Suzuki recently announced the release of its updated GSX-R1000 for 2012, with minor modifications to the engine and chassis headlining the list of changes. Brembo monobloc calipers and a new single-muffler exhaust have also been fitted and look to keep the Suzuki on par with the competition.

To say that it’s important to BMW for Husqvarna to succeed is something of an understatement. Not only have the Germans plowed a considerable sum of money into the Swedish/Italian/German company, they also need the new customers it should attract. In much the same way as BMW took the Mini name and created a whole new image around the car, BMW Motorrad is planning on making Husqvarna its fresh and slightly wild brand to appeal to a different sector of the bike market. Having spent four years planning how to achieve this goal, the first road bikes of the new collaboration are now ready to go to market — the Nuda 900 and the Nuda 900R.

Triumph is proud of its Speed Triple. For good reason too; one in every eight Triumphs sold during 2011 was a Speed Triple. There’s no sign of those sales numbers dipping for 2012 either, with the 1050cc hooligan bike now coming in an ‘R’ model that Triumph aficionados are sure to lust after.

2012 Aprilia Sportbikes

• RSV4 R APRC and RSV4 Factory APRC
• Standard Tuono V4 R now imported to USA
• Dorsoduro 1200, Mana 850 GT ABS and Shiver 750 return

Japanese manufacturers have long dominated the literbike category, although it was Suzuki who walked away with the crown in the majority of our past literbike comparisons. Kawasaki would steal the limelight on occasion (namely in ’04 and ’08), while Honda and Yamaha would always put in a good showing. The true shift in tide would come in 2009, when BMW introduced its S 1000 RR to the 1000cc class. With its unrivaled power, sophisticated electronics and well-sorted chassis, the S 1000 RR walked away from the competition in both our 2010 and 2011 literbike shootouts (“Europe Invades,” June ‘10 and “The Empire Strikes Back,” July ‘11). Just like that, the Japanese manufacturers’ reign on the class came to an end.

Back in the October 2011 issue, SR senior editor Andrew Trevitt wrote a superb technical article (“Advanced Traction Control”) on the increasingly rapid progress of traction control on motorcycles — via the patent applications filed by various OEMs that were unearthed from the vast labyrinth of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office archives. One of those patents was filed by engineers at Yamaha, describing a sophisticated traction control system that uses complex mathematical equations to help it control wheel slip. The fact that a bike resembling an R1 was used in many of the diagrams was pretty significant evidence that it was only a matter of time before Yamaha’s sporting flagship would soon be employing traction control.

Due to the great demand, KTM will once again offer the RC8 R production racer, “race use only” version in MY 2012. Top IDM riders like Bauer, Nebel and Smrz have proven the merits of the concept with countless race wins. The offer is directed at championship racers on a national level as well as committed amateurs who intend to use their sport bike exclusively on racetracks. The bike has a Superstock homologation and is assembled “ready to race” by the KTM factory racing department, using lots of goodies from the KTM PowerParts range essential for serious racing. 180 hp make for acceptable propulsion, and a mechanical anti-hopping clutch minimizes rear wheel hop under massive trail braking. Leave the shop and lay down the fastest lap of the trackday without any conversions, with the possible exception of a stop-over at the painter’s for your sponsor’s colour scheme.

Images and information from KTM's press material

Images and information from KTM's press material

The Suzuki GSX-R1000 once dominated the literbike category. In ’08 there was a shift in the tide though, and Suzuki’s long reign came to an abrupt halt. Honda and Kawasaki stepped up to the plate and dethroned the GSX-R1000, which had simply gone too long without receiving a major update. In 2009 the GSX-R1000 was reengineered, but by then the BMW S 1000 RR was well on its way and it was almost too little too late for the Japanese manufacturer. Suzuki offered no new models in 2010, and for 2011, the bike went unchanged yet again.

Images and information from Aprilia's press material.

Information and images from Aprilia's press material. Only the standard model will be imported to the USA for 2012.

There’s a huge divide between practical and impractical. A grey area between what you want and what you need. Case in point: the Ducati Streetfighter 1098. For years we itched for a no-holds-barred naked bike, a sans-bodywork motorcycle whose performance paralleled that of its superbike siblings. The Ducati Streetfighter was just that, an aggressively designed machine coupled with the company’s taught 1099cc L-twin engine. But while the Streetfighter received a cult-like following amongst Ducatisti, the honest truth is that it had too much performance for the average rider. Our wants proved far less practical than our needs.

From MV Agusta's press material:

The legend is reborn and the Brutale family continues to grow. No fairing and pure design. For 2012 the MV Agusta Brutale model line expands with the third version, three different models for riders with different needs but all with a single core goal, the maximum riding experience on a supersport naked. Along with the entry level Brutale 920 and supersport Brutale R 1090 there is now the Brutale RR 1090, a true superbike with 158hp.

The success of the new generation of Brutale’s is in the spotlight due to its unmistakable design, advanced technology and exceptional performance. MV Agusta Brutale, a bike that has not only set the standard in the motorcycle market for excellence, but it has also become an authentic commercial success.

Lining up next to the Brutale 920, the entry level motorcycle in the MV Agusta four cylinder family, the new Brutale R 1090 is born and is the new market reference.

The engine is the high performance 1078cc four cylinder with radial intake and exhaust valves, the largest displacement engine ever built by MV Agusta. It is a volcano of power and torque with 106 kW (144 hp) at 10.300 rpm.

The frame is a mix of steel and aluminum mated to a Marzocchi 50mm USD front fork and a Sachs rear shock, both with valving specific to the Brutale R 1090 capable of taming the most torturous roads and demanding race tracks. The Brutale R 1090 also employs a 190/55 – ZR17 rear tyre that guarantees optimal grip, even during the most extreme conditions.

To say that we’re excited for the forthcoming 2012 literbike comparison would be a sheer understatement. BMW, Yamaha, Suzuki and Ducati all have new or updated packages this year, plus Honda has decided to make things interesting by alas updating its ever-consistent CBR1000RR, something it had yet to do since the bike was overhauled back in ’08. A recent chance to throw a leg over the bike at the tight, technical Infineon Raceway in scenic Sonoma, California during the bike's official launch would give us a chance to see if the reworked Honda has what it takes to regain the crown in the literbike category.

“This email is surprisingly not being sent from inside a jail,” began Bradley’s report on riding our project Suzuki GSX1250FA for the first time. “Man, that thing is strong.” Backing up a few months, we had found the GSX to be somewhat anemic in our comparison test with the Kawasaki Ninja 1000 and Yamaha FZ1 (“Battle of the Super-Standards”, Aug. ‘11). Plenty comfortable for commuting, the heavy Suzuki simply ran out of steam at the top end, to the tune of more than 25 horsepower compared with the Ninja and FZ1. Kento and Bradley were using the GSX for the daily freeway grind and not much else, and that should have been the end of the story…until a reader commented that Dale Walker from Holeshot Performance had a combination of parts that more than made up that horsepower difference with little effort.

They’re known as “sweet spot” motorcycles: streetbikes so balanced, user-friendly and all-around capable that they stand well above their two-wheeled counterparts, forging lasting reputations as exciting, practical and stylish machines.

There aren’t many such overachievers in today’s narrowly focused two-wheeled world. Since its debut back in 2006, the multi-talented Ninja® 650R has been a bona fide member of this elite group, winning accolades from owners and media alike. But for 2012, the massively reworked Ninja 650 is better than ever.

This practical sportbike features a raft of new technology and design elements, including a totally new perimeter-style frame, revised suspension, more angular bodywork, new instrumentation, improved engine performance, a more comfortable saddle, lower seat height and much more. The new-and-massively-improved version promises even more of the all-around capability that suits beginners and veterans alike.

We have to admit we were taken aback slightly by the promotional videos released on the web by Kawasaki a month ago that brazenly featured the Suzuki Hayabusa getting its tail section handed to it at the dragstrip by the new ZX-14R. There was no messing about with “Brand S” obscure references or blurred out images; it was plain to see that Kawasaki was stating unequivocally that the latest iteration of the ZX-14 was going to be the new power king and open a can of whoop-ass on the ‘Busa, no ifs, ands, or buts. A bit audacious, if you ask us—although perhaps not so much if you look back on Kawasaki’s history of pavement ripplers…

Thus, it was no surprise that Kawasaki chose a dragstrip to introduce the latest ZX-14R to the motorcycling press. And after being given the opportunity for a day of multiple runs on Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s nicely prepped NHRA dragstrip under the tutelage of Kawasaki dragracing champion Rickey Gadson—in addition to a nice street ride on the undulating road leading to Nevada’s infamous Valley of Fire—we can say this: those videos were not just brash trash-talkin’. The new ZX-14R’s mind-boggling power will indeed put the hurt on the Hayabusa, and any other stock production motorcycle in a straight-line speed contest.