[ten Best Bikes 2012]

[BEST SUPERBIKE]

Aprilia Tuono V4 R

If you have one ounce, one molecule, one scintilla of hooliganism in you, the Tuono will bring it out faster than you can say, “But officer...”

Try—just try—to ride this bike very far without snapping up the longest, easiest wheelie you’ve ever attempted. What? You say you don’t care about such things? Okay, but are you intrigued by the Tuono’s ability to accelerate like a medieval shoulder-separating device while bellowing a V-Four exhaust shriek that sends chills up and down your spine? And cornering? Fuhgettaboutit! Betcha that on most backroads, especially if they’re a little tight, you could embarrass most riders of repli-racers without breaking a sweat. Yeah, it’s that good.

[BEST MIDDLEWEIGHT STREETBIKE]

Ducati 848 S treetfig hter In keeping up with he evolving motorcycle market, the time had come for us to reassess the definition of a midd eweight motorcycle. The field has recently grown much larger, not only in displacement bu in the vast number of worthy candidates. This required us to consider all sorts of supersp rt, standard, adventure and cruiser models before we ultimately decided on the Ducati 848 treetfighter. Essentially an 848 EVO with streetwise ergonomics and no fairing, the Streetfig hter pulls no performance punches in either its chassis or engine, and it includes traction ontrol, to boot. This deliciously fun sport naked V-Twin stimulates the senses and ignites Dne's playful spirit better than any middleweight we've tested this year.

[BEST OPEN-CLASS STREETBIKE]

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R So, you thought the Suzuki Hayabusa was fast? Meet the newly crowned king of quick, the fastest-accelerating production bike of all time. And not by the slimmest of margins, either. Endowed with 192 rear-wheel horsepower, the ZX-14R will jumpstart your heart and redline your pulse while rocketing from zero to 60 in 2.6 seconds and covering a quarter-mile in under 9.5 seconds. Raucous and raw? Not in the least. The 14 possesses a level of comfort refinement and civility that ranks it among our favorite road-burners for commuting, canyon carving, bracket racing or soft-bag sport-touring. Yeah, the mighty Ninja wields super power and performance, but it also offers so much more.

[BEST STANDARD]

Honda NC7C ox We've picked every thing from the Suzuki DR-Z400SM to the Triumph Tiger 1050 for this category in the last fivE years, so don't even try to talk us down from this year's winner, Honda's new-world NC700X Even if our highly experienced Eurospondent, Bruno dePrato, hadn't given the NC a rave review, this interesting, original, approachable and affordable machine takes us back to a t me when those qualities helped Honda take the world by storm. What's not to like about sc )oter-style storage and great gas mileage in an adventurous-looking pack age that goes and 1 andles, if not like a sportbike, at least like a sporty bike? For a starting price of $6999 or $~ 999 with auto-shift DCT and ABS? Maybe austerity won't be so bad.

[BEST CRUISER]

[BEST TOURING BIKE]

Ducati Diavel Carbon The Diavel definitely stretches the definition of "cruiser." Luckily,, it stretches it in the preferred direction, with a wickedly fastS yet perfectly tractable "11-degree" Testastretta Ducati V-Twin housed in a chassis that nicely splits the difference between laid-back and poised-for-action, and that doesn't bow and scrape for mercy at the first sign of Earthk curvature. This one's bipolar: You can cruise or you can cruise; the Diavel is there for you either way. It's so fresh that we're only wor ried it might be a long time be fore any new cruiser steps up to depose it. A definite shock to the system that the system needed. For the second year in a row.

[BEST SPORT-TOURING BIKE]

BMW K1600GT vays been You can't beat Mother Nature and you can't cheat Father Physics. Or so we've al 3 the Ki 600GT taught. But BMW's design team either never got that memo or ignored it, becaus -out air deflecthey created flies in the face of those doctrines. With its adjustable windshield, flu nds off Ma tors, heated grips and seat, and headlight that can see around corners, the GT fE -pound (full Nature's wind, cold and dark pretty doggone effectively. And despite being a 75~ equipment tank), six-cylinder behemoth with more road-eating, corner-carving, rider-indulgir h sportier that than most cars, it defies Pa Physics by steering and handling like something mu oday. weighs hundreds less. No wonder it's the most exciting sport-tourer on the road'

BMW K1600GTL The very existence of the luxurytouring motorcycle is owed to the great spaces in America and our desire to take not just every thing we need but all the things we want on the road. BMW gave us a bike that does this in a most excellent manner but completely blew our minds by building it upon an ultra-high-performance German soul. The GTL goes (133 hp, 112 ft.-lb.), stops (amazing brakes) and steers (dead neutral, always) with supernatural ease. Fill the bags, add a passenger and the electronically adjustable suspension compensates beauti fully, whether you choose Com fort, Normal or Sport mode. The GTL has changed our expecta tions for luxury touring and tops the class for the second year running.

[BEST ADVENTURE BIKE]

Yamaha Super Ténéré occupied by There is no question that adventure bikes are hot. Early on, it was a one-pony shov rown dramationly BMW; but this segment, which is arguably motorcycling's most versatile, has 1st their peers. cally in the past few years. So, it was due time to judge adventure bikes solely agai should take It is only fitting, then, that one of the most well-rounded machines we've ever ridder win makes a the honors in the award's inaugural year: the Yamaha Super Ténéré. This 1200cc 1 n riding and comfortable long-distance tourer, provides a commanding seating position for urbE ies ahead. perlorms quite well off-highway. Exactly what you need when you don't know what

[BEST MOTOCROSSER]

Suzuki RM-Z450 Dynasties aren't created in just two years, but in the ultra-competitive world of motocross, backto-back wins must feel like an eternity. Once again, Suzuki's RM-Z450 proved to be the pick of the litter, backing up its 2011 performance with another exceptional display in `12, despite being unchanged. Key to the RM-Z's success is its class-leading horsepower-just shy of 51 (!) at the rear wheel-but also its crisp and predictable throttle response that allows all that oomph to be effectively utilized by the rider. Combined with its razor-sharp handling, great mid-corner grip and excellent suspension, it's a hard package to beat. Can Suzuki make it three in a row?

[BEST DUAL-SPORT/ENDURO]

KTM 500 EXC We can't remember the last time an enduro machine created such a buzz. Or was that a bang? From the moment we threw a leg over KTM's latest Open-class beast, it was true love. We even dared to say, "KTM's completely revised 2012 500 EXC is the best street-legal enduro ever." Months and months after that statement was made, we absolutely stand by it. Bottomless power yanks the bike out of deep sand like an offshore race boat jumping on plane, while its 5.5-pound lighter weight makes the EXC more nimble and better handling. Great suspension at both ends sweetens the deal. Best ever? Nothing else comes close.

[TEN BEST BIKES 2012]

IT'S EASY TO GET ONTO THE TEN BEST BIKES LIST. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS BUILD A MACHINE THAT PUSHES THE LIMITS IN ITS class, or pushes the limits of its class, one that performs beffer, offers more style and gives us everything we want from a motorcycle. See how easy that is?!

Well, it may not be easy, but the results sure make it fun for all us enthusiasts around the world. The CW crew spent another year in the saddle, riding farther, faster and jumping higher (as the case may be), weighing, measuring, adjusting suspension, dyno and dragstrip testing and generally flogging the scores of machines we put to the test in between every Ten Best. As the market has evolved in the 37 years we've been at this, so have the award categories, and 2012 is one of those years in which we've made some changes. As Dual-Sport and Enduro have essentially become one in the marketplace, so has the category been combined in Ten Best. This made room for a new one: Best Adventure Bike. In years past, these do-it-all machines have won in four different categories, and with the proliferation of models and major increase in consumer interest, it was time to give these great bikes a home of their own. We've also seen "middleweight" expand ever upward in displacement terms, leading to plenty of great machines in the 600-899cc range, that we felt should qualify under a more broad definition, including this year's winner. With that, what follows are the very best bikes on the planet in 2012.