanimously praised TC for the confidence and security it gave them, allowing even those who rarely get to ride on a racetrack to be very comfortable on these fire-spitting liter bikes.
Ranking them seemed daunting at first but easily sorted itself out as the data poured in and the miles were poured on.
The Ducati was outgunned by as much as 20 hp, which proved critical when facing a headwind on an uphill straightaway. Despite offering magical handling, it couldn’t make up for the deficit. It also proved to be the least comfortable on the street.
Kawasaki’s fate was sealed by having no other way to comply with U.S. regulations except for shutting down the top-end power that is available in Europe, where the bike typically makes around 180 rear-wheel horsepower on the dyno. This meant that despite excellent handling and traction control, it couldn’t match the superbike incumbent’s performance. It also doesn’t make nearly as much noise as the BMW screaming around the track. The ZX-10R was, however, the bike of choice on the street in terms of comfort, smoothness and ease of use.
The Aprilia proved impressive, and you can’t argue with the second-fastest lap time of the test. But, even with the help of a company tech, we never truly came to terms with chassis setup and handling, a situation made more difficult by lessthan-perfect throttle response. Aprilia’s sophisticated and user-friendly APRC system gives the most flexibility, while street manners were much better than expected. And, ohhh, that V-Four sound.
But nothing could stop the combination of raw power and capable electronic management possessed by the BMW S1000RR. It was unstoppable on the track, refined enough on the street and, simply put, injected a dose of bravado into even the most timid among us. We rode both faster and safer, and that in itself is worth its weight in silicon.
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APRILIA
RSV4 FACTORY APRC SE
$22,499
BMW
S1000RR
$15,880
DUCATI
1198
$16,495
KAWASAKI
ZX-10R
$13,799
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