How do you like your Naked ride? Side-by-side comparison Take One.
A work colleague and neighbor that also happens to be a gearhead extraordinaire has a really cool Aprilia Tuono. As soon as I brought my FZ1 home from the dealer I noticed many similarities between the two bikes. I have been storing the Tuono for a while as my buddy needs the space in his shop for another project. Seeing the two bikes side-by-side really opened my eyes to how alike the bikes are. My friend noticed it as well and the idea for a naked bike comparison was born. Scroll on down to see what we came top with.
From this picture you will see a lot of similarities in stance and overall style. Both bike are 1000cc naked sport touring bikes. Both bikes use handlebars and mid-set foot controls rather than clip-ons and rear-set pegs. Both have ample seating area and the provision to take a passenger on the pillion for at least a short ride. Lack of a full fairings are what makes them naked though the FZ's Japanese designers went for a bit more wind coverage than the Aprilia's Italian ones.
The specs also point to these bikes being siblings separated at birth. Pulling the details from Motorcyclespecs.co.za and you will see that the Tuono has a 998cc engine with an 11.8:1 compression ratio, 139 hp and 79 lb-ft of torque. Looking at the FZ1's (you'll have to look for the non-North American name of FZ-S 1000 to find it) and you'll see an identical 998cc engine with an 11.8:1 compression ratio. The power on the FZ was rated a bit higher at 143 hp at a peak rpm of 10,000 which is 500 rpm higher than the Aprilia's. Torque is down 1 lb-ft at 78 and was also located 1000 rpm lower in the rev range. Both are final chain drive power plants.
The chassis specs diverge a touch more, but the theme of the story remains the same. The wheelbase of the Yamaha is 57 inches, 2" more than the Aprilia's. The FZ has a bit more ground clearance and is overall longer than the Tuono. Seat heights very only by 3/4 of an inch. The biggest variance in all of the specs is the wet weight with the Yamaha coming in at 29 lbs more than the Aprilia at 507 versus 478.
With all of the specifications telling a story that lacks the drama needed for a good tale you might be wondering why I wanted to do the comparison. The biggest reason can be found at the heart of the bikes. The Aprilia is a V-Twin and the FZ is an Inline Four. I've ridden V-Twins before. The old V-Strom is a 650cc V-Twin and my other buddy's KTM 1190 Adventure was a liter sized V-Twin. Both of those bikes have too many differences to either the Aprilia or the Yamaha that a comparison is pointless. These two bikes however are more like comparing apples to apples. How do each of the bikes make power out of the corner? What is the power band like? Whose is faster (mine)? All of those questions need solid answers.
Tomorrow's weather looks top be dry and warm. I will come up with a route that lets me test out both bikes. I'm hoping the owner of the Aprilia can get out and ride as well. I'd like to hear his thoughts on the FZ. He has done some track days with his bike while I have done the California Superbike School at The Streets of Willow with mine. Both of us have carved the canyons of Malibu and cruised the PCH so I think we'll have good information to pass along.
Come back for Part Two of the story.
Blue
From this picture you will see a lot of similarities in stance and overall style. Both bike are 1000cc naked sport touring bikes. Both bikes use handlebars and mid-set foot controls rather than clip-ons and rear-set pegs. Both have ample seating area and the provision to take a passenger on the pillion for at least a short ride. Lack of a full fairings are what makes them naked though the FZ's Japanese designers went for a bit more wind coverage than the Aprilia's Italian ones.
The specs also point to these bikes being siblings separated at birth. Pulling the details from Motorcyclespecs.co.za and you will see that the Tuono has a 998cc engine with an 11.8:1 compression ratio, 139 hp and 79 lb-ft of torque. Looking at the FZ1's (you'll have to look for the non-North American name of FZ-S 1000 to find it) and you'll see an identical 998cc engine with an 11.8:1 compression ratio. The power on the FZ was rated a bit higher at 143 hp at a peak rpm of 10,000 which is 500 rpm higher than the Aprilia's. Torque is down 1 lb-ft at 78 and was also located 1000 rpm lower in the rev range. Both are final chain drive power plants.
The chassis specs diverge a touch more, but the theme of the story remains the same. The wheelbase of the Yamaha is 57 inches, 2" more than the Aprilia's. The FZ has a bit more ground clearance and is overall longer than the Tuono. Seat heights very only by 3/4 of an inch. The biggest variance in all of the specs is the wet weight with the Yamaha coming in at 29 lbs more than the Aprilia at 507 versus 478.
With all of the specifications telling a story that lacks the drama needed for a good tale you might be wondering why I wanted to do the comparison. The biggest reason can be found at the heart of the bikes. The Aprilia is a V-Twin and the FZ is an Inline Four. I've ridden V-Twins before. The old V-Strom is a 650cc V-Twin and my other buddy's KTM 1190 Adventure was a liter sized V-Twin. Both of those bikes have too many differences to either the Aprilia or the Yamaha that a comparison is pointless. These two bikes however are more like comparing apples to apples. How do each of the bikes make power out of the corner? What is the power band like? Whose is faster (mine)? All of those questions need solid answers.
Tomorrow's weather looks top be dry and warm. I will come up with a route that lets me test out both bikes. I'm hoping the owner of the Aprilia can get out and ride as well. I'd like to hear his thoughts on the FZ. He has done some track days with his bike while I have done the California Superbike School at The Streets of Willow with mine. Both of us have carved the canyons of Malibu and cruised the PCH so I think we'll have good information to pass along.
Come back for Part Two of the story.
Blue
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