Now it's official: this year BMW Motorrad will introduce the K 1200 S, a completely new and fascinating high performance motorcycle in the sport segment.

The K 1200 S was designed as a sport bike and is a completely separate motorcycle within the K family. It is radically new, featuring an unprecedented number of innovations. It is a high-precision sport bike offering unique agility as well as enormous output

Hyosung, the giant Korean industrial combine, is finally offering a 650cc V-Twin sportbike to the US market. It's $950 less than the comparable Japanese model, the Suzuki SV650S, but how does it work? Are Korean motorcycles ready for prime time?

We here at MO spent a lot of time discussing the Hyosung. Maven Ashley had read it was just a rebadged SV650, as Hyosung is rumored to manufacture engines and other components for Suzuki.

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 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.

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.

Running lean or not, the V-four responds to throttle movement with absolute grace; the injection rarely does anything more or less than you expect. Such refinement is a VFR hallmark, as is its wide-ranging capabilities, many of which stem from what could be the perfect ergonomic compromise. It's just sporty enough to be fun, but truly all-day comfortable. The seat is as wonderful as ever, the vibration levels are subdued, and the new fairing provides superb protection with minimal turbulence. Most of us feel Honda's restyle on the [motorcycle] is a smashing success.

Both the Rockster and Ballabio facing off in this shootout can be lumped into the nakedbike category. They aren’t stripped down sportbikes, but rather are standards that have been modified to look more menacing than their performance would seem to allow.

Despite their apparent dissimilarities, the Italian Guzzi and the German BMW share many of the same qualities. Both use non-overhead-cam, air-cooled twin-cylinder motors mounted across the frame making around 75 horsepower, and both are quirky shaft-driven European machines with the same 120/70-17 and 180/55-17 tires. Each can be purchased for about $11,000.

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.