The Convertible idea is nothing new. It's been rolling around Harley-Davidson's collective consciousness since Driving Miss Daisy took the Best Picture Oscar. But this time, the only Big Twin that goes from two-up tourer to stripped-down showpiece in 2 minutes flat rolls out of Harley's Custom Vehicle Operations-official source of Milwaukee's most powerful style, delivered in (relatively) small quantities at premium prices. Where previous Convertibles were based on the more commonsensical Dyna platform, the 2010 CVO is the newest member of the explicitly stylish Softail family, replacing the '09 Road Glide in Harley's annual rotation of its high-end lineup. And unlike the rest of this year's CVO roster, it has no counterpart in Harley's mainstream lineup. You want a Convertible? Step over to the CVO side of the showroom.

The Honda SH150i may be unknown in the United States, but it's been zooming off showroom floors in Europe. In fact, Honda says it's the best-selling feet-forward machine in scooter-crazy Italy, land of Vespa/Aprilia/Piaggio. Surprised? Me too. But maybe we shouldn't be. The reasonably priced, mid-size SH150i is everything a scooter rider wants. With plenty of power, high-tech brakes and a modern, sporty style, I can see why the SH150i is king.

If ever there was a bike that would have benefited from fuel injection, it was the 2006-'09 Honda CRF250R. Even with its phenomenal chassis and light handling, the previous 250R was held back by its lack of fueling refinement, notorious for bogging and a bear to jet right. Thank goodness for the 2010 CRF250R.

Tech Spec

EVOLUTION An "overvolved" version of the standard Enertia, fitted with a more potent powertrain and roadrace-spec chassis components. RIVALS Mission Motors Mission One, MotoCzysz E1pc TECH
Price	na
Motor type	Brushless, permanent-magnet, AC synchronous
Battery	Lithium polymer, eight 12-volt modules
Battery Capacity	8 kWh, 100v peak
Clutch	Direct drive
Transmission	na
Claimed horsepower	30 bhp @ 4800 rpm
Claimed torque	53 lb.-ft. @ 1000 rpm
Frame	Aluminum twin-spar
Front suspension	41mm Kayaba/Traxxion Dynamics inverted fork with adjustable spring preload, compression and rebound damping
Rear suspension	Single Elka shock with adjustable spring preload, compression and rebound damping
Front brake	Dual Brembo Monobloc four-piston radial calipers, 300mm discs
Rear brake	Single Brembo two-piston caliper, 220mm disc
Front tire	120/70-ZR17 Dunlop Sportmax
Rear tire	160/60-ZR17 Dunlop Sportmax
Rake/trail	24.0 deg./3.6 in.
Seat height	34.5 in.
Wheelbase	55.5 in.
Claimed wet weight	370 lbs.
Color	Lime green
Available	na
Warranty	na

Verdict 3 stars out of 5
One eccentric aluminum vision of our future, bolted together in a British garage.

Street legal in all 50 states, the Zero is the first mass-produced, high-powered electric motorcycle on the market. Equipped with a powerful 22,000- watt motor, an advanced 4 kilowatt-hour battery, and all the tungsten filament the DOT can ask for, the new Zero S supermoto is the road-going sibling of the Zero X dirt bike we rode earlier this spring (MC, 2009) and the conscientious commuter's dream.

Verdict 3 stars out of 5
The world's first diesel adventurer is expensive and a bit rough 'round the edges, but it's a solid alternative to gasoline for the few who will lay hands on one.

Carving through Rome's ancient, bustling streets on Piaggio's MP3 Hybrid, I'm more aware than normal of honking horns and rumbling buses. That's because the MP3's electric motor makes almost no noise at all.

Rather than driving hours into the desert to get our dirt fix, we've been exploring the maze of fire roads and single track in the hills above Santa Monica. If we were riding a noisy gas-powered bike, the privileged occupants of the area's hilltop mansions would surely be shaking their fists at us, but because the Quantya EVO1 Strada electric dual-sport is essentially silent, the Mr. and Mrs. Smiths of SoCal remain rooted in front of their 103-inch plasma TVs, totally unaware of the shenanigans occurring on the outskirts of their estates.

2010 BMW S1000RR
Hard Parts
The lightest, most powerful production superbike yet

Even the most timid, short-legged riders will smile when they sit on Honda's new CRF230M. A natural offshoot of the popular CRF230L dual-sport, the road-going M-model is a low-seated slice of greenhorn heaven, and a cool supermoto-style alternative to the Honda Rebel cruiser and Kawasaki Ninja 250 sportbike.

It looks harmless enough. Just another plastic-wrapped mega-scooter. Sensible two-wheel transport for the urbane motophobe? Sure. That's just what the T-Max wants you to think. But underneath the smirking plastic facade lurks the heart and bones of a modern, mid-sized sportbike. Yamaha sold upwards of 23,000 examples of the 2001 T-Max to scooter-happy Europeans in the first eight months. So when the extensively enhanced '08 edition arrived at the same time as budget-crushing fuel prices and record scooter sales, it earned a slot in Yamaha USA's '09 lineup. Shortly thereafter, an R1-yellow one showed up in our garage. If you're still thinking remedial faux-sportbike for the half-helmeted geek squad, think again. The engine alone makes it more than that.

Riding west toward the Appalachian foothills from Indian's new home in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, one thing is immediately clear: The new Indian Chief is one of the most comfortable American V-twin cruisers built. The riding position is relaxed, with your legs stretched comfortably forward, though not so far as to sacrifice control. The high-quality, low-slung leather saddle is firm yet accommodating, and admirably prevented numb-bum syndrome even after 200 miles. Though it's a reach to the pullback handlebars, it's not disagreeable, and the controls feel great-even if clutch action is a tad stiff. The Chief is a very pleasant bike to pass miles on, just as a cruiser should be.

Everybody digs classic café racers, but to really enjoy the performance of a 40-year-old streetbike, you'd better be an ace mechanic or an AAA member. As Triumph has shown with its popular Thruxton model, would-be cafe racers prefer motorcycles with the classic bum-up, head-down riding posture and modern reliability.

Verdict 3.5 stars out of 5
A dirty little sequel we would love to see over here.

From a distance, this 2010 Thunderbird looks like a parallel-twin forced into a potentially profitable V-shaped hole in Triumph's lineup. Heading out of Barcelona on the Autopista del Nordeste with Friday-morning traffic, proximity delivers a more accurate perspective. This is a vertical-twin. But thudding along at 2500 rpm in its overdrive top cog, the new 98 cubic-incher feels like a well-mannered modern cruiser's V-twin. This, as you might expect, is no accident. Unlike just about any other factory you can name, Hinckley couldn't build a V-twin. But whatever they came up with had to stand out from everything else on the street.

Tech Spec
Evolution
For two decades, Kawasaki has offered the largest production V-twin on the planet. With the new 1700, however, the focus appears to be shifting from size to performance

Tech Spec

Price	approx. $9249
Engine type	a-c 90-deg. V-twin
Valve train	OHV, 4v
Displacement	744cc
Transmission	5-speed
Claimed horsepower	48 bhp @ 6800 rpm
Claimed torque	41 lb.-ft. @ 3600 rpm
Frame	Tubular-steel double-cradle
Front suspension	40mm Marzocchi telescopic fork
Rear suspension	Dual Sachs shocks with adjustable spring preload and rebound damping
Front brake	Brembo four-piston caliper, 320mm disc
Rear brake	Brembo two-piston caliper, 260mm disc
Front tire	100/90HR-18 Metzeler Lasertec
Rear tire	130/80HR-17 Metzeler Lasertec
Seat height	31.7 in.
Wheelbase	57.0 in.
Fuel capacity	4.5 gal.
Claimed dry weight	401 lbs.
Contact	www.motoguzzi-us.com

After a long night on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, the site of Triumph's 2009 new-model introduction, you don't want a motorcycle that makes too many demands on your wits or reflexes. Better to have a mellow mount, a relaxed machine that minds its own manners and lets you concentrate on the finer points of riding--such as remembering the exact order of the one-down/four-up shift pattern. Triumph's latest Bonneville, revised for the first time since its 2001 re-introduction, is just such a bike, making it the perfect mount for a bleary-eyed Big Easy bop.

Chi Vespa mangia la mele. That's Vespa's 1970s ad slogan, which means, "Those who ride Vespa eat the apple." Trust me: Its connotations are every bit as juicy as the forbidden fruit to which it alludes. During my week-long fling with the biggest, fastest Vespa ever, I zipped around Southern Californian Meccas of style and privilege, enjoying its smooth-running 278cc engine. I'd lane-split at stoplights, confident in its ability to out-accelerate the behemoth SUVs snorting behind me. This super-scooter even holds its own on the freeway with a top speed around 80 mph, but it's pretty much at the top of its powerband. So be careful-you can't just juice it out of sticky situations.

There she sits. Blacker than black with a touch of crimson. Silver frame with gold brakes and suspension. Subtle hints of carbon-fiber and magnesium. Pointed nose and tail like a two-wheeled Batmobile. All glistening, shiny and wet.

It seems so simple. If you're Harley-Davidson and looking to strengthen the VRSC family with something that slots nicely between the original V-Rod custom and the sportier Street Rod, you split the difference with a boulevard badass that combines the best of both worlds, right?

Tech Spec
Evolution
The RC8 gets a 2mm overbore, forged-aluminum Marchesini wheels, top-of-the-line WP suspension and more

There aren't many things in this world as cool as a chopper. Long, stretched, low bikes are as much a part of Americana as rock-and-roll and Levis. Brando, Presley and the 1969 film Easy Rider helped ingrain the image of individuality and toughness that has persisted for generations. As antithetical as it would seem to performance-minded readers, form trumps function when it comes to chopper-style motorcycles-it's about style and attitude. Everything that doesn't need to be on the bike is "chopped" and pitched into the dumpster.

Tech Spec
Evolution
MW widens its K-bike customer base with more ponies, improved mechanical refinement, additional options and, yes, normal turn signals!