What do you get when a scooter and a motorcycle mate on a hot Italian night? The 850 Mana—Aprilia’s hybrid love child.
By Bill Heald

When it comes to the elemental nature of motorcycles, usually what you see is what you get. This is especially true when it comes to “naked” street bikes that cruise down the road without any confining bodywork, so the engine and associated mechanicals are exposed for all the world to see. One look at the familiar shape of the fuel tank shows you where the motion lotion is located, and the transmission-aside from the number of gears—is pretty much identical no matter the bike.

The Aprilia 850 Mana, however, is one clever nudist. Despite being unclothed, this crossbreed still manages to hide groundbreaking innovations beneath its stylish lines. Concealed within this middleweight street brawler are features previously found only on high-tech scooters, stealthily housed within a polished, refined chassis that is all motorcycle. This machine integrates elements of both kinds of rides to create something very special, and the fun starts with a robust 839.3-cc, liquidcooled, 90-degree V-twin. Equipped with four-valve heads and the latest in fuel-injection technology, the Mana mill generates 76 horsepower with plenty of low-end torque. The engine is bolted into a stiff, elegant, trellisstyle steel frame with a lightweight aluminum swingarm. Excellent triple-disc brakes and stout inverted front forks give the Mana sporting character, and its light weight makes it easy to maneuver in traffic.

Clearly, this is an excellent middleweight motorcycle that is ideal for those seeking a sporty commuter
machine. But wait—something’s missing. The first thing you notice when you grab the handlebar is that someone has ripped off the clutch lever. Why would someone do such a thing? In this case, Aprilia’s engineers did it because it isn’t needed. The Mana has a very unique motorcycle transmission called a Sportgear, and this is where the scooter genes are expressed. You can opt for Autodrive, a three-mode automatic transmission, or a manual sequential tranny with seven speeds. The Autodrive option offers three different electronic maps to tune your ride for the day, including Touring (for maximum versatility
and minimum consumption), Sport (for maximum performance), and Rain (perfect when the going gets slippery). The manual option lets you select gears by using the conventional foot lever or a handlebar switch. This is a major advance in motorcycle tech, giving you all kinds of shifting options without ever having to bother with a clutch. And it even has a handy, concealed parking brake, too.

The other brilliant scooter-like touch involves the fuel tank, which is located lower in the chassis with a
filler under the rear seat; the “tank” is actually a spacious, lighted trunk that can swallow a full-face helmet, with a 12-volt socket for your cellphone. Like the transmission, it’s the user-friendly engineering from a smaller kind of two-wheeler that makes the Mana a brilliant new hybrid that goes where no street bike has gone before.

SPECIFICATIONS
Engine type: Liquid-cooled, 90-degree longitudinal V-twin
Bore x stroke: 88 mm x 69 mm
Displacement: 839.3 cc
Fuel system:Weber Marelli electronic fuel injection
Ignition: Digital electronic
Transmission: Sequential, with automatic or sevenspeed manual mode
Front suspension: 43-mm male slider forks
Rear suspension: Single shock, preload, and rebound adjustable
Front brakes: Dual 320-mm discs with radial calipers
Rear brake: Single 260-mm disc
Front tires: 120/70 ZR17
Rear tire: 180/55 ZR17
Fuel tank: 4.2 gallons
Wheelbase: 57.6 inches
Seat height: 31.5 inches
Dry weight: 507 pounds
MSRP: $9,900

Kawasaki doubles down with a new pair of twins–one for the real jungle and one for the paved variety.

Ah, diversity. Where would we be without it? Kawasaki embraces the concept with two 650-cc parallel twins that are as different as chalk and cheese, yet are awesome real-world mounts.

KLR650
The earthy backpacker of this duo is a dirt bike one minute and a flickable traffic jouster the next. It’s been fortified for 2008 with suspension and brake upgrades and a host of changes from stem to stern, so this made-for-adventure machine is a true SUV–an off-road berm-buster that handles commuter congestion (and potholes) with amazing aplomb. The 651-cc mill has a balancing system for smoothness, and fuel economy (and simplicity) is enhanced with a good ol’ carburetor instead of black-box electronic fueling. Throttle response is sharp and low-end torque abundant. A long-travel suspension and standard engine guard are ideally suited for trail work, but equally welcome on beat-to-crap city roads. An upright riding position and wide, dirt bike-style handlebars work well on or off-road. Another welcome feature is the standard handguards, which not only shield your hands from tree branches in the bush, but perform the same function with car mirrors on city streets. A sleek mini fairing offers decent protection from the elements, and a huge, solid luggage rack can haul beaver pelts and your Armani briefcase. Last but not least, a 6.1-gallon fuel tank combined with the KLR’s miserly attitude toward fuel consumption means excellent range.

VERSYS
You’ve got to love those Kawasaki engineers. They decided to take the trick chassis of the Ninja 650R sport bike and get all urban with it, in a quest to design a street warrior that excels in a crowded cityscape. What they created is not only a smart machine, but also an entertaining ride that uses dirt-bike attributes (like a long-travel suspension similar to the KLR, but mixed with sport-bike tuning) in a fresh, unique package. The Versys–649-cc twin is compact, armed with a balancer shaft to quell vibrations, and topped with Digital Fuel Injection for sharp throttle response. And once again, an upright riding position keeps the pressure off your lower back and allows you to see over the tops of cars when battling rush-hour traffic. Quick steering geometry and excellent suspension deliver trackworthy handling on any road. A cool minimalist windscreen does a surprisingly good job keeping the wind off your chest during blasts down the interstate, while the deeply dished seat offers acceptable comfort for allday rides. Since you eventually have to throw some whoa into the giddyup, the Versys has brilliant brakes with triple petal-shaped discs that resist warping. All of this makes the Versys a ride that’s as fine-tuned to the street as the KLR is versatile.

From chic choppers to cruise missiles with saddlebags, these new street bikes will make 2008 a very hot year.
-By Bill Heald

With the price of gas ap proaching Evian territory and polar bears watching their yards melt away, it’s nice to finally have a “selfless,� even “noble,� reason to visit a motorcycle dealership. By God, you’re a responsible citizen who wants to reduce our use of foreign crude, fight global warming, ease parking congestion, and shorten commuting time to enhance productivity! And if in order to do these things you need to score an awesomely powerful autobahn burner or stylish chrome stallion, so be it. The truth is, buying a 2008 bike doesn’t make sense only if you want to save gas; the top manufacturers have cobbled together some of the baddest machines ever to grace the boulevard in every category. Motorcycles are faster, lighter, and more Velcro-like in how they cling to the tarmac, and scooters are even growing extra wheels. Want to cool down the planet with some hot hardware? Now’s your chance. Your ride has arrived.

Suzuki B-King $12,899

The Suzuki Hayabusa sport bike is named after a wicked Japanese falcon and flirts with a 200-mph top speed. The B-King takes the same 1,340-cc engine and loses the burkalike bodywork, as if all that plastic blew off during a blast down a deserted interstate. A slick system called Suzuki Drive Mode Selector allows you to pick an engine response curve to tune down the beast when you need to chill around town. Acceleration is brisk, to say the least, and the six-speed transmission has a torquelimiting clutch to smooth downshifts when you finally slow back down. All the latest chassis goodies are here, including an aluminum twinspar frame, awesome brakes, and an inverted front fork with a fully adjustable single rear shock. Also stan dard is a certain menacing gothic appearance that implies you’re the baddest dude in town, so act accordingly.

Kawasaki Concours 14 $13,799

In 2006, Kawasaki gave us the ZX-14 sport bike, which is armed with a massive 1,352-cc inline four that’s capable of yanking your arms from their sockets when you give the throttle a hard twist. Also in the stable was the Concours, Kawasaki’s legendary sport tourer that needed a fresh start after two decades of service. The Concours 14 is a ground up new motorcycle that not only has the ZX-14’s stunning engine, but also a Monocoque chassis that is as modern as the bike it replaced was dated. Fully adjustable suspension components let you fine-tune the ride and handling to your tastes, while shaft drive eases maintenance. Comfort and performance blend together seamlessly in this all-day milemuncher, and standard hard luggage, available ABS, and a 5.8-gallon gas tank close the deal. Kawasaki calls it a Transcontinental Supersport Tourer; we call it brilliant.

Ducati Hypermotard $11,995

One of the coolest things about motorcycles is how the racing world influences the styling and engineering found in street bikes. The Ducati Hypermotard is the product of a new style of racing that began several years ago, when a bunch of racers took some dirt bikes, put street tires on them, and started com peting on tight, curvy tracks with both paved and dirt sections. They discovered that not only was this Supermotard racing a blast, but the bikes proved competent at just about everything. Ducati’s Hypermotard embraces this new genre in both form and function, resulting in a thrilling, aggressive street ride. Powered by a torque-rich 1,078-cc air-cooled L-twin with plenty of low-down muscle and a throaty exhaust note, the Hypermotard’s light weight, short wheelbase, and wide handlebars make it the ultimate street-carver. In typical Ducati fashion, the designers have taken what could be a stylistically ugly duckling (thanks to its dirt-bike origins) and made it hot, sexy, and brilliantly well-proportioned. A more expensive high-performance S version with suspension, brake, tire, and other upgrades makes this stout stallion even more desirable.

BMW launches a hot pair of asphalt-carving twins. By Bill Heald

Few manufacturers have worked as hard as BMW when it comes to producing new machinery. This latest effort adds a whole new class of bikes to its line, courtesy of a brace of sporting 800s. The F 800 S and its touring partner, the F 800 ST, feature an engine format that BMW has never used before—the vertical twin. This compact, plucky 85-horsepower mill, built by Austrian engine manufacturer Rotax exclusively for BMW, sports four-valve heads and electronic engine management, and features an interesting first in a production motorcycle. To quell vibration, a swing-action balancing rod knocks out annoying shakes and smooths the twin’s power pulses, even at higher revolutions.

This technology is mated to a six-speed transmission and a clean, quiet belt that powers the rear wheel instead of a chain. The F 800 S and the F 800 ST possess a rigid aluminum frame and an under-seat fuel tank for better mass centralization. In addition to the high-performance triple-disc brakes, BMW’s excellent antilock system—which the marque’s engineers have been perfecting for decades—is available as a factory option. Stout 43-mm front forks and a fully adjustable rear shock handle suspension duties, and a single-sided rear swingarm not only looks cool but also makes wheel changes a snap.

A standard steering damper keeps things on track should you blast out of a corner and hit a serious bump while hard on the gas—a situation that can induce a nasty, potentially disastrous wobble in motorcycles with lesser road discipline.

The F 800 S is the sportier of the duo, with a lower, shorter handlebar that promotes a more aggressive riding position, a lower windshield, a smaller fairing to reduce drag, and “speed� wheel design. The ST gets higher handlebars for a more upright riding position, a larger fairing with side panels for more weather protection, a standard luggage rack, and a “dynamic� wheel design. Great options like expandable saddlebags, heated handgrips, and a trip computer add long-haul comfort and versatility to either machine.

BMW held the U.S. press introduction for these bikes in Kona, Hawaii, and the Big Island was the perfect venue for contrasting the S and ST’s personalities. Both bikes are light, flickable rides that deliver crisp, smooth power from the new vertical twin and excellent stability
when pushed hard. Tropical rain showers demonstrated the value of the ST’s better weather protection, while the S’s sportier riding position made railing through tight corners a breeze. Amazingly, as fresh as these lightweight twins are, they still have the versatility, comfort, and even the exhaust cadence of a traditional BMW.

The always cuttingedge Honda is going retro. The Shadow Spirit 750 is a stylish V-twin cruiser with a refined, liquid-cooled mill. But instead of state-of-the-art fuel injection, it has a carburetor! While everybody’s doing full disc brakes, the Spirit’s rear brake is a polished drum that looks pirated from a 1970s beater. Instrumentation consists of a speedometer and not much else. But this bike has classic character, a laidback riding position, and a deep, throaty exhaust note; the engine is small but satisfying. And at $6,799, the Spirit is a steal.

By Bill Heald

For those who believe here’s no such thing as too much muscle, the Boss Hoss Super port grafts a 355-horsepower V-8 onto motorcycle chassis and adds appropriate accessories like a heat and fuel tank (with a shape like Pam Anderson’s profile) to create a two-wheeled monster truck. The engine is mated to a two speed semiautomatic transmission (with reverse), and a trio of sizable disc brakes is on hand to slow the package. Wicked cornering is not this beast’s forte, but it’s perfectly rideable despite its half-ton-plus mass. Heavy metal has its price, though, and you’ll cough up at least $39,500.

By Bill Heald

The Sportster has occupied a unique niche in the Harley lineup as a classic, no-frills bike that is sportier and less portly than the typical Fat Boy. It’s also considered an entrylevel hog, thanks to a spartan personality—which includes lots of vibes while idling—and a more affordable price than most of the ornate cruisers that clogged Daytona’s busy boulevards. The new Nightster celebrates the Sportster heritage with dark, elemental styling, a torque-rich 1,200-cc V-twin engine, and an aggressive riding position (by Harley standards) that urges you to spur the creature through traffic like an iron buffalo. $9,595

By Bill Heald