Honda, bucking an industry-favorite habit of creating entry-level bikes that appear to be perforated into mediocrity by the sharp pencil of a Merciless Accountant, surprised us all with the beautifully built and unexpectedly fun CBR250R.

Honda is hot to regain its dominance in the 450cc motocross class. How much so? Well, its 2013 CRF450R is almost completely new from the ground up; that’s a pretty good measure of “hot.”

Purchase a 2012 CBR250R and get 30% discount at Reg Pridmore's CLASS motorcycle school, which teaches better street riding technique at racetracks across the U.S. Riding school discounts are also available on 2012 CBR600RR & CBR1000RR purchasers. See article for details.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix. It’s a saying you often hear when someone is trying to make something better and it all goes horribly wrong. In the highly competitive world of open-class sportbikes, this could mean the introduction of costly redesigns and useless new parts that make things more complicated and ultimately have an outcome of very little improvement. It appears the men at Honda had this in mind when they decided to leave good enough alone with its 2012 CBR1000RR.

Bolt-on accessories allow riders a quick and easy means of customizing a motorcycle to create a more personalized expression of what a personal ride should be. In the case of Honda Genuine Accessories seats for the VT1300 series of bikes—Fury®, Sabre®, Stateline® and Interstate™—you actually get a twofer of sorts: a cool, custom look when the bike is parked, plus the pleasure and comfort it brings to your backside every moment you’re riding.