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2012 Street Bike Lineup
Published December 12, 2011 | 
The 2012 Street Bike lineup looks to be very promising. A lot of the old timers are returning with some much needed upgrades; like the zx-14 and the Hayabusa with huge power gains. But there is also some new contendors, like the new 1199 Panigale, Ducati’s new flagship model and the answer to the all mighty S1000RR. The question is, which bike is going to come out on top?
Now of course the CBR1000RR has a great chance of holding the reigning title. It’s inexpensive, powerful, and offeres Honda’s legendary reliability. However, for me persoanlly I love the exotic Italian look, which is why my money is on the new MV Agusta F4 RR CorsaCorta. Yeah I know it’s over 20 grand, but come on…just imagine all the looks you’ll get on that bad boy! But to make this comparison fair, here is an overview of all the upcoming 2012 bikes, enjoy!
2012 Aprilia RSV4
Engine: Aprilia longitudinal 65° V-4 cylinder, 4-stroke, liquid cooling system, double overhead camshafts (DOHC), four valves per cylinder
Horse Power: 182.5
Torque: 84 ftlbs
Weight: 405.7 lbs
Price: $20,999
2012 BMW S1000RR
Engine: Liquid-cooled 999cc Inline Four, 16-valves
Horse Power: 193
Torque: 83 ftlbs
Weight: 450 lbs
Price: TBD
2012 Ducati 1199 Panigale
Engine: Superquadro L-Twin (1198cc), liquid-cooled 4 valve per cylinder, Desmodromic
Horse Power: 195
Torque: 98.1 ftlbs
Weight: 414.5 lbs
Price: $17,995
2012 Honda CBR1000RR
Engine: 999cc liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder
Horse Power: 175.7
Torque: 82.7 ftlbs
Weight: 441lbs
Price: $13,800
2012 Kawasaki ZX-14R
Engine: Four-stroke (1,441 cc) liquid-cooled, DOHC, four valve per cylinder, inline-four
Horse Power: 197
Torque: 145 ftlbs
Weight: 584.3 lbs
Price: $14,699
2012 KTM RC8 R
Engine: 2-cylinder (1195 cc), 4-stroke, V 75°
Horse Power: 180
Torque: 94.5 ftlbs
Weight: 375 lbs
Price: TBD
2012 MV Agusta F4 RR CorsaCorta
Engine: Four cylinder (998 cc), 4 stroke, 16 valve
Horse Power: 201
Torque: 84 ftlbs
Weight: 423 lbs
Price: $24,998
2012 Suzuki Hayabusa
Engine: 1340cc, 4-stroke, Liquid-cooled, 4-cylinder, DOHC
Horse Power: TBD
Torque: TBD
Weight: 573 lbs
Price: $13,999
2012 Yamaha YZF-R1
Engine: 998cc, liquid-cooled 4-stroke DOHC 16 valves (titanium intake valves)
Horse Power: 182
Torque: 84 ftlbs
Weight: 454 lb
Price: $13,990
So now that you’ve seen a small sample of whats to come, which bike are you rooting for to take home the title?
Comments
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The amazing horsepower available in small engines today was not thought possible in 1978 when I was a BMW dealer and the R100RS was the top of the BMW line. Do I have the year correct–old age and diminishing memory have reduced my mental reliability.
Yes, we did get extremes of HP, but at the rather large expense of reliability. Now, with such incredible horsepower, I wonder how the kids handle it and remain alive. I can recall a number of deaths that resulted with the first 500cc Kawasaki triple. I rode one and was astonished with the HP, lifting the wheel easily in third gear as it hit performance RPM. I was a young hot-rod at the time and use to ride miles on one wheel on a Hodaka 100 all around Santa Cruz, CA. Later, I owned a 400 HP supercharged Harley Davidson.
So, to day I think, what I loved most was squeezing the most out of the smallest motors; the Honda 90′s as example. I had one I bored so wide the liner showed through the fins in many area, and I spayed the valves so far I used huge stainless Manley valves. It achieved enough HP to become fun on a small flat track. I would arrive on a Sunday, dressed as a nerd, with my psychology books held by a few shock cords to the rack, and have a ball beating the Bultaco 250 riders. The Honda 90 (maybe 160?) was fast, for what it was, but the Bultaco was actually faster. I was just a better rider and that always makes the difference.
I suppose I crashed hundreds of times, broke thirty or more bones, attempted the impossible too many times, and lived into my 70′s so far, so the kids of today will probably do the same. Good luck to all of you and please avoid being as bullheaded as I.
As far as the bikes, I would love to have a Ducati Panigale or KTM RC8 R, as a fun bike primarily because of the weight and a big Harley bagger as my cruiser. I still have a CT110 that I used to the store and back until i retired it six years ago. Disability has taken most of life because I have nerve pain, but I would give a lot to have a bike again–if I had anything, that is. Disability in America is a horrible thing. Our population is apathetic as is the government, so the elderly suffer unreasonably from the declining American values.
I find it interesting, that you included the Hayabusa and the Ninja14 instead of the GSX-R 1000 and the ZX1000R, as I find them more fitting in this lineup.
To a certain extent. I mean engine size, yes those would be better choices, but these are all very comparable, and the top of the line for whats coming out. I plan on doing exact class comparisons in the future.
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It looks like the new “Nasty” is Kawisaki over Hysabusa! It has had a long Rein
No Triumph Daytona or Daytona R? Should at least get mentioned here…