Wrist: Joe Neric
MSRP (2011): $10,999
Miles: 4213
MPG: 33
Mods: Beowulf radiator guard, Rizoma engine guards and mirrors, Yoshimura frame-sliders, R&G axle sliders and fender-eliminator kit

Most of us have purchased a used motorcycle at some time and gone through the following analysis: Is it clean and well cared for? Continue. Are there service records available? Continue. Is this the original owner, and are they a genteel person? Continue. Is the asking price reasonable? Continue. Test-ride it and it rides beautifully. Negotiations must begin!

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After an unsuccessful detour with the heretical 999, Ducati designers put things solidly back on track with the 2007 1098. Though predictably less comfortable for everyday street duty than its immediate predecessor—goodbye adjustable seat, footpegs and steering geometry—the 1099cc Testastretta Evoluzione twin is shamelessly biased toward fast, twisty roads and even faster racetracks. Still, it’s a competent if vastly overqualified commuter if you can endure hard-nosed ergonomics enforced by a long reach to the bars and a high, hard seat.

“My dirtbike has more power,” said Daniel, our “A” technician. He wasn’t kidding: His old Kawasaki KLX650 churned out 45 rear-wheel horsepower on our shop’s Factory Pro dynamometer. Our bone-stock Moto Guzzi V7 Classic, by comparison, made a paltry 38 horses in spite of its additional cylinder and 100cc displacement advantage. Shame is a powerful motivator. At that moment, I decided to light a fire under the little Goose’s tail feathers.

2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R

2011 BMW S1000RR

Aprilia RSV4R

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Yamaha’s FZ1 lives in the shadow of the thoroughbred YZF-R1, earning little respect from hard-core sportbike types. The bike shows a lot of promise on paper, but never quite lives up to its potential on the pavement. Suspension is adequate, but just. Based on the retired 20-valve R1 mill and retuned for broad-spectrum street riding, most of the 998cc inline-four’s 126 horsepower live between 8000 and 11,000 rpm. That shortage of bottom and midrange power, along with chronically abrupt throttle response that persists despite the factory’s attempts to fix it, left most of us uninspired about the idea of an FZ1 project.

How many lanes are there on a two-lane road? Trick question? Not really…

WRIST: Brian Catterson
MSRP (2011): $10,599
MILES: 5028
MPG: 36
MODS: Dunlop tires, Kawasaki solo seat cowl, Puig windscreen, SkutrNet Servo Buddy, Targa fender-eliminator kit, Yoshimura exhaust

When it came time to cook up a streetfighter for members of the paying public who prefer smaller portions, Triumph stuck with the original Speed Triple recipe. Start with a popular, plastic-clad sportbike—the Daytona 675, in this case—peel off the expensive aerodynamic epidermis, sweeten the ergonomics with a taller, broader handlebar, season the rest to suit more mainstream tastes and stir. Presto: instant Street Triple!

WRIST: Joe Neric
MSRP (2011): $10,999
MILES: 1579
MPG: 34
MODS: Depends for Men

WRIST: Eric Putter
MSRP (2011): $9499
MILES: 4289
MPG: 45
MODS: Aprilia soft luggage, AF1/Evotech tail tidy kit, R&G Racing sliders and swingarm spools

Modern bikes don’t have many Phillips-head fasteners on them—at least not as many as back in the day. When used properly, the Phillips head lets the driver slip out before too much torque can be applied. This makes Phillips fasteners an especially good choice for low-torque applications like the engine covers on ‘70s-vintage Japanese bikes, for example. Though the specified torque may be light, decades of repeated heating and cooling cycles plus corrosion created by steel mating to aluminum can make removing aged Phillips screws a real pain. Oddly enough, the cheesy Phillips shank found in most vintage Japanese bike tool kits works especially well on these old case screws. Small carburetor screws and the tiny ones holding brake reservoir lids in place seem especially prone to stripping. To prevent stripping, invest in a selection of quality Phillips screwdrivers—this is not where you want to economize. Get a quality tool in the common #1, #2 and #3 sizes used on motorcycles. If you see that there is a small dimple or punch mark on the screw head, you are dealing with a Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) fastener. For best results here you should use a JIS-spec screwdriver, but these can be difficult to find in the U.S. If you are a dedicated tool guy or you work on a lot of vintage Japanese bikes, make the extra effort to search the Internet for JIS screwdrivers. Always make sure that the tip fits the fastener snugly, and the tool still has sharp edges to securely engage the fastener, and even the most stubborn screws should back right out.

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“You’re crazy; it’s too cold to ride!” Sound familiar? Even the coldest winter days aren’t enough to keep some of us off the bike. If you’re tempted to saddle up year-round, a little knowledge goes a long way toward another season of safe, relatively comfortable rides. Just to be clear, our definition of cold is somewhere between 20-50 degrees Fahrenheit. Take on snow/ice and you’re on your own, because that is crazy.

Anyone laboring under the delusion that all cruisers are alike has never seen one of these. With a strategically detuned version of BMWs inimitable Boxer-twin between the equally unique Telelever front end and single-sided Monolever final-drive, the R1200C is, above all, different. And when it debuted way back in 1997, it represented a more radical detour from V-twin conformity than most riders were willing to take. For starters, anyone laboring under the delusion that bigger was always better thought the 1170cc eight-valve twin was small.

Wrist: Aaron Frank
MSRP (2011): $11,999
Miles: 984
Mpg: 33 mpg
Mods: Suzuki valve stem caps

Wrist: Tim Carrithers
Msrp (2010): $19,995
Miles: 9390
Mpg: 39
Mods: Shad SH50 top case, Michelin tires

Wrist: Marty Estes  
Msrp (2010): $15,999
Miles: 7123
Mpg: 36
Mods: Akrapovic slip-on, K&N oil and air filters, Continental tires, Helibars clip-ons

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Sockets are the staple of any toolbox. A single drawer full of assorted sizes gives you a lot of options, and amazing flexibility in reaching fasteners. Sockets can be used with ordinary ratchets, breaker bars, T-handles or power tools. And they’re inexpensive: Even premium brands like the Snap-On tools we use in the Motorcyclist shop can be had at reasonable prices.

When I was vacationing in British Columbia recently, I happened upon a motorcyclist who had crashed into a ditch. Purely by coincidence, so did another physician. With two doctors and a paramedic on site within moments, we waited, keeping the rider comfortable and alert, carefully stabilizing his neck until the ambulance arrived with a backboard, neck brace and other equipment. Then we got him out of the ditch, put his leg back where it belonged and looked for other injuries.