A series of novel 7-piperazinyl-1-substituted-6-fluoroquinolones and naphthyridines have been prepared and their antibacterial activities evaluated. These derivatives are characterized by having alkyl, alkenyl, arylalkyl, cycloalkyl, and cycloalkenyl groups at the 1-position. As a result of this study, derivatives 7 and 26, which are substituted with tert-butyl groups at N-1, were found to possess excellent in vitro and in vivo potency, particularly against Staphylococcus aureus, comparable to that of norfloxacin or ciprofloxacin. Structure-activity relationships of N-1 substituted alkyls and cycloalkyls are also discussed.