Ride reviews

The T-Max has led the maxi-scooter charge since its introduction in 2001, but with sporty offerings from BMW on the horizon, Yamaha is preemptively maxing-out the T-Max.

Although it’s become common practice in the auto industry for advertisements to make direct product comparisons, there’s always been a measure of respect and civility among the motorcycle OEMs. Rarely has any motorcycle manufacturer mentioned another in its promotional material, and God forbid that an OEM should trumpet that its product trounces one of the others — directly or indirectly. That territory appeared to be off-limits, as if a gentlemen’s agreement between the factories prevented toes from being stepped on, even if a manufacturer wanted to promote its product as a winner of a magazine comparison test.

Parents have a canny way of teaching right from wrong, and within their arsenal of lines capable of ending an argument is this gem: “If your friends were jumping off a bridge, would you jump too?” Most teens respond with some snide remark along the lines of “It depends on how high the bridge is,” knowing that, no matter how clever their response, they’ve been trumped. Lesson learned. Parents win. Point being, just because everyone else has jumped on the bandwagon, doesn’t mean you should as well. Honda drives this point home for 2012 too, with the introduction of its devoid-of-traction-control CBR1000RR. For the time being, the traction control bandwagon will simply have to go on without Big Red.

When Kawasaki first introduced the Ninja 650R back in 2006, our first reaction was “Why?” Why would the company seemingly step on its own toes by introducing competition for the long-running (and often best-selling) EX500? But after riding the then-all-new 649cc vertical twin, we quickly discovered that Kawasaki indeed had a winner on its hands. The Ninja 650R was superior in nearly every way to the 500, without cutting into any of the aspects that made the EX such a sales success. Although it was easy to surmise that the EX’s days were numbered...

Few motorcycles have received such immediate acclaim at their public debut as MV Agusta's svelte, sleek and sexy F3. When it was unveiled at the 2010 EICMA show in Milan, Italy, the 675cc triple stole the title for the "Most Beautiful Bike." But does the F3's performance live up to its looks? We joined the international motorcycle press at Paul Ricard Raceway in southern France to find out.

During a season when many Arab nations were upset by political uprisings, the otherwise stable United Arab Emirates was rocked by a revolution of another kind: the release of Ducati’s 1199 Panigale S at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. Every few decades a bike appears that is so bold, so original and so utterly effective that it can only be called revolutionary. Ducati’s Panigale is that bike.

As sound and exhaust emissions concerns relegate internal-combustion off-road machines to smaller swaths of land farther from residential areas, KTM is hoping its nearly silent, zero-emissions Freeride E electric enduro will allow joy rides closer to home. With performance on par with that of a 125cc two-stroke and an accessible 85cc minicrosser-sized package, the Freeride E is perfect for enjoying an after-school or Sunday-morning moto in the backyard without upsetting the neighbors.

When BMW launched the S 1000 RR back in 2009, a new benchmark was set for the literbike class. And since its release, we’ve impatiently waited for a production motorcycle that could parallel the Bavarian brawler’s outright performance. With the release of the Ducati 1199 Panigale, it looks as though that wait is over.

San Diego is known for its sunny disposition, but as we learned at the press introduction for the Kawasaki Ninja 650, it’s also a city that knows how to give the cold shoulder. The forecast had mentioned high winds and the chance of rain, but somehow we ended up riding across the El Cajon Mountains amidst fluffy white stuff. It was a good thing we were on such neutral, lightweight, easy-to-ride machines.

Everyone hoped Honda would update the CBR1000RR—now a year overdue for an overhaul, according to pre-recession, two-year cycles—with traction control or some other major advancement marking the model’s 20th anniversary. Except for an LCD dash and some EFI and C-ABS upgrades, there aren’t any new electronics on the 2012 model, and Honda isn’t apologizing for it. Rather than dwelling on the lack of TC, the Honda folks opted to focus on what they did do, which is refine the CBR for even better performance and handling.

It’s that time of year again. With all the new models unveiled and manufacturers’ lineups released, we’ve put together our fourth annual roundup of sportbikes. Savvy readers will notice that we’re an issue later than usual; the manufacturers are becoming increasingly cagey with new-model information, releasing little until it’s publicly available. Delaying the guide for a month allows us to include accurate information as far as pricing and specifications for more models.

They Say:
"The 'R' equals more race-winning power."
We say:
"Almost too much power!"

Now in its 12th year of production, Suzuki’s GSX-R1000 is still the benchmark racing superbike. The top-dog Gixxer has won 37 national roadracing titles in the past decade, including seven consecutive AMA Superbike crowns from 2003-’09. More than half the AMA grid rides GSX-Rs, proving the model’s racing potential. In the streetbike hierarchy, however, Suzuki has seen its dominance slowly erode against increasingly sophisticated—and brutally fast—competition from BMW, Kawasaki, Yamaha and others. Is this year’s subtle revision enough to restore the GSX-R to the top of the superbike heap?

After a full day riding Ducati’s radical new 1199 Panigale around Abu Dhabi’s sun-drenched Yas Marina Formula 1 circuit—an Arabian version of the famous Monaco track, lined by six-star hotels and glitzy high-rises—it’s hard not to conclude the Italian manufacturer just shot every other sportbike clean out of the water. The Panigale is the new benchmark not just for twin-cylinder superbikes, but the entire superbike category. Forza Italia!

At a glance, the 2012 Suzuki GSX-R1000 looks identical to its predecessor. There’s no sign of wheel speed sensors, ABS rings or other hardware suggesting the addition of electronic rider aids. Well, that's because there aren't any electronic rider aids. Styling is typical Suzuki too, with the time-honored GSX-R logo blazoned on a traditional blue/white or black side panel. But if you can’t see any disparity, you’re simply not looking in the right places.

In Brazil, Sertão is the desiccated, rocky section of dirt-poor badlands just inland from the relatively lush northern coastline where most residents, animate or inanimate, project varying degrees of menace. At BMW, it's the tag distancing this latest, most adventurous G650GS from its relatively tedious, entry-level brother. Call it credibility by association. Both bikes rise from the same basic steel frame, and share the same Chinese-built 652cc four-valve single and bin of supporting hardware. But Sertao also means more suspension travel, ground clearance, engine armor and seat height, dirt-worthy wire-spoke wheels with a proper 21-inch front hoop, along with standard plastic handguards and a bigger windscreen.

When Yamaha dropped the reverse-top-end bomb on the 450cc class in 2010, the YZ450F was radical and readily embraced by professional racers. Thankfully, the all-new design has proven reliable for amateur riders, too. It runs hard and stays strong. After such a major redo, Yamaha is going with small-but-welcome changes for ’12. The changes are more extensive than in ’11, and aside from the addition of black rims and a gold chain, all are improvements the rider can feel.

If you could get an off-the-record response from professional motocross and supercross racers during the 2011 season, most would have agreed that the factory Suzuki RM-Z450 was the best bike out there. Despite being one of the smaller members of the Big Four Japanese manufacturers, the yellow team still threw down a whooping with regularity.

It's one wheel and a roof short of sports-car status. And nobody will accuse the Spyder RS-S Roadster of being a motorcycle, least of all the Can-Am factory types who gave us a go on their latest, sportiest offering. They call it a Roadster. Bring too much two-wheel baggage along for the ride and the three-wheeler is guaranteed to disappoint. Give those preconceptions the afternoon off and it might surprise you...

Suzuki recently announced the release of its updated GSX-R1000 for 2012, with minor modifications to the engine and chassis headlining the list of changes. Brembo monobloc calipers and a new single-muffler exhaust have also been fitted and look to keep the Suzuki on par with the competition.