Bike of the Year, 2006
Bike of the Year, 2006
UP FRONT
YOU’D THINK IT WOULD BE A NIGH-ON impossible task, getting the puffy-chested editors of 15 motorcycle magazines from around the world to agree on anything, let alone the Bike of the Year. After all, there are something like 250 eligible streetbike models to consider.
Yet, more often than not, there’s a landslide winner in the International Bike of the Year voting, a machine that simply cannot be denied. As was the case in 2006.
Which is not to say that a certain editorial wonkiness isn’t always present. Australian Motorcycle News, for instance, cast a third-place vote for the Benelli TnT. never mind that until recently (see Roundup) the company’s future was shaky at best.
“It costs a bit and hasn’t proven its reliability but this Italian Triple is insanely entertaining and after just one ride, utterly irresistible,” said the ’roo-dodgers. “We all should aspire once in life to date a psychotic nymphomaniac, no matter what the aftermath.”
Too right, mates.
Germany’s MO magazine was even more impressed with another Italian restart, casting its first-place vote for the... Moto Morini Corsaro 1200?!
“At first, it seems like the same old game; the new rise and the soon-to-be fall of a traditional Italian motorcycle brand. But the Morini is different. Great looks, proper craftsmanship-and then the big smile when riding the bike. Could this be the new Monster so many Ducati owners have been asking for? A great rebirth of a fine Italian brand.”
In all, 19 different models from 10 companies received at least one point in the voting (see www.cycleworld.com for a complete tally and all editors’ comments). Bit of a shocker, mighty Honda was mentioned only once, its CBR1000RR getting a second-place nod from India’s Autocar, an IBoY newcomer. Four Suzuki models got votes, three Yamahas and two Kawasakis.
Those three brands filled second through fourth spots in the final voting, too. With 6 markers, it was Suzuki’s GSX-R750 in the number-four position.
“Suzuki just won’t kill off their favorite son, the GSX-R750, and with good cause,” argued Belgium’s Motorwereld. “By letting the world’s only remaining 750 repli-racer evolve with its bigger and smaller brothers, Suzuki has created the perfect compromise between 600s and 1000s. It’s a cliché that keeps coming back
every year, but every year it seems to gain in truth.”
With 9 points, Kawasaki’s flat-out flyer, the ZX-14, slotted into third place overall.
“In a Euro-3, hypercritically correct, strangled world, Kawasaki is once again the ‘bad girl’ and comes out with a newgeneration 200-hp dragstrip-tourer that is also very pleasant to ride,” noted Israel’s Moto. “Now, if only they didn’t restrict torque in the lower three gears...”
Thank those black boxes for making the 14 so rideable, countered Greece’s Moto, noting that, “Kawasaki’s tradition of top quality in the hyper-touring category is confirmed again. The great success of the ZX-14 is due not only to its performance but also because it can be an everyday bike with a minimum of compromise.”
The translation could use a little work, but Japan’s Auto-By may have put it best: “So much fast, so much powerful, so much comfortable.”
Yamaha’s YZF-R6 bounced back from its “Tachometergate” troubles to score a certified accurate 11 points and second place in IBoY 2006.
As England’s Bike pointed out, “Every few years a bike comes along that resets the boundaries.
The Yamaha R6 is such a device. There’s no escaping the fact that it was designed for the track first and the road second, but even if you have no track-
day aspirations the Yamaha feels special. And, more importantly, makes you feel special.”
“So what if the tachometer’s off?” said Spain’s La Moto. “In the YZF-R6, Yamaha has built a new-generation supersport bike. It’s the most powerful bike in its category, lightest and sportiest of all them. Supersport bikes are going bit by bit in a racing way, and the R6 was the first one to seize the future.”
Cycle Canada also noted the Yamaha’s competition breeding: “If pure performance, high-technology and razor-sharp agility make your blood boil, no other machine can match the thrill that the Yamaha R6 produces-on a racetrack of course, which is why it merits runner-up status.”
Which brings us to the 2006 International Bike of the Year, totaling an overwhelming 26 points, Triumph’s three-cylinder, class-busting Daytona 675. Let’s hear from the Brits first.
“From out of nowhere comes Triumph’s boldest statement yet,” proclaimed Bike. “Not only can the 675 legitimately mix it up in biking’s toughest class, it does so without copying everybody else. Better than you could have dreamed. Get used to wanting one.”
The Australians seconded that emotion: “Let’s not argue about whether this is a ‘true’ 600 or not because pedantic debates about capacity and racing rules sidestep the fact that the Triumph Daytona 675 is 2006’s most fun, fast, sexy and affordable sportbike.”
Motorwereld also fell for the Triple, calling it “one of the prettiest bikes since Ducati’s 916.”
Cycle Canada, summing things up nicely, said, “It is an unexpected jewel of a motorcycle, with performance that matches the top middleweight supersport machines; a rich, melodious growl from its triple-cylinder engine; and a slender, distinctive design that captures the essence of the term ‘exotic,’ but without an exotic price.”
As my 101-year-old English grandmother Rene would say, “Triumph, well done you!”
David Edwards
