TRADING PLACES

If there’s one major difference between motorcycles and cars—aside from the weather protection—it might be the mystique that swirls around actually piloting a bike. With a bit of dexterity training, a decent internal gyroscope, and a trip to the DMV, anyone can obtain a license to ride a motorbike. But few of us do. And fewer still learn the skills to ride one well, and at speed.

Still, every handful of years a car magazine asks the question that has been barstool fodder for more than a century: Car or bike—which one is faster?

Now, before you start penning a furious letter to MotorTrend, know that I’m a lifelong motorcyclist, here to tell you that …

cars are faster.

There, I said it. Cars have more horsepower, more tire