Iboty

IBOTY

UP FRONT

MARK HOYER

THINK OF IBOTY AS TASTY INTERnational alphabet soup for motorcyclists. It stands for International Bike of the Year, and for the past 26 years, a group of magazines from around the world has voted to come up with the winner. Each of the 14 magazines that participated this year picked its topthree machines, defined as the ones that truly pushed the limits in performance, technology, value or style. Or pushed all of those limits at once.

In many years past, the mix of cultures and markets (India to Israel to England to Japan) has made for a pretty wide range of votes and close competition at the front. But not in 2010-11.

Any guesses on number one? If you said BMW S1000RR, buy yourself a bratwurst and beer as a reward. The Bavarians simply killed it in their first attempt to build a modem four-cylinder roadgoing superbike and took 10 of the 14 first-place votes.

We’ll go right to the home country for vote number one: “Veni, vidi, vici,” said Germany’s PS. “Caesar’s quote—I came, I saw, I conquered—has never been more accurate for a stock superbike. BMW has entered a totally new category in its portfolio and whipped the establishment’s butt. It not only promised a whole lot more power than any of the contenders, it proved it against every bike we put on the dyno. And it seems as though the S1000RR will stay in the top spot for quite some time. Now, it’s up to Japan.”

lot of consideration and debating to come up with a ranking that all of us could live with. So, consider this a top-three that is as close as can be.”

Second in overall voting went to the Multistrada 1200 S Sport. Scandinavia’s Bike magazine called it “Magic.” Autocar India had it down as its number one. Which, after my experience riding on that country’s awful roads a few years ago, makes perfect sense. “The Ducati Multistrada 1200 S is a great bike to live with on a daily basis, the Jack of all trades, master of most,” effused the Indians. “Engineered to do it all, do it well and do it with typical Italian flair, the powerful and comfortable Multistrada enjoys clever electronics that make it versatile enough to adapt to every rider and road condition, rather than demanding riders adapt to their bike.”

Australian Motorcycle News was similarly impressed.

“A bike of many characters, the new Multistrada is the ultimate all-rounder. The MTS is a technological tour de force, a bike that goes further even than the BMW S1000RR in the way it integrates various systems. Prod a few buttons and the Multistrada reveals distinctly different personalities, from sporty athlete to offroad runner. The MTS Sport is a genuine look at the future of the motorcycle. And we like what we see.”

Third, in a close race with the Yamaha Super Ténéré, was Honda’s VFR1200F DCT. Britain’s Bike magazine summed it up well: “It’s as rapid as a superbike from only a few years ago and handles its bulk with utter confidence and enviable balance. It’s blessed with impartial ergonomics and plush suspension. You’d have to go a very long way to take a VFR1200F out of its comfort zone.”

We here at CW voted the S1000RR as number one, the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S second and the Kawasaki Concours 14 third. Other deserving bikes got votes, including the Kawasaki Ninja 1000 (Japan) and the Z1000 (Germany, Japan), MV Agusta Brutale 1090RR (Belgium, Italy), and Aprilia RSV4 (Japan, Slovenia). The great news this year is that all bikes on the list were or will be available in the U.S., unlike in many years past.

And the class of 2011 looks like another fantastic group of limit-pushing motorcycles from around the globe. Here’s to enjoying all the two-wheel flavors the world has to offer. O