Top Motorcycle 2006

Best Superbike: Suzuki GSX-R750
Escalation is a wonderful thing. Witness 160-horsepower literbikes and the savage, screaming beauty of 600cc repli-racers that are pushing 110-hp at the rear wheel. It’s all wonderful and a true enrichment of our, ahem, Cycle World. But in the process of watching and enjoying the arms race, we kept asking for lighter-handling, easier-to-ride literbikes and torquier 600s. And all the while, there has been a machine that treads the middle, one that brings power, ease-of-handling and an all-around basic goodness to the road and track in a way that is better for everyone. Yes, the Suzuki GSX-R750 has been right here all along, and it’s better than ever this year. Thank you, Suzuki, for staying the course and making the best all-around sportbike you can buy.

Best Open Streetbike: Kawasaki ZX-14
It may seem strange that a bike offering nearly 200 horsepower has taken this category in lieu of being named Best Superbike. While the new flagship Ninja–capable of sprinting the quarter-mile quicker than any production bike we’ve ever tested–certainly meets the criteria of a landmark Superbike, it’s this machine’s more docile side that has made it our choice of best overall large-caliber streetbike of the year. Through the magic of black-box mapping, the low-rev power delivery of this King Kong Kawi has been tamed to a level that even an average rider can command. And like Kong, the 14 is surprisingly agile within its weight class, making it at ease in the urban jungle and on the open road. All this and savage acceleration when there’s a need to show teeth.

Best Middleweight Streetbike: Triumph Daytona 675
The variety of engine displacements in the Middleweight category shows that rules were meant to be broken, while three all-new models prove competition is stiff. Making it all the more impressive then that the Ten Best trophy will be moving from Iwata to Hinkley. Triumph returns to what it knows best with this 675cc Triple, giving street riders what they really want–usable real-world power. Handling was never a Daytona deficiency, but the 675’s chassis with top-of-the-line brakes and suspension takes it to a new level and completes the package. The Daytona 675 is a truly versatile bike equally potent on the road or track. Add in its pretty face and what’s not to like? Welcome to the Bigs, Triumph.

Best Standard: Triumph Speed Triple
It’s only fitting that the British invented "streetfighters"–sporty motorcycles stripped of their bodywork and fitted with taller handlebars. Bikes of that ilk have evolved into new-age "standards," and no one currently builds a better one than Triumph with its 1050cc Speed Triple. Winner of last year’s Best Open-Class Streetbike award, this bug-eyed, bob-tailed naked bike can shred a backroad like a card-carrying repli-racer, pumps out gobs of torque at any rpm in every gear, and has a comfy chassis with a sit-up riding position ideal for everything from an hour-long commute to a day-long ride. If you have one scintilla of hooliganism in you–or an ounce of practicality–there’s a Speed Triple somewhere with your name on it.

Best Sport-Tourer: BMW K1200GT
The strengths and capabilities of a sport-touring bike should be as varied and rich as the roads and destinations in this world. Further, the best bikes in the class should suggest such promise and adventure on even the shortest ride. While last year’s winning Yamaha FJR1300 didn’t make the ’06 voting deadline in standard or push-button-shift "AE" model form, we got the feeling it wouldn’t have mattered. From Electronic Suspension Adjustment to heated grips and seat to electrically adjustable windscreen to capacious saddlebags to the incredible urge of its 152-horsepower inline-Four, the BMW K1200GT is a leap forward in swift comfort and cornering composure. All the bikes in this class promise a lot in terms of how far you can go and how much fun you can have getting there. The BMW K1200GT promises more.

Best Cruiser: Yamaha Star Roadliner
Every manufacturer hopes to hit a home run with a new model, but with the Star Roadliner, Yamaha has belted a game-winning grand slam. Beneath this bike’s wall-to-wall art-deco styling is a big-inch cruiser that performs better than its competition in virtually every way. Its 1854cc, counter-balanced, 48-degree engine is a torque-rich powerhouse that belts out the soulful sound and visceral feel that can only emanate from a narrow-angle V-Twin. It’s a big motorcycle, but thanks to its stiff aluminum chassis, low cg, high-quality suspension and intelligent mass centralization, the ’Liner feels and handles much smaller. It has excellent cornering manners, superb straight-line stability, easy maneuverability and a truly pleasant ride. Touch ’em all!

Best Touring Bike: Honda GL1800 Gold Wing
After two years of watching BMW take home the, uh, "gold" in this category, the Gold Wing is back on the top step of the podium, earning the Best Touring Bike award for the 16th time. Mechanically, the 2006 Wing isn’t much different than the ’05, but Honda finally made available some long-overdue accessories (GPS, as well as heated grips, seat and passenger backrest) this year, and that was sufficient to swing our vote back in the big Six’s favor. So, with a smoothie of an engine that could move mountains, a plush, spacious cockpit, great weather protection and remarkably competent handling for a motorcycle of its size, the Gold Wing returns as the finest over-the-road traveling companion on two wheels.

Best Dual-Sport Bike: Husqvarna TE510
After a two-year hiatus for a little fun with big-hearted Playbikes, we’ve reinstated the Dual-Sport category. Fueled by new entries from three different manufacturers, there’s movement in this class, and the multi-tasking, eco-friendly bikes are now better then ever. Choices range from tree-slaloming 250cc machines all the way up to 1200cc beasts, but roosting ahead this year is Husqvarna with its 50-state-street-legal line of enduro machines. And out of that group the big-boomer TE510 is the pick, a full-on race-ready bike but with DOT tires and turnsignals. Hey, the TE fulfills most every off-roader’s dream–a real dirtbike that will carve backroads, run errands and even take you to work–the long way, of course.

Best Enduro Bike: KTM 450 EXC
Versatility, thy name is 450 EXC–at least when it comes to off-road riding. Enduro riders are the long-distance runners of the moto-world; they need a bike that is easy to ride, a bike that will do the heavy lifting for them, a bike capable of going almost anywhere in conditions that would have lesser riders back home in bed. This KTM is that bike. Already blessed with traction-seeking four-stroke power, electric starting, supple suspension and almost intuitive handling, for ’06 the orange bike received recalibrated fork/shock settings, a revised steering-head angle and a new carburetor. More than enough to take it to the top of Enduro Bike Mountain, wheelying all the way.

Best Motocrosser: Honda CRF450R
Four was a coup but five spells dynasty. That’s how many years the Honda CRF450R has dominated the Best MX category. Honda didn’t have to do much to keep the CRF at the top of the heap, but leaving things unchanged just isn’t its style. Refinements were made to fine-tune an already excellent package. The engine’s position in the chassis was moved to lower the center of gravity, while other minor tweaks were made to improve durability. Changes to the suspension, including revalving the fork and shock, allow the CRF to glide over bumps and through the whoops. All of this adds up to a better-handling, better-performing CRF450R. Can Big Red make it six in a row?