Man! Talk about slammin’ the competition! I just rode the 2010 Honda VFR1200F with dual-clutch transmission (DCT). Honda has grabbed the competition by the throat, smacked it around, given it a black eye, and made it cry. In short, Honda has, with this bike, made the other manufacturers its bitches.

Dramatist Seán O'Casey said, "All the world’s a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed." This profound insight applies to me more often than I care to admit, and I sometimes wonder if people such as the Honda engineers who came up with the thriving Shadow line can relate....

After winning our recent 250cc sportbike shootout, how could the CBR250R not win in this category? The Honda’s $3999 price tag and meager displacement belie its refinement and fun-factor. Don’t be mistaken: This is one entertaining, capable, and well-developed motorcycle.

Gold Wing has always been sportier than most people realized. Conceived as a superbike when it debuted in 1975, the Gold Wing has expanded to a bike powered by an automotive-size 1832cc.

Jazz is considered an original American musical genre, and it is widely celebrated throughout the world today. But its roots are much more humble. In fact, its origins can be traced to the time of slavery in America when work songs were created in the form of “call and response.” Jazz as a music form emerged in the South during the early 1900s, and by that time it was greatly influenced by African dance and drumming, ragtime, brass marching bands and blues—which also arose in that region.