It’s that time of year again, when the lucky people at Fast Bikes magazine head off to foreign climes with the creme dela creme of the latest breed of sportsbikes with one goal – to crown one the “Sportsbike of the Year”.
This year, Fast Bikes headed to Portimao circuit, and in association with Bridgestone, who provided control tyres for the test, they set about their work – well, if you can call it work anyway….
The Aprilia RSV4 has long been the top dog of the sportsbike world, but this year the Italian manufacturer has some big competition from the likes of the new BMW S1000RR, Yamaha YZF-R1M, Kawasaki H2 and Ducati 1299 Panigale S – so would it be able to hold onto it’s crown, despite adding an additional 30bhp in 2015? A total of 400 laps around the Portuguese circuit would help them find out.
Well, in the end, the new Yamaha and the renowned Aprilia were almost inseperable – so much so that Fast Bikes had to take them out for another spin, and then argue it out over which bike had edged it.
The first test saw all ten bikes don the Bridgestone Battlax R10 treaded race tyres, but for the second test, it was decided that the final two challengers would use the MotoGP derived Battlax V02 Racing Slick – the very pinnacle in racing tyre technology that is available for club racers and serious track day enthusiasts. The Yamaha pushed the Aprilia to the limits, scoring 10/10 from the judges – the only problem, the Aprilia was so good they awarded it 11/10! It’s now won the title five years in a row….
- Aprilia RSV4 RF – 11/10
- Yamaha YZF-R1M – 10/10
- Ducati 1299 Panigale S – 9/10
- Kawasaki ZX-10R – 8/10
- Triumph Daytona 675R – 8/10
- MV Augusta F3 800 – 8/10
- Kawasaki H2 – 7/10
- MV Augusta F4 RR – 7/10
- Ducati 899 Panigale – 6/10
- BMW S1000RR – 9/10 (Mechanical fault saw it fail to complete test)
Following the test, Fast Bikes said this of the racey Bridgestone rubber they tested:
“Though not recommended for the road, and belligerent when new, the R10 has to be one of the best supersports tyres on the market, with a fine blend of outright grip and impressive stability.
Portimao is notoriously harsh on rubber, and the ambient temperature edged towards the mid-30s, but after a gazillion laps on most of the bikes the R10s kept supplying endless amounts of grip. Sure, the best of the traction was curtailed by the end of the first day, though grip remained predictable after that.
For all the bikes, it was an upgrade in rubber. Bikes like the 1299 Panigale, that were developed on other brands, seemed to revel in the added stability of the R10. Out-and-out racers like the Yamaha and Aprilia simply couldn’t be ridden any harder thanks to ground clearance issues. ‘Nuff said.
For the ultimate test to gauge the winners, and after we found the RSV4 and R1M tricky to split, the wheels came out again and we fitted the V02, Brigdestone’s all-new slick that has the praise of many racers, some who are contracted to rival brands. The firm is leaving MotoGP racing after years at the helm, but utilising their GP-Belt Technology in the V02 ensures high performance and vast contact patch. The foray into the big boy’s paddock has only helped the hoi polloi like us.”
Find out more about the Battlax R10 and Battlax V02 Racing Slick.
Pick up an August 2015 copy of Fast Bikes for the full story.
