Rider Magazine 2012 motorcycle of the year

Assalamualaikum,

Berikut merupakan keputusan Motosikal Tahun 2012 oleh majalah Rider. Pada tahun 2012, lebih 13 pengeluar motosikal telah mengeluarkan lebih 30 jenis model motosikal yang semestinya memberikan saingan yang sengit. 

Semestinya, pemenang pastinya motosikal yang mempunyai pencapaian yang baik dari pelbagai aspek dan sejarah jenama yang hebat. Meskipun setiap motosikal mempunyai peminatnya yang tersendiri seperti Ducati 1199 Panigale), practicality (Honda NC700X), affordability (Harley Softail Slim) and luxury (BMW K 1600 GTL), even factory specials (Star Raider SCL). 

Tahniah kepada pemenang! 

The Contenders

BMW K 1600 GT (May, December 2011) With slightly sportier ergonomics and suspension than the GTL model, a notched electric windscreen and minus the top trunk, the K 1600 GT is a feature-laden, 6-cylinder, luxury sport-touring cruise missile. We’d like to see a no-frills version at a lower cost and weight.	BMW K 1600 GT
Harley-Davidson Dyna Switchback (November 2011) Remove the quick-release saddlebags and windscreen and the sleek custom cruiser beneath is revealed. Put them back on and the Switchback is ready for the long road yet still handles better than many cruisers.	Harley-Davidson Dyna Switchback
Honda GL1800 Gold Wing (July, August 2011, May 2012) The Gold Wing’s fans seemed to want a new bike...without changing the old one. Honda’s 2012 solution improves upon the iconic tourer in numerous ways, while maintaining the low- and midrange engine performance, luxury, comfort and versatility that made it the standard bearer of the class.	Honda GL1800 Gold Wing
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R (April 2012) Holy horsepower, Batman! Just when you thought the supersport class had reached the limit, along comes the Ninja ZX-14R with so many ponies Kawasaki won’t even speak the evil number. Fine with us—thanks to traction control we can twist the loud handle all we want.	Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R
Kawasaki Ninja 650 (April 2012) Team Green showed the depth of its design expertise and customer savvy with a complete revamp of its already popular and well-rounded middleweight. The Ninja 650 combines sportbike performance with standard comfort and entry-level ease of use, making it both a great starter bike and a keeper.	Kawasaki Ninja 650
Star Raider SCL (July 2012) The first entry in the new Star Custom Line is a very limited production Raider S with a number of special custom touches. Only 500 of the chopper-inspired bikes will be built; we rode one of them for the cover story in this issue (see page 28).	Star Raider SCL
Suzuki V-Strom 650 (February 2012) We knew Suzuki’s versatile middleweight adventure tourer would be getting an overdue styling change, but the 2012 V-Strom 650 also came with more power and torque, fewer vibes and increased comfort. The addition of the package-priced, luggage-laden Adventure version is a nice surprise, too.	Suzuki V-Strom 650
Triumph Tiger Explorer (May 2012) After a brief first-ride in Spain, Triumph’s trademark in-line triple seems to be a good match for its all-new, liter-class adventure-touring machine. We’ll know more after we have a chance to flog a test bike stateside.	Triumph Tiger Explorer
Victory Cross Country Tour (December 2011) When Victory launched an all-new model family with the Cross Roads and Cross Country, Rider and cruiser-touring enthusiasts gave them two thumbs-up. Adding the fully dressed Cross Country Tour with top trunk (for 41 total gallons of storage), Comfort Control System and cruise control just came naturally.	Victory Cross Country Tour
Yamaha Super Ténéré (February 2011, January 2012) Yamaha has finally brought its adventure touring machine to the U.S., and the Super Ténéré proved to be more than worth the wait, with good long-range manners, decent off-road ability and an affordable price tag, too.	Yamaha Super Ténéré

And the winner is…

2012 BMW K 1600 GTL

More than 30 new motorcycle models were introduced in the U.S. for 2012, but any way you look at it, this is the year of the K 1600. History will look back upon both the BMW K 1600 GTL and GT as ground-breaking machines in the luxury and sport-touring motorcycle segments. They share an in-line 6-cylinder engine that out-guns anything in either class, and have unique features that are right out of the future, like a dynamic-leveling Xenon headlight and fingertip-close Multi-Controller for scrolling through the many menu-accessed functions.
Here at Rider we feel that—so far—the K 1600 platform makes the most sense parked under the GTL luxury tourer’s standard equipment. Stacked against its luxo competition, the GTL offers less weight, more power and load capacity, and if the owner of one wants more of a sport-touring experience, the top trunk is easily removed (and it fits and is offered as an accessory for the GT). Comfort is equal to or better than anything in the luxury-touring class (although the stock seat needs a rethink), and the GTL steers, stops and handles like it weighs even less than its 776 pounds ready-to-ride.
Rider magazine is far from alone in picking the 2012 BMW K 1600 GTL for its top honor. Thanks to the GT and GTL’s early introduction in February 2011 in South Africa (Rider, May 2011), both have been racking up countless awards from publications all over the world for more than a year. The bikes are so good, some pundits even based their decision solely on the preproduction bikes at the introduction. Both common sense and our MOTY rules wouldn’t allow that, but we have to admit to digging out the ol’ bylaws and having some in-depth discussions about them as soon as we all got back to the office after South Africa….
Congratulations to BMW for the K 1600 GTL, winner of Rider’s 2012 Motorcycle of the Year award!
(This article was published in the July 2012 issue of Rider magazine.)


via:
http://www.ridermagazine.com/manufacturer/bmw/rider-magazines-2012-motorcycle-of-the-year.htm


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