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...

Husqvarna’s TC250 powerplant is stunningly compact. Some of the engine’s “I could be a 125” look comes from the amount of daylight visible around it within the new chromoly chassis. A hydro-formed aluminum perimeter frame tends to hug the engine tighter, but the TC’s steel-tube skeleton conveys a svelte, supermodel appeal.

The KTM Duke celebrates its 18th birthday in 2012, and this latest 690 feels more grown-up than earlier models. The original Duke and subsequent iterations were hard-edged and aggressive— a key selling point for some riders, but too extreme for the majority. This latest version is updated to reflect its name. It’s still quick, light and happy to wheelie, but some of the rawness has been soothed.

Baggers are hot right now. Seems cruiser riders, in their old age, have come to appreciate the convenience of saddlebags. Or maybe they've just got more baggage? Whatever the reason, Victory jumped on the bandwagon recently with its Cross Country and Cross Roads baggers, and now this here Hard-Ball, which the company calls a "naked bagger."

The Husqvarna TE250 is a dirtbike with a license plate. Husky claims a 90 percent dirt bias, which means what little pavement this bike sees should only be brief spans between trailheads.

Husqvarna making streetbikes? No way! That was the general response when word of Husky's twin-cylinder Nuda 900 project surfaced last year. Off-road aficionados feared it would be a disaster, like the Ferrari station wagon built for the Sultan of Brunei. Husqvarna used to make streetbikes, but halted the effort in 1961 to focus on its off-road machinery. The next year, the Swedish company swept the World Motocross Championships. Now, 71 world titles later, Husky has gone back to the future and is offering it fi rst twin-cylinder streetbike since its JAP-powered V-twins of the mid-'30s.

Is it ironic that the East Coast had an earthquake the same day as the Moto Guzzi Cafe Racer Rumble? And did I, as my fellow attendees suggested, somehow bring it with me? Unlikely, consider-ing I was talking to Billy Joel at the time and neither of us noticed it.

Step one: Activate heated grips,” says Nate Kern, BMW’s official “track liaison,” to begin our pre-ride briefing. Kern isn’t kidding: It is chilly at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain, and the S1000RR now offers optional heated handgrips. This is a BMW, after all! Toasty fingers aside, there’s no confusing this superbike with the German manufacturer’s other, more touring-oriented offerings. This was already one of the most effective pieces of sporting artillery from any manufacturer. Now a comprehensive facelift makes it even more potent.

It's likely that every literbike will someday be appointed with traction control, but we figured Yamaha's YZF-R1 would be the last to get it. That's because the R1 already has outstanding traction characteristics, its Crossplane crankshaft and ride-by-wire throttle letting the rider manage rear-wheel slides easier than on any other sportbike without TC.

Beneath the glossy black body panels of the “new” GSX1250FA are the underpinnings of the 2009 Bandit 1250, originally introduced in ’07. That machine, in turn, was the third iteration of the original 1995 Bandit 1200. Now, El Bandito is back for more with a new look intended to appeal to the sport-touring set.

The suspicion that I’ve taken a wrong turn is confirmed when the road through a sleepy Portuguese town comes to a dead-end. But today, being lost isn’t so unfortunate. After all, the sun is shining and I’ve got loads of time to find my way back to the hotel. If diverting from the planned route means I get more time on the revamped ER-6n, so be it!

For as long as motocross bikes have existed, enduro competitors and trail riders have adapted them for off-road use. Plenty of manufacturers sell ready-made enduros, but few still offer them in the lightweight and potent two-stroke variety. The TM EN 250 2T is an excellent example of a wolf- in-sheep’s-clothing conversion.

Benelli insists that its TNT triples aren’t named after an explosive compound, but after riding the Italian company’s latest streetfighter, it’s clear the moniker is more than just coincidence. Because the newly launched R160 version of the TNT—which stands for Tornado Nuda Tre, not Tri-Nitro-Toluene—more than lives up to the expectations of its name.

It’s not often that the word afraid is used at a press intro. Yet that was one of the main reasons Ducati gave for creating the new Streetfighter 848.

San Clemente, CA | Boise, ID - December 8, 2011 - Johnny Campbell Racing, Inc. (JCR) and Western Power Sports, Inc. (WPS) are pleased to announce a multi-year partnership to promote the FLY Racing brand, as well as to design, develop and distribute Johnny Campbell signature branded FLY riding gear and Off-Road products.

If you have never seen a trials bike in action, it’s easy to make fun of them. Compared to other modern off-road bikes they don’t make much power, they look frail and slow, and somebody forgot the seat! But forget how they look. Ride one and you won't be laughing. Gasping is more likely!

Automotive innovators like Carroll Shelby have long combined American horsepower with European design to create iconic vehicles like the AC Cobra. Roberto Crepaldi and his cohorts at Milan-based CR&S Motorcycles follow that formula in a two-wheeled format, combining a 117-cubic-inch S&S X-Wedge V-twin with a sophisticated steel-and-aluminum composite chassis to create the impressive, imposing DUU (twin in the distinctive Milanese dialect). Finished with sportbike suspension and minimalist bodywork taking cues from both the custom and café-racer worlds, the DUU is one of the most striking production motorcycles available today.

With its drag strip stance, Pro Stock pedigree and black-x-infinity color scheme, the Night Rod Special is the nastiest bike in Harley-Davidson’s lineup. And unlike the Milwaukee manufacturer’s air-cooled offerings that are more bark than bite, the liquid-cooled V-Rod packs a legitimate performance punch. With its 1250cc Revolution V-twin delivering a claimed 125 horsepower and a fat, 240-width rear tire to put that power to pavement, this V-Rod hits like a hammer out of the hole. For Harley haters who insist The Motor Company knows performance like the Golden Arches know haute cuisine, the Night Rod Special is a Supersized helping of shut the hell up.

After a 15-month stint under Harley-Davidson, MV Agusta is back in Italian hands. With the passing of long-time company President Claudio Castiglioni, his son Giovanni has taken the reins of the historic brand. Aided by new General Manager Massimo Bordi, the former Ducati engineer, it appears that MV Agusta is back in business and geared for success.

Mopeds went out of fashion decades ago, and while today's feet-forward scooters and electric bikes may offer efficient transportation, they don't deliver much in the way of enjoyment or style. Californian Adrian Van Anz has hit on what may just be the perfect formula for efficient-yet-fun transportation via his stylish Derringer Cycle. The motorized bicycle delivers a top speed of 35 mph and a range of up to 300 miles via a single 1.8-gallon gas tank, and looks damn fine doing it.

Heavy, expensive bikes aren’t good for beginners. Learning the basics is best accomplished on something lightweight that won’t cost an arm and a leg to repair if you drop it. For years, Harley-Davidson used Buell Blasts for its Rider’s Edge training program and offered the American-made 492cc single as a gateway to its bigger bikes. But when Erik Buell unceremoniously executed the docile “Be Last” in 2009, Harley dealers were left with nothing in the way of an affordable entry-level machine on their sales floors.

Most press launches see attendees ride a few hundred miles tops. That's enough seat time for most motorcycles, but when the bike du jour is a full dresser-one with the word "Tour" in its name and lots of features and accessories - a longer ride is needed to get fully acquainted. Thus for the debut of Victory's new Cross Country Tour, moto-journalists embarked on a multi-day, multi-state adventure that started in Park City, Utah and ended in Sturgis, South Dakota-site of the 71st Annual Black Hills Motorcycle Rally.

They had me at "sinister." I mean, who can deny a motorcycle promoted as ominous? I straighten up in my chair, and whisk goes the black veil from Harley-Davidson's latest addition to its Custom Vehicle Operations line. Wow! This Road Glide Custom is wicked. And it isn't just the skull medallions...