Bike of the Year, 2002
Bike of the Year, 2002
UP FRONT
David Edwards
GET 16 MOTORCYCLE MAGAZINES worldwide to agree on the best street-bike of the past year? Ain’t gonna happen, Bubba. Doesn’t stop us from electronically casting ballots for our top-three choices, though. Scores tabulated, the machine with the most votes is named International Bike of the Year.
A review of each publication’s number-one choice shows how widely opinions were splayed.
Germany’s Motorrad MO was won over by the Benelli Tornado Tre’s styling and its aerodynamic, underseat radiator: “Stunning looks, incredible sounds, stellar performance and handling. Also, this Triple is the first production bike that shows the right way to route a cooling system. Overall, the Tornado is the winner, an Italian tale has come true-once more.” Apparently, a U.S. importer has been named and at least one bike is incountry now making the show circuit, so, who knows, maybe the Tre is coming soon to a Benelli boutique near you?
Another three-cylinder, Triumph’s streetfightin’ Speed Triple, got the nod from Holland’s KicXstart, never mind its ridiculous “Nuclear Red” pinkish paint job: “Once our eyes stopped hurting, it stole all our hearts. Daytona-like power and torque, lovely steering, handling and braking. Excellent bike on the street as well as the track, with the concerto of that engine as an added bonus.”
Japan’s Auto-Bi went all Zen on us, picking the Kawasaki ZX-9R for its overall goodness, noting, “The best way to achieve maturity is to make improvements slowly but surely. The 9R is competent, capable and well-balanced. This is a masterpiece of a sport-standard.”
Also at one with itself, according to Italy’s SuperWheels, is the Aprilia Mille R: “Maybe it is not the most beautiful, but it is definitely the best-balanced hypersport. Easy to ride fast on racetrack or winding road.”
The French have always loved their big rally-inspired “Trailies,” so it’s no surprise that Moto Revue went with the Suzuki V-Strom (Cycle World's numberthree pick), describing the lOOOcc VTwin as, “The perfect alliance between efficiency and versatility. Strong and easy to ride at the same time, which makes it great for any riding style.”
Same type of bike, different maker, Yamaha’s TDM900 was nominated by Russia’s Motor magazine: “A very good all-rounder capable of everything from city commuting to sports riding to long-distance traveling. Definitely the bike for Russia.” And maybe soon for the United States, too? C’mon, Yamaha, Suzuki hasn’t done so badly by the V-Strom...
Almost overlooked as Yamaha and Suzuki battle it out for best repli-racer honors, Honda’s long-running Fireblade (our CBR954RR) was singled out by England’s Bike: “Ten years on and the Fireblade makes a Rocky-style comeback! Not the most powerful or the fastest of the superbikes, but definitely the best package. The fuel-injection now works properly at all speeds, and the bigger 954cc motor got its personality back. A chassis to match-quick-steering and involving to ride, yet comfy and more practical than the competition.”
While IBoY voting runs toward sportbikes and adventure-tourers, a cruiser made the cut, too.
“The choice is clear,” declared Sweden’s MC-Nytt. “Harley-Davidson’s VRod came, saw and conquered! While other models from Milwaukee try to look, sound and behave as they always have, the V-Rod does the opposite. What a wonderful engine! With its VRod, Harley-Davidson enters the new millennium.”
New Zealand’s Motorcycle Trader & News agreed (as did CW, picking the VRod number two), the Kiwis noting, “Harley-Davidson’s first all-new motorcycle in 50 years is such a dramatic move for a company steeped in conservatism and tradition, it must be considered a motorcycle milestone.” With votes across the board, then, the V-Rod nabbed fourth place in the 2002 IBoY standings.
The top-three vote-getters, though, were all sportbikes. Australian Motorcycle News made the case for Suzuki’s GSX-R 1000: “In 2002, the GSX-R won the Australian Superbike Championship, dominated at the Isle of Man, won its second World Endurance Championship and lowered our streetbike lap record at Phillip Island to an amazing 1:40.40-just 8.17 seconds slower than Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP lap record on the RC21IV!”
“Anytime you ride it, from walking pace to 299-kph speedo limit, it’s a memorable moment,” seconded Spain’s La Moto. “It’s still a beast,” proclaimed Norway’s Bike. “The GSX-R 1000 has everything-and then a bit more!” Perhaps tripped up by its one-dimensionality, the big Gixxer was pipped out of second place in the overall voting by a more complete package, Honda’s VFR800, a.k.a. Interceptor. “Impressive in every respect,” said Belgium’s MotorWeek 2. “The VFR has always been an almost-perfect compromise between sports and touring. The VTEC engine makes the bike even better, in the sense that touring riders and backroad fanatics alike can enjoy it even more.”
Like CW, Portugal’s Moto Jornal also rated the Honda tops: “More sporty, but without compromising comfort and versatility, the VFR does everything well.” But it’s the Yamaha YZF-R1, with a commanding collection of firstand second-place votes, that stands atop the 2002 International Bike of the Year podium.
Summing up the heavily revised ’02 model, Greece’s Moto Magazin said, “Yamaha has come up with a worthy successor to the legendary and oh-so-sexy Rl. Since it first came out, the YZF has been the epitome of stylish aggression, and-guess what?-it still is! But the previous bike’s edgy behavior has gone straight out of the window, replaced by a much more controlled feel-on bumpy road surfaces, landing after a wheelie or nailing the throttle out of a comer. Surgical precision, a stomping motor, amazing looks, the Rl has indeed matured beautifully.” No argument here.
