The motor on the GSX-R750 has a very smooth seamless delivery with an electric feel to it. There are no big hits in the powerband, just a steady heightening of power. The motor is a little lacking in the mid-range forcing you to keep the revs up on corner exit. You have to ride it more like a 600 than a 1000 to get the true potential out of GSX-R. Keep the motor close to its rev ceiling at 15,000 rpm and you'll have the GSX-R singing nicely.

While the engine is new, it does retain the same 67 x 42.5 bore and stroke dimensions as before. Interestingly this is identical to Honda's CBR600RR and Yamaha’s latest YZF-R6. Yamaha did have a different bore and stroke previously but have gone with the consensus for their all new 2006 model. Kawasaki's ZX-6RR also utilises those exact dimensions which means that all four Japanese middleweights produce their 599.4cc in exactly the same way. Spooky huh?

2,600 miles into this review, the ST1300 has been bullet-proof (as you might expect), and returns relatively good gas mileage (38 miles per gallon). Coupled with the large gas tank capacity (7.7 gallons), we frequently exceed 250 miles before heeding the call of the low fuel warning light on the very thorough instrumentation...

Somewhere between a Hayabusa and a Honda Rebel exists a class of motorcycles that cuts one of the largest swaths among streetbike riders, they are what we like to call "reality bikes."

A reality bike, by our definition, is an elemental yet widely capable machine that is friendly to both its owner's wallet and its insurance provider, perfectly willing to pound out commuter miles during the week followed some out-of-town fun on the weekend.

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.

The 781cc V-Four has a pair of Siamesed cylinders set 90 degrees apart, its 16 valves are actuated by a pedestrian cam chain. It's fueled by 12-hole fuel injectors and is wrapped by a pair of slim-line radiators that peek through the fairing's side vents. Finally, the engine boasts iridium-tipped spark plugs, an air-injection system and a three-way catalyst—technology that helped earn the motor a seven-year federal smog certificate—good until the 2008 model year.

We chose two-dual sports with opposing strengths to see if it’s best to have refined street capabilities or a taste for the dirty stuff. Honda's XR650L is a [motorcycle] that has gained a legion of fans thanks to its powerful and dependable persona since its introduction back in 1992. Since then it's won Baja races too numerous to count.

The opponent for the XR is the BMW F650 GS, a [motorcycle] that has a superb pedigree (2000 Grenada-Dakar rally winner) and owner loyalty to match, if not exceed, that of the XR faithful. Our Beemer tester came in Dakar guise, which means that it has a longer-travel suspension, larger-diameter wheels and knobbier tires than the regular GS.

At the Intermot Show in Cologne, Germany, Harley-Davidson displayed this prototype XR1200 variation of the Sportster 1200 motorcycle. Styled like the XR750 dirttrack racer, the XR display bike features high-performance Showa suspension and Nissin brakes. In short, it's intended to be the Sportster that emphasizes sport. The bike was showed to test the reaction of show attendees, and if it sees a positive reaction, Harley says the motorcycle will go into production, probably within the year.