Here's a tip for ferrying motorcycles just in case the ferry ride is less than smooth. Use wheel chocks on the rear wheel to keep the [Honda] from rolling. On this ferry we backed up to the built-in "curb", so only one chock was needed in front of the wheel. Fit another wheel chock under the right side of the frame opposite the sidestand. You can see that one under Gordon's Goldwing in the picture. That one helps prevent the [motorcycle] from tipping sideways away from the sidestand in case the ferry bumps the landing a little hard. It was smooth sailing on all the ferries we rode.

Big changes came again in 2004 with a new cylinder head, radial mounted calipers and new styling along with the normal reduction in weight and increase in power. The GSX-R750 was now 13kg lighter than the original 1985 model and had 48 more ponies to propel that lighter weight.

2005 marks the 20th anniversary of that original mould breaking GSX-R750. It was always on the cards that Suzuki would do something with the GSX-R750 to mark the occasion and details of exactly that were released late last year when Suzuki officially announced that a special anniversary edition of the GSX-R750 was on the way for 2005.

The V Star 650 is a shaft driven [motorcycle] which was important to me as it means less maintenance in general. The trade-off is the shaft drive sucks a little of the power so the V Star has less hp than [motorcycles] of similar size. Having said that, I've never wanted for more power while riding the V Star as it has plenty of power for highway cruising at 75mph and acceleration is good for passing and entering freeways. I've not ridden with a passenger, but the [motorcycle] has plenty of power to move my 225 pounds without effort.

With a relatively modest 68 horsepower on tap, acceleration is predictably stately. On the plus side, the Twin Cam 88 starts making acres of torque just a few hundred rpm above idle. Power flows seamlessly from there, so shift when you feel like it. Aside from the endemic H-D clunk between gears, the five-speed gearbox on our bike shifted flawlessly.

If the Rune is a gift, the eye is the first to profit. Never have we seen such finesse -- such attention to detail -- in a production [motorycle]. There is hardly a physical flaw to grumble over, and the closest we've come is to criticize the Rune logo on the sleek, seamless tank, which appears to be a stick-on graphic that causes a rise in the thick clearcoat. A Princess and the Pea issue, for sure. We adore [its] '50s-hotrod-meets-Rocketeer styling, but the thing that really makes it work is the depth of detail. The [Rune] is totally integrated "like a puzzle," says Blank. "Each layer must be absolutely perfect before the next layer is applied." These [motorcycles] are built on a line, but at a speed that lends to a "handcrafted" result. "There are so many white glove inspections," says Blank, "that the approval process takes as long as it does to build some other [motorcycles]."

The Suzuki is the non-conformist in the trio, with a throbbing 90-degree DOHC V-twin sporting 645cc—two cylinders less and about 45 cubes more than the high-revving Honda and Yamaha DOHC in-line fours, which are descended from the CBR-F3 and R6 sportbikes. The SV650 is also the only 2003 model in our test.

Honda is the only manufacturer to introduce a new open-class sportbike for 2004 without providing a claimed dry weight figure. Is it possible Honda took a "wait and see" approach here? Kawasaki has claimed its new ZX-10R weighs 365 pounds -- an incredible figure for an open-class machine. Honda could easily substitute a magnesium or titanium part, or parts, before announcing an official dry weight, as necessary, in order to be the lightest in the class.

I certainly hadn't expected a naked bike wearing the blue-and-white propeller badge to be such an unashamed high-performance knockout. Despite BMW's attempted image transformation over the past few years and the fact that the K1200R's 163-horsepower (claimed) peak output makes it the world's most powerful roadster, the German marque still hasn't totally lost its reputation for practicality, common sense and caution.