| | | | Test CR&S Vun: what else? |  Written: 24/05/2008 : 10:55. Read 8852 times (22/day). | On May 19 2008, CR&S organized the first CR&S Track Day at the Ecuyers track (Beuvarde, France). After 6 hours in a ferry boat and another 8 hours on French motorways and their innumerable speed radars, I finally reached the almost brand new Ecuyers track. Cloudy and cold weather, but no rain. I'm not exactly in a fresh condition, but seeing the many Vuns (differents technical configurations and paints schemes) makes me happy.
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CR&S stands for Café Racer & Superbike. In France, CRS also means Compagnie Républicaine de Sécurité (some kind of anti-riot police force), like these super cops, the CR&S Vun is rigid and brutal.
You have to know that the CR&S Vun is manufactured in Milan (only a few bikes are made each year) and entirely assembled by hand and according to the specifications of the customer who thus gets a bike that no one else will have. For the CR&S history you can check this article and this article.
A little tired and (as usuall) not that confident on a race track, I decide to ride the most standard Vun, and switch my brain to the “tourist mode” to simulate a cool ride on some montain roads (wich is the main play field for the Vun)...
The CR&S Vun is not that small, but it's very light (dry weight: 135kg) and narrow. 
Handling is superb and easy. 
Rigid is the word: the steel tubes and machined light alloy plates compound chassis makes the CR&S Vun a true sportbike. Braking is really more than sufficient with a floating 320 mm diameter disk and four opposing pistons radial caliper with 4 pads at the front, and a 220 mm disk with floating caliper at the rear. 
The engine is strong: the well known liquid cooled 652 cc Rotax mono cylinder feels like a brand new engine in a so light and rigid bike: the power is 54 Hp at 7.000 rpm and torque is 58,9 Nm at 5.000 rpm (the race only Vun offers 68 Hp at 7.500 rpm and 65,2 Nm at 6.500 rpm). The engine feels somehow brutal and gives plenty of sensations, but it's very easy to manage: both the newcomer and the experienced pilot will get a lot of pleasure riding the CR&S vun.
After my ride, my first comment was : “Wow! This bike is made for our Corsican roads!”
Indeed, CR&S say they created a new type of motorbike: the “Mistostretto”. 
Conclusion:
Monocylinders usually suffer from a bad reputation and are usually associated with cheap bikes, poor performances, lots of vibrations... Forget anything about monocylinders and give the CR&S Vun a chance: It's an easy and fun bike made to give a lot of pleasure to the rider. 
For sure, I'd rather choose the CR&S vun than any 600cc sportbike for my daily and week-end use.
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Handling
Engine
The price... Well, I know that 10000 to 15000 Euros is not exactly cheap, but for the price you get a hand made bike with top quality components, and no one else in the universe will have the same.
The perfect bike for mountain roads
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A very small 12 liters fuel tank
Where the hell will I do the maintenance?
Not exactly the bike of choice if you plan a lot of motorway.
ENGINE: Bombardier-Rotax / CR&S type 654
General engine/transmission features
Capacity 652 cc
Bore/Stroke 100 x 83 mm
Chain drive with double over headed camshaft (DOHC), 4 valves
Electric start
Integrated CR&S/Walbro/Dell’Orto ignition/injection system, 52 mm throttle housing, twin injectors, twin spark
Stainless steel catalytic exhaust system (CR&S by QD)
Liquid-cooled
Dry sump lubrication
Multiple disc wet clutch
Five-speed gearbox
“Standard” Road Version (EURO 3)
Max power output 54 Hp (40 KW) at 7.000 rpm
Max torque 6 Kgm (58,9 Nm) at 5.000 rpm
Compression ratio 9,7:1
“Depowered” Road Version (EURO 3)
Max power output 29 Hp (21 Kw) at 6000 rpm
Max torque 3,8 Kgm (37 Nm) at 4.000 rpm
Compression ratio 9,7:1
“Powered” Version (not certified for road use)
Max power output 68 Hp (50 Kw) at 7.500 rpm
Max torque 6,65 Kgm (65,2 Nm) at 6.500 rpm
Compression ratio 12,5:1
Chassis: steel tubes and machined light alloy plates compound
Front suspension: tele-hydraulic fork with 46mm diameter rods and 120 mm travel
Rear suspension: oscillating swingarm, single shock absorber with 128 mm travel (“cantilever” system)
Front brake: floating 320 mm diameter disk, four opposing pistons radial caliper with 4 pads
Rear brake: 220 mm disk, floating caliper
Final drive with “O” ring chain
Wheels: 3,50X17 (front) and 4,50X17 (rear)
Tyres: 120/70 ZR x 17” (front), 160/60 ZR x 17” (rear)
BODYWORK and CONTROLS
Hand made light alloy petrol tank – capacity:12.5 l. (reserve: 3 l)
Hand made light alloy oil tank – capacity: 3.5 l
Fairing / fairing support / air box / plate holder in carbon fibre
Tail / front and rear mudguards / radiator ducts in fiberglass
Machined light alloy jokes (CR&S by Rizoma)
Handlebar, adjustable lever and throttle control in light alloy
Dashboard comprising LCD speedo, revs counter, odometer, clock, water temp. and battery + warning lights for oil pressure, side stand, neutral, indicators, full beam, reserve, excessive revs
Adjustable foot pegs and pedal controls in machined light alloy
(CR&S by Rizoma)
Forged light alloy side stand
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
Max Length 1980 mm. Max width 740 mm. Wheelbase 1386 mm.
Minimum ground clearance 150 mm. Seat height 800 (± 20) mm
Standard road version dry weight: 135 Kg (with Marvic “Piuma” wheels)
Racing version dry weight: 128 Kg (with BST wheels)
[weight distribution: 54% front - 46% rear]
PERFORMANCES
Top speed: over 180 Km/h
Acceleration ( 0 – 400m ): 12.79 secs (coming out at 168 Km/h)
Restarting (in 5th gear 90 – 130 Km/h): 4.8 secs
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| Comments | |
 Loris-C (24-05-2008): Nice design, low weight, but I'm not sure I'll ever buy a monocylinder over 10k. May I ask why you're so straight on the bike? some kind of lumbago or some style effect?
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