Some Things get better with age. The concept of using a V-twin engine to power two-wheeled vehicles has been around since Model Ts and biplanes developed about ten horsepower, enough to rocket you along at 50-plus. By comparison, today's twins boast ten times the muscle and three times the speed. And although the modern incarnation tends to be synonymous with Harleys, the Ducati 916 has dominated racing, inspiring several manufacturers to put their own spin on the twin.
Front to back: Honda's challenger, the racy red Super Hawk 996, has a one-liter twin that pumps out 100 horsepower (about $9000). Taking what it learned from the 916, Italian manufacturer Ducati created the 748, a slick yellow number that generates 90 horsepower at 11,000 rpm--almost as much as its older, $16,000 brother, but for three grand less. The pearlescent Buell $3 is the brainchild of Erik Buell, an American engineer who owes nothing to the Italians or Japanese. For years, he has tinkered with the basic Harley V-twin, tweaking, tuning and finally unleashing a unique sports bike (about $12,000). Suzuki started from scratch to create the TL1000S, a fire-breathing dragon that pumps out 123 horsepower and 8500 rpm (about $9000). Our cheeky biker straddles an American 1946 Knucklehead Harley-Davidson, $22,000.
