Ten Best Bikes 2011

Evolution continues, in good times or bad, whether you believe in it or not. Seems like only yesterday we were content as could be to ride along on our dinosaurs and horses, and now look at us. One trend continues in 2011: the shift in motorcycle power from Japan to Europe. Last year, five of our Top Ten came from Japan. This year, only three—and two of those were bones of contention that required significant gnawing. A weak dollar hurts bikes from Europe, but not as much as it’s hurt models manufactured in Japan. Five years ago, the spread between the sporty BMW K1200S and a Kawasaki ZX-10R was about $5K; in 2011, $151 is all that stands between the base BMW S1000RR and a new ZX-10R—and the aftermath of the earthquake that rocked Japan in March isn’t helping matters. If you’re lucky enough to ride one of these great motorcycles, count your blessings. As for us, we were lucky enough to ride all of them. And like Lou Gehrig said, we consider ourselves the luckiest people on the planet.