Honorable Mentions
Honorable Mentions
APRILIA RSV MILLE
IF WE HAD A BEST TWIN CATI GORY, YOU'RE LOOKIN' AT THE WINNER, comin' right at ya with its three headlights blazing. And just how impressive is that, going up against the omnipotent Ducati 996 and Honda’s new Superbike starter kit, the RC51? Pretty damn, we’d say. Not only is the Mille a better streetbike, it outguns the other two on the track! And how’s this for a double-dose of impressive? Aprilia’s been in the Big Bike Biz all of two years. Word is there’s a naked bike, a sport-tourer and a big dual-purpose bike in the works, too. We can’t wait.
BUELL BLAST
THIS AIN'T OUR KIND OF MOTORCYCLE, AND THIS probably ain't your kind of motorcycle, either. Which is precisely the idea behind the singlecylinder Buell Blast (please refrain from calling it the “BeLast,” which was cute the first 10 times we heard it). Rather than trade a few percentage points of market share here and there, Harley is going after a whole new audience with this $4395 runabout, backed up by an aggressive ad campaign and the innovative Rider’s Edge training program. Old farts need not apply, but wives and girlfriends, mobileminded Gen-Xers and newbies of all types, step right up.
HONDA VFR800
MOMENT OF SILENCE Lplease. This is the firsi year in 10 that Honda’s stellar middleweight VFour hasn’t made the final Ten Best Bikes cut, outdone by its bigger, ballsier brother, the CBR929RR. We’re still huge fans of the VFR800, though, impressed by its quiet competence and high level of refinement, captivated by that Vee-motor growl. If there were an award for Best All-Around Streetbike, the Interceptor would be a shoo-in. Hell, we’d probably have to retire the trophy.
KAWASAKI W650
TRUST US, THE GOOD OLD DAYS WERE never this good. This is your basic Beatles-era Britbike, made livable with push-button starting, oil-tight cases, reliable electrics and a front disc brake. It is, in other words, exactly what the Blokes should have done in 1968, had they pulled their collective thumb out and taken action. Ironic that Kawasaki did it a generation later.
That’s okay by us-the W650 is a fun ride, no matter what the decade. The new Triumph has its own yester-Twin about ready, and rumor holds that Yamaha is dusting off the old XS650. Retro Wars, anyone?
SUZUKI DR-Z 400E
IN THE WORLD OF FOUR-STROKE DIRTBIKES, THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO be the year of 1) the all-new, alloy-caged Honda XR650; 2) the KTM 520 wunder-Thumper; and 3) the American-made Cannondale 400. Well, 1 ) proved to be a better XR600, but not much more; 2) was everything it was cracked up to be, but good luck finding one that hasn’t already been spoken for; and 3) well, we’re still waiting... Which brings us to the electric-start Suzuki DR-Z. Half-playbike, half-racebike, call it the second most impres sive Thumper of 2000. It’s affordable, a cool 1500 clams less than the KTM. And it's available-well, if you act fast, that is.
TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE
A POLOGIES TO THE W650, but ain't nuthin' like the real thing, baby. Sure, the Triumph Bonneville had its share of problems-everything built 35 years ago did-but has there ever been a betterlooking more-right motorcycle? The steadfastly upright cylinders, the beautifully sculpted gas tank, the chrome mufflers, the polished-alloy fenders. Everything in perfect proportion. The best Bonnies, the ones for the time capsule, lived for just a few years, from the midSixties to 1970, and then they were gone. But never forgotten.
