#streetfighter

For more information about Energica products visit www.energicasuperbike.com

In 2003 the streetfighter scene was just starting to pick up, with virtually every manufacturer bringing something to market to appeal to the younger, edgier, crowd. Those who wanted to go fast, but had no interest in the racetrack. Hell, streetfighters appealed to those with hardly a care about abiding by the law. Wheelies, attitude and street cred was where it was at. That’s why the BMW Rockster was such an anomaly. BMW, the company which, at the time, was building its reputation as your father’s motorcycle, saw a chance to hop on the streetfighter bandwagon and repurposed its existing R1150R to appeal to a younger crowd. Did it work? Let’s see what Jason Roberts thinks.

In case you haven’t heard, we here at Motorcycle.com really like the KTM 1290 Super Duke R. I mean, we really like it. Its 1301cc V-Twin is beyond brutish, with a chassis more than capable of supporting that engine both in the canyons and the track. What’s more, its relatively upright ergos are plenty comfy for the daily commute to/from work, school, or a leisurely weekend cruise. So far, it has proved itself as king of the hill in the stacked Super Streetfighter category, as it beat out the BMW S1000R, Ducati Monster 1200S, Kawasaki Z1000 ABS and MV Agusta Brutale in part one of our Streetfighter Shootout. It backed its victory with another win, this time topping the S1000R (again) and nudging the Aprilia Tuono V4R APRC ABS off the top of the Streetfighter hill in part two of our Streetfighter Shootout. The bike’s so good, we named it our 2014 Motorcycle of the year.

UPDATE: Suzuki Motor of America has confirmed the GSX-S1000 and GSX-S1000F are coming to the U.S. as early-release 2016 models.

While Ducati might get much of the glory for being the Italian brand with a mega naked-bike presence, one must not forget Cagiva. It’s easy to do, Cagiva being an obscure brand and all, but what it showed in the Raptor was a bike that was so close to hitting the mark. It was a looker, had the right components to make it a handler, and borrowed the Suzuki TL1000 V-Twin engine. Late in the year 2000, contributor Glenn Le Santo threw a leg over one, and now, 14 years later, we revisit it for this week’s Church of MO feature.

Oh, Buell. The red-headed stepchild of The Motor Company, it seemed like Erik Buell tried his best to make a sporting motorcycle with the scraps he was given. Lemonade out of lemons, if you will. However, despite being hampered in the, of all places, motor department, Buell churned out some rather interesting motorcycles. Not least of which is the 2003 XB9S Lightning, the subject of this week’s Church of MO feature. Penned by recent MO re-hire, John Burns, it’s nice to see Mr. Burns’ bike eval skills haven’t changed much over the years. Read on to see his thoughts on an early example of what we would now call a streetfighter (In fact, Buell gets some of the credit for creating that term)

The heavyweight Streetfighter category of motorcycles has exploded in popularity lately, with seemingly every manufacturer jumping on the bandwagon for a piece of the pie. Japan’s represented with the Kawasaki Z1000, Honda CB1000R, and even Suzuki is entering the ring in 2015 with the GSX-S1000. Italy’s three representatives include the MV Agusta Brutale 1090RR, Ducati Monster 1200 and Aprilia Tuono V4R. Germany, of course, gives us the BMW S1000R, and we can’t forget BMW’s Austrian neighbors and their contribution to the party: the all-conquering KTM 1290 Super Duke R, Motorcycle.com’s 2014 Motorcycle of the Year.

Sporting a California plate and looking production-ready, this new Suzuki looks set to expand our favorite class of motorcycles – sporting nakeds – bikes that include the KTM Super Duke R, BMW S1000R, Kawasaki Z1000 and Ducati’s Monsters.

By John Burns

No shootout has been as difficult as this one pitting the Aprilia Tuono V4R APRC ABS against the BMW S1000R and KTM 1290 Super Duke R. Not just in how tight the outcome of the scoring (which was stupid close), but more so in the intangible elements of emotion, sensation and the if you have to ask, you wouldn’t understand bliss of why we ride motorcycles.

In the track version of our Super Streetfighter Smackdown, the KTM 1290 Super Duke R won over the BMW S1000R by the narrowest of margins. Which is all well and good for the small percentage of riders who’ll actually take these bikes to the track. For the greater population, riding these motorcycles on the mean streets of America, the streetable personas of these two and the Ducati Monster 1200S and Kawasaki Z1000 ABS are far more important.

In honor of our 2014 Super Streetfighter Smackdown, for this week’s Church of MO feature, we bring you a quick ride on the predecessor to our current Streetfighter king, the 2002 Aprilia Tuono. Penning this piece is none other than our returning duo of MO veterans, the lovable curmudgeon, John Burns and our new Editorial Director, Sean Alexander. Since first writing this piece, Burnsie and Alexander have been around the moto-journo industry. But they’re back now, and their wordsmanship is as sharp as it was all those many moons ago. Sean only got to spend a weekend aboard the Tuono, but it sounds like any longer and he likely would have killed himself from a lack of self-restraint and a nasty bout of pneumonia.  Thanks for making it back, boys! 

What we have in these five bikes: BMW S1000R, Ducati Monster 1200S, Kawasaki Z1000 ABS, KTM Super Duke R, MV Agusta Brutale 1090RR, is an assemblage of pretenders to the throne. What throne? The literbike streetfighter throne upon which Aprilia’s Tuono V4R APRC ABS has comfortably resided since its introduction in 2012. Truth is, two of these five have a real chance of dethroning  the reigning champ on-track, so once we’ve identified the most worthy contenders in this shootout, first and second place will get a chance to meet the Tuono on the field of battle. 

It’s gonna be a good year for moto-nudity. A damn good year. We already tasted the KTM Super Duke R and are still savoring its flavor while salivating like a bloodhound hot on the trail of riding BMW’s fairingless S1000R. But before we sink our teeth into the naked Bavarian, there’s the matter of Kawi’s newest unclothed hooligan, the 2014 Z1000 ABS.

Turn off the switchable ABS and Motorcycle Traction Control (MTC) and KTM’s new 1290 Super Duke R slips, slides, wheelies and stoppies just like in the promotional video released a few months ago (certain skillset required). Leave these two rider aids on, however, and the “Beast” (as KTM affectionately refers to it) is as genteel as a 1301cc V-Twin boasting 180 horsepower and 106 ft-lbs of torque can possibly be.