Suzuki GSX-R1000 legend gets its biggest overhaul – Suzuki's 2012 liter sportsbike hit the bullseye – class-leading power and completely modernized, Suzuki also has the chassis, suspension, and braking system refined for 2012. The GSX-R1000 K11 was a good motorcycle, but, it was a bit heavy, clumsier, less focused than and not as much fun as the GSX-R1000 K5. Which was fine if you wanted a refined all-rounder for your 1000cc Suzuki sportsbike, but not if you wanted to bang heads with resurgent Kawasaki's ZX10R, Yamaha YZF-R1 and Honda Fireblade's.

Suzuki's reworked the GSX-R1000, which resulted in better performance and a drop in weight of about four 2,27 kilograms.

Enter the 2012 Suzuki GSX-R1000 it's a new motorcycle from the ground up and, also like them it consists almost entirely of minor, incremental alterations. Some technology Suzuki used is the more durable forged pistons designed with the same Finite Element Method (FEM), New pentagonal shaped ventilation holes, which reduce pumping losses due to internal crankcase air-pressure resistance to downward piston movement, optimized camshaft profiles for great racing potential, developed using proven MotoGP racing engine technology, and a few more things. Suzuki also reworked the whole 999cc 4-cylinder engine, with Bore x Stroke of 74.5mm x 57.3mm, which brings enhanced throttle response across the entire rpm range and high potential for racetrack performance.

No matter where you think you want to end up in motorcycling, it doesn't really matter where you start. A Yamaha YZF-R1 might be your ultimate goal, or a big cruiser like a Honda Goldwing or a Harley-Davidson, but the humble first motorcycle is what you need to take those first tentative steps and because those steps are tentative, the easier your motorcycle is to ride, the easier the process and the quicker you'll get to where you want to be.

Sportsbikes generally have rearset footpegs and low-mounted handlebars. This ergonomic setup is what gives them the racy riding position. It can also make you feel a little uneasy until you get used to it. Cruisers have a more laid-back,feet-forward style with a low seat and pull-back handlebars. They can also make a new rider feel uncomfortable before it becomes second nature. A regular motorcycle with handlebars and footpegs where you expect them to be can, in many instances, be a better starting point because you don't have to worry where to put your hands or feet while you are still struggling with throttle, clutch and brakes.

My first ride on the new Ducati Streetfighter S had me wondering what's all the fuss about. But, a poorly maintained Bangkok street with average traffic, forced to ride at a conservative pace is not the place to test a Ducati Streetfighter S. An aggressive, still acceptable comfortable, riding position coupled with suspension that doesn't work that well at low speeds on a congested road with questionable quality road surface and a sky that was saying it could rain any time was absolutely no fun.

That was until the rain clouds moved away and the sky turned to be more friendly, we moved to a location with no cars and many twisty corners where the Ducati Streefighter S reveled its true nature. This is the ultimate tight traffic bike, when you are used to the power – you can move it around tight corners like a small motorcycle – you could easily forget that you are riding a motorcycle powered by a 1099cc L-Twin, 4 valve per cylinder Desmodromic, liquid cooled engine.

The styling of the Keeway Superlight 200 SportCruiser needs a little getting used to, but it's a solid enough little motorcycle and it has a traditional air/oil-cooled single-cylinder 200cc engine. The latest Keeway sportcruiser evokes words like 'capable', 'sensible' and 'practical', which all make it away from what it is. And that isn't fair, it might not set all our hearts racing, but if you opened your eyes and see it as a 'small 200cc commuter bike for a reasonable price', the Keeway Superlight 200 SportCruiser would be perfect.

Keeway was established in 1999 in European Union. Thanks to its strategic geographic location in the continent, during the following several years Keeway quickly expanded to Central Eastern Europe. The success from early years laid a solid foundation for its further fast development in Europe.

The Keeway Superlight 200 is a new motorcycle model, the Superlight 125 has been a popular model worldwide, effective town motorcycle and its new bigger brother is the same but with added punch, the more responsive bigger engine making dartling through traffic easy in spots where a 125cc would struggle. Add excellent riding position with a good seat, and you have an accomplished 200cc commuter.

Ever tried riding a scooter that looks similar to all other scooters? If so then I'm sure you'll love the new Honda Click I 110i Special Version, it's exactly what you need. The new Honda Click I range has really come on in the looks department, so if you've not seen the latest offerings it's maybe time to find a local Honda dealer and have a look. I picked this one up from a Honda dealer in Bangkok. This stylish very modern 4-stroke scooter comes in two color options, Challenge Black Yellow (B-Y) and Eager Red Black (R-B) and has a host of features that you'd usually expect to find on a scooter from Honda.

The raspy 4-stroke, 108cc single-cylinder engine, with a extra high compression ratio of 11:1, burst quickly into life at the first try to start it and I was soon easing out into Bangkok afternoon traffic. Despite its small 110cc capacity, the Honda Click I 110i Special Version accelerates quite quickly which helps to give you an advantage, unlike quite a few other scooters that tend to struggle low down because they're basically over-geared. The new Honda Click I 110i Special Version doesn't have that problems as it uses the latest V-Matic (Honda's Constant Variable Transmission) technology, which improves the power delivery and reduces friction.

If there's one motorcycle available now that is seriously special in stock trim, then the Triumph Daytona 675 is it.

The latest revision of the classic brought it bang up to date with a series of craftily executed tweaks while losing none of the Triumph Daytona spirit. Third, compared with Yamaha and Kawasaki offerings it proves that the Triumph Daytona 675 is a machine that can truly battle it out with the best.

The Triumph Daytona 675 shouldn't be an easy motorcycle to ride, but Triumph has somehow managed it. It's slim, there's a lot of weight on your wrists and the Arrow rearsets perch your feet way up high. But thanks to a tractable engine and an intuitive feel from the inline triple cylinder engine the Daytona 675 slips into something more more comfortable.

The Honda CBR250R has been a huge seller for the last few months, the single-cylinder 250cc Honda has proven itself capable of almost anything asked of it. Racing, touring, scratching the tarmac or just relaxed cruising, the Honda CBR250R been up for it.

Looking closer at the Honda CBR250R though, it's clear that the technology and some design aspects are been around for a while. Still, the Honda CBR250R feels good, big enough for a foreigner, while still easy to ride for somebody who's not so tall. The handlebars are the perfect wide they give you just the right leverage when hurling the CBR250R from one bend to the next.

The Honda CBR250R has a engine that revs not so fast and with the stock exhaust system produces a rather flat exhaust note that is a bit boring compared to the Kawasaki Ninja 250R – but it's certainly not slow. The Honda CBR250R builds it's power low in the rev range, it doesn't have a big amount of punch like the Kawasaki Ninja 250R has at certain revving levels, the CBR250R produces a steady stream of torque until it signs off near it redline. Because of this some riders have the idea that the Kawasaki Ninja 250R is more powerful than the Honda CBR250R, but the truth is that the power delivery for both motorcycles is completely different, while the end result is nearly the same.

The Ducati 1199 Panigale is even for a top-of-the-range Ducati,something very special. The previous 1198, 1098 and even the 999 models had the usual trick bits and a pinch more power, as expected with a bigger combustion volume. The new Ducati 1199 Panigale is in another league.

Ducati claims 200 horsepower and will weigh less than 160 kilogram, making it their lightest machine and the most powerful production twin ever. A walloping torque gives the highest torque-to-weight ration on sale too. Based on the claimed 200 horsepower of the Ducati 1199 Panigale will likely translate into 180 horsepower at the rear wheel, we can expect the Ducati 1199 Panigale to make a real 190 horsepower. That's something that is something you now-a-day only find in pure-breed race bikes.

Traction control (DTC) is here too, as expected, also the 1199 Panigale will feature Ducati Data Analyser (DDA), and Ducati Quick Shifter (DQS) as standard equipment, which you can all control through the menus on the LCD display. The DTC has eight different levels so that it can be tailored to conditions, surface, and riders talent, and also be of benefit to trackday racers.

The midrange Honda CBR600RR of one of our friends had its first boring long-haul road trip. He ventured to Burriram to see the family in laws, clocking up some good kilometers. The Dynojet Power Commander V has transformed the CBR600RR, and made overtaking and filtering so much crisper, I'm sure that he's kicking himself for not fitting the Power Commander Quick Shifter though.

Doing some routine servicing on the Honda CBR600RR, we had finally found time to fit the slipper clutch our friend wanted, and the job was way easier than we had imagined, taking less than an hour. This is the mod that ever CBR600RR should have. The slipper clutch is a 'plug-and-play' job, so there's not need to mess around setting things. It uses standard plates as well, and all you need is a clutch-cover gasket. Good to go.

The comeback of the Kawasaki ZX130, for Kawasaki lovers – the ZX130 is not the latest Ninja sport motorcycle – all I have to say that the reintroduction happened without any announcement or press release so still a bit Ninja like, silent and deathly. The question remains is the Thai motorcycle market now ready for the Kawasaki ZX130, which is basically a step-through motorcycle with some extra power. Probably one of the fastest in it's price class, and surely faster than all 125cc.

Technically the Kawasaki ZX130 is nothing special, it's powered by a 4-stroke, single-cylinder, SOHC, air-cooled, 130cc engine, with a compression ratio of 10:1 (what is a bit higher than the average 125cc step-through motorcycle). The ZX130 is still using a carburetor for fueling, but that should not be a issue as the plastics involved in the fueling system are created with a Ethanol inhibitor, which gives the Kawasaki the capability to use E10 (ethanol 10% fuels).