Known at first for its sporty line of lightweight single-cylinder bikes, Ducati hit its stride in the early 1970s with its V-Twin sportbikes that were the pinnacle in their era. Ducati currently produces several desirable racing-inspired motorcycles.  It also has a rich racing history with particular dominance in World Superbike competitions.  Ducati offers sophisticated bikes in various distinct market segments: Superbike, Supersport, Monster, Multistrada, SportClassic and Hypermotard. For up-to-date reviews of Ducati Motorcycles, go to: Ducati Motorcycle Reviews 1997-2009

Motorcycle Cruiser's mothership, Motorcyclist magazine, recently published the following advice to an overwhelmingly appreciative response. We have decided to republish the list of living-saving techniques-in its entirety-for our own readership.

This spring, when Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger collided with a car that turned left in front of him, breaking his face and causing a concussion, it triggered a media uproar about the need for helmet laws. Few remarked on the irony or hypocrisy of the situation, the fact that the soapboxes came out when a sports star merely sustained recoverable injuries, but not when dozens of other riders in the same state died because they weren't wearing helmets. The life and death of Joe Rider apparently doesn't much interest editors and readers of general-interest publications, but the chance that a star quarterback might not be fit for football season is a big deal, one that should be prevented with helmet laws or even banning all players from riding motorcycles, as some teams do.

If it's a choice between riding our bike or trailering it, we'll take the former any day-even if it's to a rally in another time zone or on a troll through the local hills in the rain. Sometimes, though-like when wrangling multiple bikes to the dragstrip for this issue's comparison test-we don't have a choice.