It was inevitable, we suppose. The toughest kid on the block will always have someone looking to knock him off the top of the food chain.

American company Motus announced at Daytona that it will produce its MST and MST-R sport-touring bikes as 2013 models, with retail pricing, full specifications, accessories and a list of authorized dealers released. Powered by 1650cc, V-4 engines with a claimed 165 horsepower, the MSTs were expected to have direct fuel injection; that feature evidently will not make it to production, but the bikes will have port fuel injection with ride-by-wire throttle.

It’s hard to argue with the brute performance of a bike like Kawasaki’s new ZX-14R, which showed the Suzuki Hayabusa who’s boss elsewhere in this issue. But when top speed runs and subsequent speeding tickets lose their cool (and trust us, they will), what big-bore supersport machines leave most riders with is a depleted bank account, higher insurance premiums and an unwanted reputation with the Highway Patrol. Budget bikes like the 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 650 offer a much different experience however, and suffice as a practical alternative for new and returning riders looking to hone their skills rather than empty their wallets.

Suzuki’s presence in the U.S. roadracing scene is nearly impossible to overplay. To accurately gauge the manufacturer’s influence on the sport, consider this: forty-five percent of the bikes entered in the 2011 AMA Superbike class were GSX-R1000s. There’s an equally strong following amongst street riders too, proving the GSX-R’s success isn’t limited to the confines of a racetrack. But with the previous generation GSX-R1000 beginning to show its age in literbike comparisons and on the showroom floor, Suzuki engineers knew it was time to finally update one of its most successful models; something they hadn’t done in roughly three years. Enter the 2012 GSX-R1000.

Honda has added one additional model to its 2012 lineup, the adventure-touring-styled NC700X. The versatile NC (New Concept) was designed to attract as wide an audience as possible and has some interesting features: The all-new long-stroke engine is said to deliver a flat torque curve and between 70 and 75 mpg in fuel economy; a storage compartment in the traditional fuel tank area is large enough to store a helmet; and the base model will retail for a very modest $6999. The Honda’s frame is a steel diamond structure, while running gear includes a 41mm conventional front fork, with front and rear suspension providing six inches of travel and a 32.7-inch seat height. A single 320mm disc and two-piston caliper up front is matched to a 240mm rear disc with single-piston caliper. The fuel tank is located under the seat to make room for the large storage compartment in front. A DCT version features a second-generation of Honda’s Dual Clutch Transmission as well as Combined ABS, with MSRP set at $8999.

Somewhere deep within the binding of a Marketing For Dummies book, it must say that wordplay drives sales. There are few other explanations for why so many manufacturers and press members habitually use sayings like “R is for ready,” or the slightly different, but much the same, “R is for race.” We’re just as quick as the next guy to throw the phrase out there, we’ll admit. But as the sayings become more cliché, we swore off using it for every up-spec model to be released. Then just as we filed it in the do-not-use bin, Triumph announced the new Speed Triple R, which features the same high-dollar componentry as its class-leading sibling, the Daytona 675R. Ugh; this is going to be difficult.

Although it’s become common practice in the auto industry for advertisements to make direct product comparisons, there’s always been a measure of respect and civility among the motorcycle OEMs. Rarely has any motorcycle manufacturer mentioned another in its promotional material, and God forbid that an OEM should trumpet that its product trounces one of the others — directly or indirectly. That territory appeared to be off-limits, as if a gentlemen’s agreement between the factories prevented toes from being stepped on, even if a manufacturer wanted to promote its product as a winner of a magazine comparison test.

Parents have a canny way of teaching right from wrong, and within their arsenal of lines capable of ending an argument is this gem: “If your friends were jumping off a bridge, would you jump too?” Most teens respond with some snide remark along the lines of “It depends on how high the bridge is,” knowing that, no matter how clever their response, they’ve been trumped. Lesson learned. Parents win. Point being, just because everyone else has jumped on the bandwagon, doesn’t mean you should as well. Honda drives this point home for 2012 too, with the introduction of its devoid-of-traction-control CBR1000RR. For the time being, the traction control bandwagon will simply have to go on without Big Red.

When Kawasaki first introduced the Ninja 650R back in 2006, our first reaction was “Why?” Why would the company seemingly step on its own toes by introducing competition for the long-running (and often best-selling) EX500? But after riding the then-all-new 649cc vertical twin, we quickly discovered that Kawasaki indeed had a winner on its hands. The Ninja 650R was superior in nearly every way to the 500, without cutting into any of the aspects that made the EX such a sales success. Although it was easy to surmise that the EX’s days were numbered...

When BMW launched the S 1000 RR back in 2009, a new benchmark was set for the literbike class. And since its release, we’ve impatiently waited for a production motorcycle that could parallel the Bavarian brawler’s outright performance. With the release of the Ducati 1199 Panigale, it looks as though that wait is over.

It’s that time of year again. With all the new models unveiled and manufacturers’ lineups released, we’ve put together our fourth annual roundup of sportbikes. Savvy readers will notice that we’re an issue later than usual; the manufacturers are becoming increasingly cagey with new-model information, releasing little until it’s publicly available. Delaying the guide for a month allows us to include accurate information as far as pricing and specifications for more models.

At a glance, the 2012 Suzuki GSX-R1000 looks identical to its predecessor. There’s no sign of wheel speed sensors, ABS rings or other hardware suggesting the addition of electronic rider aids. Well, that's because there aren't any electronic rider aids. Styling is typical Suzuki too, with the time-honored GSX-R logo blazoned on a traditional blue/white or black side panel. But if you can’t see any disparity, you’re simply not looking in the right places.

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.