Bike of the Year
Bike of the Year
UP FRONT
MARK HOYER
FOR 27 YEARS, A SELECT GROUP OF leading magazines from around the world has been getting together (virtually) to vote on the International Bike of the Year, or IBOTY.
There are lots of cool things that come from it, outside of the mere fact that 25 magazines in as many countries burn up a quadzillion miles testing awesome (and not-so-awesome) motorcycles to help inform their decisions. Consider, for example, the many different moto-cultures and widely varied riding landscapes that those countries represent, and you can’t help but have some very cool picks from this broad jury of participants.
Still, even with all the differences among us, the really excellent, boundarypushing machines rise to the top.
It was no surprise that, among all the bikes available for sale in most markets during 2011, BMW’s K1600GT sporttourer topped the charts. Our thoughts in naming the bike Best Sport-Tourer of 2011 in Ten Best Bikes balloting were echoed perfectly by England’s Bike magazine: “Nobody on the Bike team who has ridden BMW’s latest flagship tourer has come away with anything short of awe. The whooshing, surging but utterly refined and glorious sixcylinder engine; the all-week comfort and storm-beating abilities of the adjustable riding position and fantastic fairing; the features, goodies and options that include electronically adjusted suspension, traction control, ABS, power modes, a headlight that looks round corners, sat nav, endless trip info, tirepressure sensors, heated everything, music, cubby-holes and luggage.. . It has all of that, but it’s the chassis that truly astounds. Yes, the 1600 is big, and it’s not what you’d call light, but the balance, control and agility are breathtaking. The steering makes changing direction on an R1200GS feel like hard work. It’s unprecedented. It took prolonged debate and heated discussions to decide our shortlist, but there was only ever one bike in the running for the title itself.”
This is BMW’s second consecutive win following last year’s landslide S1000RR victory.
Second place was a bit of a surprise, not because we didn’t find the bike a huge hit when we rode it but for how enthusiastic the rest of the world was for its interesting mix of qualities: the Ducati Diavel. Our Best Cruiser choice landed second place in IBOTY balloting. “The Diavel is not a classic beauty in my opinion,” said Christophe Jardon of Belgium’s Moto & Loisirs (motorcycles and leisure, yeah...). “And it’s not the type of bike that inspires you to hop on and ride when you first see it. That’s a shame, really, because it never ceases to amaze with its capabilities and handling. The Diavel is often compared to other power cruisers like the Yamaha VMax or the Harley V-Rod. However, the Diavel plays in a league of his own. Actually it’s just a naked/roadster. Obviously it’s heavier, longer and bigger (240mm rear tire, hello!) than the Monster or Streetfighter, but it offers the same amount of sheer riding pleasure. Maybe even more!”
Our cover bike this month, the Aprilia Tuono V4 APRC, took third, and if it had been available in the U.S. in time to make our voting, we might have had it on our list, too (see the full test, p. 36). Magazine Maximoto of France got right to the point: “All of the spectacular inner works of the potent RSV4 in a cool naked, or ‘roadster’ as we call it in French, package. Now that’s an explosive marriage!”
But just like we couldn’t vote for the Tuono because we didn’t ride it, none of the rest of the world voted for our third-place choice: Erik Buell’s latest, the EBR 1190RS.
Contributing Editor Steve Anderson was fortunate to test the bike at Road America, and I later took a trip back to East Troy, Wisconsin, to get some seat time on the road. The 1190RS is nothing less than an American Ducati, and I can’t help but think that when the rest of the world gets a taste of this American sportbike (or the expected, more-affordable sub-$20K version), it will get a lot more votes in the future.
The bike we wish we could vote for, and the one that we think Kawasaki is crazy for not offering in the States, is the W800 parallel-Twin retro bike. One of the first road tests I ever did for CW was the 2000 W650. That great-sounding, sweet-riding bike couldn’t have been more charming. It was actually a better take on a retro Triumph Twin than Triumph’s own effort in the Bonneville if a purer, more delicate old-school feel is your aim in riding experience. The W800 cranks up displacement and appears at least as captivating as the original version. Seriously, Kawasaki, you need this bike in the U.S. to balance the lineup against bikes like the ZX-14R! There is an army of metalflake-helmetwearing riders out there with unused rolls of pipe wrap waiting for this rolling slice of cool.
Fourth in IBOTY voting was our number-one pick. While we were blown away by the K1600GT, the GTL was the story for us in the States, and for BMW, in fact. Demand for the GTL was much higher than anticipated in many markets where the company thought the GT would prevail. What did it for us was that the GTL has nearly the performance potential of its sportier stablemate but offers more lavish appointments and keeps your passenger just that much more comfortable. It underlines what a phenomenal platform the K 1600s have.
Clearly, the Germans are on a roll. Wonder what’s next?!
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