#Standard

Last but not least in BMW’s new line of liquid-cooled Boxers (and not even quite last since the RS variant will be here next year), is the lovely new thoroughly redesigned R1200R you see here. Where the GS and GS Adventure want you to dig out your Boy Scout neckerchief and head off into the boonies, and the RT wants you to abandon your life and make them all three-day weekends, the basic R is the bike for all reasons: This one’s designed to be great everyday urban transport but comfortable and capable enough for long distances with a passenger and luggage as well, and a reasonable dirt road wouldn’t be a problem either. It’s your basic Roadster, the most direct descendant of the first Boxer BMW built nigh-on 100 years ago.

It was a good summer, all in all, made better by hanging out with the friendly, fun-to-be-around Harley-Davidson Street 750. We were only supposed to have the little hog for a couple weeks, starting in mid-June, but it wound up being a puppy that wanders into your yard you hope nobody comes looking for, so we asked to keep it around a little longer. It’s supposed to be an entry-level/beginner bike, and my 20-year old son liked it so much he went and got his motorcycle license, something no other bike at the compound had gotten him to do. The Street even got him to do a little work for MO, which nobody and no other thing has ever been able to accomplish.

Last week’s Church of MO feature brought you the Suzuki GSR 600, a naked middleweight, the likes of which are re-gaining popularity within the past few years. As we saw last week, and will see again this week with our look back at the 2002 Kawasaki ZR-7s, the naked middleweight class is a very favorable class of motorcycle. Graced with moderate power, upright ergos, and practicality beyond what any sportbike can offer, it’s no wonder why the class is seeing a reemergence as of late. Need further proof, check out MO’s ZR-7S review from 12 years ago.

Although the primary focus of the Suzuki Dealer Meeting is the revealing of the 2015 model line, a special look a year ahead was shared with attendees in the form of the early-release 2016 GSX-S1000, GSX-S1000F, and GSX-S1000F ABS models. Suzuki is well aware that some of the qualities that make an open-class sportbike capable of winning on the race track prevent it from being an ideal street bike. To remedy this issue, today Suzuki introduced its dealers and the media to the GSX-S1000 line of motorcycles.

The 750 Naked bike class has just gained a formidable entry. Suzuki Motor of America as taken the wraps off the 2015 Suzuki GSX-S750 and GSX-S750Z, which our European readers will recognize as the GSR750 that’s been available on the Continent since 2011 but will now arrive in the U.S. for the first time. These functionally identical motorcycles will certainly enliven what has been an energetic class in the last year.

When we were introduced to the 2015 Honda CBR300R at its recent press introduction at Honda’s headquarters in Southern California, Honda reps teased us by displaying the 300R’s naked sibling, the CB300F, alongside it. We weren’t able to ride it, but there it sat, ready for the assembled press to sit, ogle and stare. Thankfully, Honda didn’t keep us waiting for long, as only weeks after I rode the fully faired 300R, we were given a 300F to throw around.

Honda’s homage to itself was a big hit for 2013 with all those fans who still can’t get enough of the original earth-shattering 1969 CB750, even though the bike picked up design influences from a few more CBs as it rolled along Memory Lane: 1100F-ish fuel tank shape, 400F-like right-side four-into-one pipe … In any case, its style definitely pushed a lot of the right buttons for vintage Honda enthusiasts.

Originally launched in 2004, Moto Guzzi’s Griso isn’t new to the scene. The bike’s styling is so uncategorizable and timeless, it looks contemporary whether parked next to a BMW R nineT or KTM Super Duke R. Beauty’s in the eye of the beholder, and whether you love it or leave it, you certainly can’t say it looks dated.

The heavyweight Streetfighter category of motorcycles has exploded in popularity lately, with seemingly every manufacturer jumping on the bandwagon for a piece of the pie. Japan’s represented with the Kawasaki Z1000, Honda CB1000R, and even Suzuki is entering the ring in 2015 with the GSX-S1000. Italy’s three representatives include the MV Agusta Brutale 1090RR, Ducati Monster 1200 and Aprilia Tuono V4R. Germany, of course, gives us the BMW S1000R, and we can’t forget BMW’s Austrian neighbors and their contribution to the party: the all-conquering KTM 1290 Super Duke R, Motorcycle.com’s 2014 Motorcycle of the Year.

Your giant corporations can be a little slow to respond to trends, but sometimes they surprise you. Yamaha started teasing the idea of bringing back its old SR400 a couple years ago, and now they’ve gone ahead and done it. This is not a modern interpretation of the old bike, this is the actual old bike it’s been building and selling in other markets since the ’70s – though it does have modern fuel injection and a charcoal canister to meet current emissions requirements.

Sporting a California plate and looking production-ready, this new Suzuki looks set to expand our favorite class of motorcycles – sporting nakeds – bikes that include the KTM Super Duke R, BMW S1000R, Kawasaki Z1000 and Ducati’s Monsters.

By Kevin Duke

By Troy Siahaan

Herr Hipster, your bike has arrived. The BMW R nineT impresses with its premium finish details and a pared profile boiled down to its essentials. Seeing the bike in pictures doesn’t do justice to the wow factor experienced when seeing it in the flesh.

Since the launch of Ducati’s Monster 1200 S ($15,995) earlier this year, we’ve extensively tested the bike on both the track and the street. What we found is that while the 1200 S is not the best choice for a naked track-day weapon, it is a consummate roadster when set between the yellow and white lines. Now comes the Monster 821 with an MSRP of $11,495. Is the smaller-displacement Ducati Monster a better choice than the base-model Monster 1200 at $13,495?