Nakedbike comparison

Take five modern nakedbikes, a group of riders with varying levels of skill and some of the best roads in Australia and what do you have? A good old-fashioned comparo where any bike could come out the winner.

The premise was thus - find five highly desirable nakedbikes of differing price. The rules? Simple. Pit the bikes against one another in a range of different scenarios, from full-tilt peg scraping to urban riding and long distance cruising.

The list of bikes on test were as follows:

- Ducati Streetfighter S ($30,990)
- Triumph Speed Triple ($16,590)
- KTM Super Duke R ($22,995)
- Honda CB1000R ($18,190)
- MV Agusta Brutale 1078RR ($25,995)

The Ducati Streetfighter S is the most expensive bike we tested, and as it's name suggests it doesn't mind king hitting you with its V-twin engine. It also has some of the best suspension on offer, but as our test showed, this didn't necessarily make it the best bike for every situation.

Value for money will be another important factor in scoring the winner of the comparison, which we'll publish in due course, so it's fair to say that the lower priced models are not out of the running.

The only Japanese bike on test was the CB1000R, but far from being out of place, it looked more street savvy than some of its European rivals, complete with single-sided swingarm, LED riding lights and a stylised exhaust pipe.

Throw in the exotic Brutale, the 1050cc Speed Triple and the dark horse of the pack, the 990cc Super Duke, and you've got the makings of a right-royal battle on your hands.

We've just finished riding all five bikes, and as I type up this prologue, exhausted but elated, sunburnt but drenched (it was a scorching 39 degrees on the Wednesday that was melting the very bitumen we rode on, to pouring rain on Thursday) I already have in my a favourite.

But we must come to a decision. As Christopher Lambert would bellow after decapitating his foes, there can be only one...

My personal favourite bike for hardcore at-the-limit riding is the Brutale, it's cramped riding position making it an average tourer, but an excellent scratcher. The way it tips into corners is just sublime, the front-end as close to perfection on a nakedbike as your going to get.

The Ducati is also incredibly fast through the twisties with the best brakes of the bunch, but the best all-rounder? The Honda and the Triumph will be tough to beat there, with comfortable riding positions and competitive pricing.

The list of bikes is unlikely as you'll see, with bikes from Italy, Great Britain and Japan. The good news is that all of these bikes are a lot of fun to ride and the extended comparo showed that nakedbikes have come a long way in the last decade, closing the gap in performance terms with modern sportsbikes.

We had an absolute blast testing these five bikes and we'll bring you all the details soon, so stay tuned for that one.