Last fall, as I wandered the hangar-size pavilions at Munich's Intermot show, I saw motorcycles for every subculture. There were naked streetfighters, grand prix racers, superbikes, custom choppers, full-dress tourers, scooters galore. And there, somehow apart from the rest, were the sport touring bikes, the most elite category, the one suddenly taking off. Power, stability, looks--these machines have it all. For decades BMW has dominated this niche, but now the Japanese have developed their own long-distance runners. The sport tourers shown here share certain qualities: maintenance-free shaft drives, powerful four-cylinder engines (125 to 145 horsepower), state-of-the-art braking systems, aerodynamic fairings, elegant storage systems and, oh yes, speedometers that work all the way up to 150 mph. You can scrape pegs on the Passo dello Stelvio or take your significant other on a leisurely tour of wine country. These flagships are as stately as Stealth bombers, agile, amazing, able to reach escape velocity with the twist of a wrist.
Riding is an act of sustained concentration, an undeniable display of competence.
Where and How to Buy on Page 156.
