Motorcycles I Dig

There have been a lot of motorcycle discussions lately, and they all remind me of how short-sighted the American market is. There are only two kinds of motorcycles on the streets: cruisers and crotch rockets. Cruisers are comfortable while crotch rockets offer high performance. There has to be a trade-off with this view. You can get a cruiser and ride comfortably, but you're not going to get up to speed without a good amount of work and lets hope you're not planning on turning or stopping. Or, you can get a crotch rocket and zip around like a bat outta hell, but you'd best have a good chiropractor. There's no middle ground.

There's a secret that the rest of the world seems to know that the American market likes to ignore: there is a middle ground. There are many motorcycles out there that blend our two categories together. They offer great comfort with an upright seating position - not leaning too far back or foreward - and wide handlebars. At the same time, they offer fantastic performance, with powerful engines, superb brakes, and light weight. They go my many names: standard, naked, streetfighter, and more. Here are just a few examples available here in the US, arranged by the numbers.

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Aprilia Tuono 1000 R - 997cc V-Twin, 139 HP, 107 ft. lbs Torque, 408 lbs dry weight

The Aprilia Tuono is generally considered a factory streetfighter. Essentially, it's their (former) flagship crotch rocket with most of the plastic removed and adjusted ergonomics for street riding. Note the wide handlebars instead of clipons, for instance. The performance numbers on this bike are simply astonishing, though the styling may be too much to swallow for a cruiser convert.

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Triumph Speed Triple - 1050cc Triple, 131 HP, 77 ft. lbs Torque, 416 lbs dry weight

It's a beautiful brute of a bike, designed specifically to be a powerhouse on the street. This is the original factory streetfighter. And, yes, it comes in black.

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Ducati Monster 1100 - 1100cc L-Twin, 95 HP, 79.5 ft. lbs Torque, 373 lbs dry weight

The Monster line is classic Ducati. They may be better known for their sportbikes, but the Monster line has nearly always been their best seller. Coming back this year with a laundry list of updates, the latest Monster update looks great without losing touch with it's traditional roots. Now, for two American bikes...

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Buell Lightning XB12Scg - 1200cc V-Twin, 103 HP, 84 ft. lbs Torque, 395 lbs dry weight

Buell is the original American Streetfighter. Taking a lot of cues from the European market and adding a load of innovation, Buell bikes simply rock. Even though they're now owned by Harley Davidson, the creativity surges foreward with their newer models. Aside from the Tuono, none of these major players has torque to match the Buell. There's a new bike for 2009, the 1125CR, but the jury is still out on that beast. In other words, I haven't seen it in person and it isn't photogenic.

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Harley Davidson XR1200 - 1200cc V-Twin, 90 HP, 73.9 ft. lbs Torque, 562 dry weight

This homage to the American classic XR750 was released last year as a European exclusive. Even Harley saw our market as too closed to welcome a "middle ground" bike! It's here in limited supply for 2009, finally, and makes several steps towards breaking away from the typical formula of great looks and weak performance. It's still incredibly heavy and definitely underpowered compared to it's competition, but it's a big step and a beautiful bike. Compare it to a 1200 Sportster, which uses the same engine, and the ergonmic and performance differences are tremendous.