It seemed like a good idea, riding the redesigned 2009 V-Rod Muscle to the 17th Annual L.A. Calendar Motorcycle Show. You know, go incognito, park the bike somewhere prominent, then kick back with a cold one and listen to the opinions flow. Except those who knew what it was (mostly dealers) were only moderately excited to see it and those who didn't (most everyone else) thought it was a custom. Only those who gave it more than a passing glance realized this thing is too finely finished to have been cobbled together in some workshop. The distributor plate gave it away anyway.

Yamaha's Tenere (named after the Tuareg word for desert) first appeared in 1983, inspired by the modified XT500 singles that won the first two Paris-Dakar Rallies. The big-tanked single was an immediate success, and several revamps kept it selling well for more than a decade before the model was finally dropped. This year the Tenere returns with fresh styling, a new chassis and a liquid-cooled powerplant shared with the XT660R. Don't let the rally-ready looks fool you, however; Yamaha's latest big single isn't a hardcore desert racer but an accessible all-rounder made for tarmac touring and occasional undemanding off-road explorations.

MV Agusta's F4 R 312 earned its name, you'll recall, by posting a 312-kph (194-mph) top speed at Italy's Nardo Speed Bowl, making it the world's fastest production superbike. For 2008 this fearsome F4 gains an additional "R" in its name, as well as an extra 80cc displacement courtesy of the radial-valve, 1078cc inline-four from last year's exclusive, $120,000 F4 CC. Now with greater torque (almost 7 lb.-ft. more) arriving at even lower rpm, this latest 312 is even faster-and more flexible-than before.

My eyes feel like raisins. My lips have become pork rinds. I'm blasting across the sand-drenched, boulder-strewn Funeral Mountains of Death Valley on Kawasaki's fully revised KLX250S, and the one thing I can say for sure is: If this bike weren't so easy to ride, I'd have crashed hours ago.

I only had one day aboard Moto Morini's enduro-style Granpasso, but the constantly changing weather and Italian roadways provided plenty of challenge for this new machine. Whether racing along sunbaked hillsides or ducking behind the five-position-adjustable windscreen to dodge rain showers, the Granpasso displayed a blend of performance and versatility that could make it reborn Morini's most successful model yet.

Welcome aboard the flagship of Suzuki's Boulevard fleet, the C109R. It's Suzuki's largest cruiser, both in displacement and physical size. The 1783cc-a.k.a. 108.8 cubic inches, hence the cryptic designation-54-degree DOHC V-twin pushes a package that weighs in at more than 800 pounds complete with all necessary fluids. And at nearly 8.5 feet long, it's a real supertanker, capable of swamping smaller vehicles wandering into its wake.

In the current state of off-road motorcycles, there are few firsts. New models are mostly updated copies of copies with originals brought in every third or fourth revision. Thankfully, with the arrival of the BMW G450X, that sequence has been interrupted.

The bike ahead was halfway down Misano's long back straight, but it didn't stay that way for long. As I crouched behind the DB7's windscreen and tap-tapped through the gearbox, the booming V-twin punched forward in a 160-horsepower charge that brought the following bend rushing into view at a scary rate. By the time I'd held my breath, backed off a touch and flicked the DB7 through the 100-mph-plus kink, the gap to the bike ahead had halved. I barely gained through the next two turns, but on the start/finish straight I quickly caught and blasted past a Bimota that turned out to be-as I'd guessed from the speed differential-not an identical liquid-cooled DB7 but its air-cooled predecessor, the DB5.

If you want to point at one reason for the sales success of modern fourstroke off-road bikes, try electric start. Oh, sure, the smooth, tractable and energetic power is great, but when a bike stalls someplace ugly or you fall over on the side of a hill, you'll be happier to have the magic button than a winning lottery ticket. The two-stroke starter sounds more like a personal watercraft or scooter than the baby-small-block thump of a four-stroke, but you won't care about that after one ride.

They Say: "Aggressive, edgy, yet perfectly composed."
We Say: "Liter-class Honda muscle in an Italian designer suit."

With 200,000 units sold over a 15-year lifespan, the Monster is without doubt the bike that's kept Ducati afloat and therefore able to produce-and race-much more glamorous machinery. There have been many variations down the line, but the Essence of Monster (we believe there's an aftershave planned) is simple: engine, frame, wheels, off ya' go, enjoy.

Don't try this at home. But after hammering a 504-pound motorcycle over basketball-sized rocks at 50 mph all afternoon, we can say that it looks like the CAD/CAM types back in Munich did their homework once again. After you stop thinking about normal human-survival instincts and various laws of physics, BMW's '08 R1200GS is perfectly happy on surfaces that would snap most bikes its size in half. It's a bit happier on any sort of surface than last year's model, despite the fact that only diligent students of the breed can pick out the differences.

What took so long, and when can I buy one?" That was the overwhelming response to the October 2006 debut of Harley-Davidson's XR1200 prototype, a street-legal tribute to the iconic XR750s that have dominated American dirt-track racing for more than three decades. The XR1200 has finally reached production, complete with Willie G's brilliant, flat track-inspired styling, a surprisingly effective chassis honed by none other than nine-time AMA Grand National Champion Scott Parker and a satisfying powerplant that delivers a claimed 91 horsepower-20 up on the standard XL1200 Sportster. Just one problem: You can only buy the XR1200 in Europe, Africa or the Middle East-American enthusiasts need not apply.

The original Ulysses XB12X, launched in 2006, was the first Buell developed to venture off-road. It proved a capable adventure-sport bike from the start, and is still the favorite Buell of many of the Motorcyclist staff. But Erik Buell knows the majority of Ulysses owners never set foot in the dirt. To make the original bike off-road-capable, he and his team were forced to make certain compromises. One of which-longer suspension travel-created a towering seat height that scared off shorter and/or less experienced riders. So for '08 there are two Ulysses models: the original XB12X and the new XB12XT.

As gas prices increase and trail access decreases, dual-sports are more popular than ever. So what better time for Yamaha to release a street-legal, small-bore four-stroke capable of taking on the tarmac and trails? We're actually talking about two new Yamahas: the dual-sport WR250R and supermoto-style WR250X.

Moto Guzzi is revamping its image. To illustrate this, the Italian company has been showing photos of a traditional older Guzzi owner with a bushy mustache and open-face helmet and a new owner: a younger, clean-cut, Jason Bourne look-alike.

For dirt-eating endurophiles, awaiting BMW's new F800GS has been like waiting for Christmas. Only better: Germany rarely delivers a lump of coal. And after flying 10,000 miles from California to South Africa to test ride the bike, we could only hope it would be better than a banana-seated Schwinn. Fortunately, this new GS is a true gift: a mid-sized adventure-sport with the balls of an off-road enduro and the amenities of a world-class explorer.

The day with KTM's long-awaited superbike had held a few surprises. I'd spent the afternoon carving the 1190 RC8 around southern Spain's Ascari circuit, where its power, handling and overall ability had been mighty impressive. That much was predictable. Less so is the V-twin's addictive low-end punch that revealed itself on the morning's road ride as we swept down curvy roads to the ancient town of Ronda. The RC8's look and KTM's competition background had suggested a hard, supremely focused machine built more for the track than the road. But the day's riding had shown the RC8 to be more comfortable and well rounded than it appears.

Do you remember your first streetbike? I've spent the last few years trying to forget mine. Heavy and difficult to maneuver, it let me know who was really in charge. The new Ninja 250R is everything mine wasn't. Lightweight and fun to ride, it builds your confidence instead of destroying it. After five minutes on the 250, I concluded that it's more than a great beginner's bike. It's a great bike, period.

There's a whiff of dj vu about KTM's '08 LC4 launch, but for all the right reasons. A year after the 690 SM introduction, we were back in Spain to ride the 690 Duke, Enduro and SMC, all powered by the latest 654cc single with enough other changes to keep things interesting.

There are certain conditions that must be met before you can summon the courage to enter Misano's Turn 11 properly-that is to say, flat-out in fifth gear. First, have a firm grip on the handlebars. Second, make sure you're aboard a proper sportbike, one that's responsive enough to snap into a knee-down bend at nearly 150 mph but not enough to wander off-line at any point. You want to nail this exit. Oh yeah, and it's also nice to be able to see where you're going.

It was only logical for the CRF230L to show up Stateside. Honda has been selling it in Japan for over a year. Are people lining up at U.S. dealers to buy one? No, but Honda says the dual-sport market grew 75 percent between '03 and '06. So even if this one doesn't break any new technological ground, it fills a hole in Big Red's '08 lineup. With Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha in the game now, there may be something to this entry-level dual-sport thing.

The Terra Mostro is not the first Ducati-based dual-sport motorcycle. There were single-cylinder Scramblers in the mid-'60s and V-twin powered Elefants 20 years later. The Terra Mostro story actually begins with the Elefant. Overland Motorcycles President Blaine Dehmlow has owned six such machines over the years, and absolutely loved the booming V-twin's abilities both on road and off. So when Dehmlow set out to construct his version of the ultimate dual-sport, he started with his favored Desmodue motor and worked from there. Now he's ready to sell you one, too.

Since its launch in 1994 the bug-eyed Speed Triple has become a cult classic, even adding its unique charm to movies like The Matrix and Mission Impossible 3. It's also a blockbuster at dealerships, set to ring up its 50,000th sale sometime this summer. Triumph's big, naked streetfighter is its most iconic and successful model worldwide, so updating it is a tricky affair. If it ain't broke, well, you know...

Suzuki Casts Off The Carburetor And Launches The First Mass-Produced, Fuel-Injected Motocrosser

The unforgiving motocross environment demands simplicity and durability, factors that have so far kept fuel systems locked in the last millennium. Until now, that is: Suzuki designed a fresh electronic fuel-injection system for its latest RM-Z450, based on GSX-R streetbike technology, which performs better than a carb and can still take a beating.