BEST STANDARD: Yamaha FZ-09

This was last year’s Best Middleweight, but after hammering our long-termer for a year and trying the 2015 with its refinements, we couldn’t think of a better candidate for Best Standard. It epitomizes sporting all-rounder, serving as a fine commuter, back-road scratcher, or even a trackday mount. Price this year has crept past the $8,000 mark, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a greater performance-per-dollar value on two wheels. And its three-cylinder powerplant might be the most spirited and fun street engine we have ever sampled, a great helping of its 108 horses and 62 pound-feet delivered right now any time you twist the throttle. It’s a bike that does it all and will make you smile every time you ride.