The Ten Rest

THE TEN REST

UP FRONT

EDITOR'S LETTER

MOTORCYCLES OF (OTHER) DISTINCTION

Ten Best Bikes is both easy and hard. Easy because we're looking for the top machines of the year. Hard because the pointy end of the market has some great bikes. But there are also many machines of note that either don’t fit typical categories or stand out for reasons that don’t fit a normal top 10. Herewith, the Ten Rest Bikes:

BEST BRIT NEO CLASSIC THAT’S A BIT TOO CLASSIC: NORTON COMMANDO 9G1 So glad the bike is finally truly on the road in the US, even with its rough mechanical edges. Start polishing, please!

BEST WAY TO SEE 18,000 FEET: ROYAL ENFIELD HIMALAYAN The 500 Bui

lets have a place in our hearts for being mostly modern while satisfying that essential big-single beat. But the forthcoming Himalayan adventure bike looks to offer Enfield cool in a mountain-ready package. Like other Enfields, its EFI must be mapped to 18,000 feet...

BEST WAY TO KEEP YOUR BALANCE: KTM G90 DUKE It’s sort of a supermoto, but really it’s just a quick-steering standard that has great power and makes a fun daily ride. But the engine got a second balance shaft for improved smoothness. Now the buzz comes purely from the riding experience!

BEST IMITATION OF A STARSHIP:

BMW K1600GTL We are in love with the sporty side of touring, but nothing beats the luxury of BMW’s big six and nothing wheelies two-up as effortlessly. For over-the-top comfort, power, and performance, the K1600GTL is success in excess.

BEST WAY TO GET STARTED WITH A FULL FAIRING: YAMAHA YZF-R3 Back road zapping or grinding out your daily commute, few full-faired motorcycles make it as fun and easy as the R3. The 321CC twin sizzles, the plush seat and sporty riding position are just right, and the R-family styling inspires dreams of decking knees at your soon-to-befavorite track. Want to get started now? Here’s how.

BEST 90-DEGREE V-TWIN CRUISER:

DUCATI XDIAVEL Although a most traditional cruiser took the Ten Best win this year, the XDiavel deserves recognition for its profound step toward “true” cruiserdom without losing that Italian essence that made the Diavel a two-time winner as Best Cruiser. Superbikeinspired power tuned for right now and a chassis that remembers our favorite roads are often winding.

BEST BIKE TO CHANNEL PETER EGAN ON: TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE T120 The

Street Twin is charming and has a great price. The Thruxton R is a great performer for the sporting enthusiast. The T120 with its i,200cc twin and standardstyle riding position is...the bike that Peter Egan bought. Enough said.

BEST ADVENTURE BIKE FOR THE REST OF US: SUZUKI V-STROM1000

Tire-torching ADVs that cost more than $2oK truly are wonderful. But if you’re on a budget and don’t have dreams of dragging your liter-class machine from swamps to glaciers, long-travel touring never looked so good.

BEST WAY TO BE GROM WITH ENVY: KAWASAKI Z125 PRO The Honda Grom’s charm hasn’t seemed to wear off, and they’re still selling over retail. This hasn’t gone unnoticed and Kawasaki has rolled out a similar bike in the Z125 Pro. It’s basically as much fun to ride, only in different colors including lime green. We’re getting one of each and painting them in Miguel Duhamel and Scott Russell classic superbike colors for parking-lot races.

BEST FORGOTTEN SPORTING STANDARD: DUCATI MONSTER 1200 RAmid

all this retro-standard hoopla, it’s easy to forget about one of the true classic all-around sporting motorcycles. Yes, the Monster 1200 Ris expensive, but it injects every ounce of Superbike performance you’d want on the road in a comfortable fun-to-ride package.

MARK HOYER

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

THIS MONTH'S STATS

411

NUMBER OF BIKES TO WINTEN BEST AWARDS (THERE WAS A TIE)

5

DIRT-ONLY CATEGORIES IN THE 1976 TEN BEST BIKES LIST

three

NUMBER OF DISPUTED GRAVESITES FOR GREAT BLUESMAN ROBERTJOHNSON