Cycle World’s Annual
Ten Best

Choosing the Ten Best Motorcycles of the Year is a huge responsibility, something we take very seriously.
Before we can select any winners, however, we first have to engage in the fun part of that annual enterprise: riding all of the year’s latest and greatest models. But actually picking the Ten Best? Personally, I liken that to being jabbed in the eye with a hot poker while undergoing a botched root canal.

Our first task is painless enough, only calling for each editor to compile a working list of candidates in the 10 different categories. We then meet in our conference room and begin what you might call a “debate,” a negotiating process that involves unrestrained shouting, occasional name-calling and frequent questioning of one editor or another’s ancestry. No food is permitted in the room during this discussion; hot coffee can scald and even plastic salad forks are potential weapons.

All right, that’s an exaggeration—but not by much; choosing the Ten Best really can be extremely arduous and even contentious. Modern motorcycles are so incredibly competent and evenly matched that voting for one at the expense of all others in any given category often boils down to sheer nit-picking. Sometimes, a bike can win not just because of what it does but because of what it means in motorcycling’s big picture.

-Paul Dean

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Evolution continues, in good times and bad, whether you believe 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 of 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.

If you’re lucky enough to ride one of these great motorcycles, count your blessings. As for Cycle World, we were lucky enough to ride all of them. And like Lou Gehrig said, we consider ourselves the luckiest people on the planet.

Cycle World Picks the Ten Best Motorcycles of 2011!

Best Standard – Kawasaki Z1000
Best Dual Sport – Triumph Tiger 800XC
Best Open Streetbike – Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Sport
Best Cruiser – Ducati Diavel Carbon
Best Middleweight Streetbike: Kawasaki ZX-6R
Best Enduro Bike – Husaberg FE570S
Best Motocrosser – Suzuki RM-Z450
Best Sport-Touring Bike – BMW K1600GT
Best Touring Bike – BMW K1600GTL
Best Superbike – EBR 1190RS

Cycle World gives you the power to reach millions of motorcycle enthusiasts ready to shop for the perfect holiday gift.

Introducing the New 2011 Cycle World Interactive Holiday Gift Guide.

This year's Holiday Gift Guide will feature high quality layout and photography, a brief description of your products and new Buy-It-Now capabilities for both online and print versions.

Print:

• 1/6-page, Cycle World-created listings in the January issue on sale December 6
• Buy-It-Now QR code in each listing that readers can scan to take them to a site to buy

Online:

• Gift Guide linked off CycleWorld.com scheduled to go live on 11/20/11
• Buy-It-Now links on every listing

iPhone/iPad app:

• Gift Guide linked off top-of-Table of Contents page.
• Very visible as users enter app
  
• Buy-It-Now buttons on every listing

We need:

• A high-resolution digital image (minimum of 300 dpi)
• A 50-word description including a headline
• Suggested retail price
• A homepage URL for more information and a URL for purchasing-- can be the company's own consumer sales site or to a preferred dealer or etailer.

Cycle World gives you the power to reach millions of
motorcycle enthusiasts ready to shop for the perfect holiday gift.

Contact your Cycle World advertising sales representative for more information.