Best of 2009 - Motorcycles of the Year

[Admin]

While we enjoy ripping on substandard motorcycles, crappy bikes are hard to find these days. Take a look at any of our comparison tests from the last couple of years and you'll find only marginal differences between our declared winners and their competitors.

With so much high-quality product to choose from, culling the field down into our Best Of winners was an arduous task. But that didn't stop us from coming up with our favorite stuff from the class of '09! Introducing the first-annual Motorcycle.com Best Of awards. And the MoBo goes to...

Find out which bikes were named in the Best of 2009 - Motorcycles of the Year on Motorcycle.com

[sfc rick]

I'm surprized the VMax was classied with the expensive Exotic class. But then again it's not really a "conventional cruiser" even if that's what Yamaha/Star tries to pull off.

I have been to a Dyno shootout and it wasn't even fair to the other cruisers. The Staff made me enter the cruiser class and after pulling all that HP on the Dyno, most other guys felt like it's no competetion at all.

I dunno, maybe it's just a crusier because of the riding position, but it's a whole other creature in it's own class. The article just tosses the VMax in the Exotic class but I think they forgot the "Runner up" moniker in the article.

[histy]

The VMax is the V Max-its a motorcycle-but a unique one-why try to put it in a category.
Its not my thing, but I'm glad to see it back after all these years.

[blippo]

Interesting reading

[mjdart]

The return of Indian Motorcycles is a bigger story and remember it's a V-Twin.

[Dyna Mike]

Interesting reading but I don't agree with it, but that is nostly because I hate triumphs and Ducatis, I think the dukes look great but they are soft and don't stand up to everyday use and at least or more expensive to look after in my country..Ireland.

[BrianK]

Greetings, Mike. My Dad always said there was only one thing he'd want to be if he wasn't Irish....












DEAD!


I'd say "but seriously," except he was.

Why do you hate Triumphs and Ducatis? Two of my favorite marques. Yes, I've spent an inordinate amount of time wrenching my Ducati, but that's what it is - a high strung racing machine, incredible when it's on but you've got to maintain it. Older Triumphs the same, from what I understand - I'm a Norton man, don't want to give them TOO much praise.

Cheers - BrianK

[Dyna Mike]

Well BrianK, yer Da is an intelligent man

Triumphs.
Had a 3ta chop when I was real young and it broke my heart. My mates who all had japanesse bikes used to call it the thirty mile tripper because it would stop dead after ....... yep thirty miles.
It never went in the rain and then used to over heat during summer, not great when you live in Ireland. I pulled that motor apart and put it together again I don't know how many times but it was just a terror.
Acouple of years ago a friend of mine got a new triumph and it just gave hime heaps of trouble, motor electrics and mysterious reasons even Triumph could not find.

Ducatis.
Love the look of them and have riden a couple both new and old, I like the old ones. They are a sexy looking bike but not up to the wear and tear of everyday use. They cost a fortune to maintain and have found both the riders of them here in ireland to be a stuck up bunch, you don't belong if you are a hairy tattooed runt like me. I have had to fix a couple of them in my time and I have found them to be finicky and prone to threading.

I like old old japs like the origional Z1s or gsxs 79 to 81.
I also like old brits but nothing sets my heart racing like the sound of a Harley, I love riding, fixing , tinkering and customising them.

Don't get me wrong I like all bike bikes just some more than others