Press intro's - Here's what I've learnt. If it's a crappy bike, you get to stay in the posh-est hotel in the land, fed like kings and generally treated like royalty. The bike? Who cares? The swag was good, I slept well and I got to hang with some cool peeps… This time was different. I was sitting in a warehouse, in a golf cart of all things, being given a lap top presentation by Yamaha's own PR guru, Brad Banister. Sure, I was fairly comfortable but the surroundings were hardly salubrious and I didn't even get a stinking cup of coffee for my moanin

I got to test the new FZ600 t'other day - a combination of whining and being in that right State at the right time. Tagging along with ex-2Dub editor, now editor/publisher of Motorcycle Street and Strip magazine, Peter Jones, I got to ride the European model FZ6 in the quiet backwaters of Long Beach (I know, it's not a Jetski). The motor is a cammed R6, totally understressed so you know that it'll last forever. Unfortunately you won't be squeezing that full power R6 motor in there as the mounting points are a little different - maybe a cam could be squeezed in though? The compression has been bumped down to 12:2.1 from the R6's 12:4.1. Claimed power is around 98BHP at 12,000RPM and a torque value of 46.5 FT/LB at 10,000.

So, the open class is in. With Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha debuting some serious big CC' machinery for 04', I figured it was time for us to go revisit the benchmark and see what to expect for 04'. The benchmark? Obviously the big Suzuki mopped up in AMA superbike last year and somewhat in the sales championship too, especially with that cheeky "Own the Racetrack" campaign. Saying that it's a big, fast powerful bike is a bit like saying Ron Jeremy's shagged a woman or two. Understated, to say the least. However, it's currently in the crosshairs from next years open class supermodels. Let's see why this is the bike today...

Kawasaki has a long-standing tradition of making the most powerful sport bikes on the planet. This legend spans from way back in 1980 with the 11.17 second Z1R to the first ever 10 second production bike in the 1984 GPZ Turbo. In 1990 Kawasaki introduced the first ever ram air device on the awesome 176mph ZX11. So it was of little surprise that when the ZX6-R was first introduced, it had the power advantage over its classmates. Having owned and raced a '95 6R, I can attest to the bikes power

The all new Suzuki TL1000R was originally introduced to the motorcycling press at the Eastern Creek racing facility in Australia back in March of this year. The preliminary impressions of the bike were promising but, due to a few problems encountered in manufacturing the motorcycle, it took until Mid-June for it to reach our shores ready for the show room.

Does Erik Buell Look Happy? Here's Why...

I got to take a quick ride on Kawasaki's new Mean Streak today. My first impression was that it was not as mean as I was hoping for. It made good smooth power throughout the rev range, pulling cleanly from idle to redline, but unfortunately without the big surges in the power or torque curves that give the impression of urgent acceleration. Maybe if the VTX 1800 had never existed this would be different, unfortunately for Kawasaki, that isn't the case. Still, this is the best running Vulcan to date.

It's here, price to be announced... Completely new, ultra-sleek bodywork features a sharper front profile and headlight; more compact fuel tank; engine-revealing side cowlings; and restyled seat and ultra-sleek tailsection. All-new, competition-bred suction-piston type fuel injection - the first ever such system used on a production motorcycle - features shorter intake ports and a special vacuum-controlled intake system to ensure optimum low-rpm air volume and thus smoother, stronger, more linear power across the rpm range.

Piles of power, tons of torque, bags of brakes, gallons of ground clearance...the Triumph T 509 Speed Triple has it all. But that isn't good enough. The word is, these things haven't been selling very well in the States. And not only does the T 509 have what it takes to be a serious contender in the upper level of the sportbike class but most motorcycle magazines have lauded those abilities, too. Its abilities are not a secret. You all know it's a good bike. So, why doesn't anybody care? What's up? It's that annoying Charles guy, isn't it?!

Three cylinders. Is there anything good about that? Some guys love the thundering sound and smooth power that twins produce, while others are enamored of the screaming rush of peaky four cylinder bikes. But triples? Who lusts for 3 pops every two rotations? For whom does a triple bang? But of course! It bangs for thee.

Not many people get the chance to be present at the official showcase of Honda’s newest 600 at a beautiful racing facility like Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Me? I was born lucky. This was one of my first thoughts as 3 time world champion Freddie Spencer slipped by on the inside on a 2001 Honda F4i going in to turn 1. I was on an identical bike and on the same Michelin Pilot race tires as the great one himself. I had no excuses and I wasn’t really looking for one. However, this was a prestigious new Honda intro.

You know, I don't know why, but whenever I ride and review an Italian motorcycle, I cannot stop myself from using food as an analogy to describe how I feel about that particular two-wheeled vehicle. After wiping the tomato sauce spilt on my shirt, I think I've come up with the clear and distinctive difference from the two Italian flavors of the Aprilia Mille R verses the Ducati 996S, its obvious market target.

Well, we didn't know this one was coming over the good ol' US of A... Honda has finally jumped into the market catering for the ever increasing "naked" segment. This particular model called the Hornet (in Europe) features the older 919cc 900RR motor, which was no slouch, but with a kick in the pants, It's now fuel injected.

Supermodels. Your girlfriend. Your wife. You're going to cut them some slack if they have a couple of bad habits. It's funny how the more beautiful they are the more you can forgive them for an indiscretion or three. Hey, if they cheat. They're outta there, but if they're a little possessive you can handle it. Spent a little more on your credit card than they promised? One big smile of those pearly whites and suddenly you can find it in your heart to forgive them.

From the moment the R1 was unleashed upon the unsuspecting sport bike world four years ago, it’s been painfully obvious … to the competition, that is … that no other open-class machine holds a candle to this incredible combination of liter-bike power, 600cc-spec handling and drop-dead gorgeous styling.

When you’re young you can sometimes get into trouble. You always run the risk of running with bad company. Youngsters need a steadying influence, an influence that sometimes comes in the form of an older or bigger sibling. Take the venerable “Gixxer” 750. Revamped in 2000 with a muscular engine rebuild, it’s got into one or two scraps on the open road since it’s introduction, with Yamaha’s R1. Hardly seems fair really considering the Yam’s enjoying an extra 250cc and the corresponding abundance of torque. Now, the 750 has not exactly taken a beating from the big open class Yam’ especially with an experienced rider on board, but it still needed a little help and guidance.

Yo Ho Ho, It's jolly, it's green and by Jove, it's a giant. This latest rendition of the Kawasaki ZRX has obviously been eating its vegetables and had some serious beans added to its already muscular engine. First released in 1998 this bike was seen as a tester for the reintroduction of the "standard" style motorcycle. Kawasaki had obviously been eying the sales success of the Suzuki Bandit and it seemed that the US of A was, indeed, ready for the naked look once again.Well, the sales history of the ELR 2 is one of the Kawasaki success stories, what to do to continue that success? The factory has added a little bracing here and there, warmed over pretty much most of the bike and added a 12 BHP boost to boot.

There seems to be a new mode of two-wheel fun that's sneaking up on the motorcycling community. It's always been around, but just recently has been a little more prevalent. I'm talking about scooters. Not your average shopping kind either. Sports style, a style that hangs out at the AMA and WSB pit's and the kind you don't mind being seen (and heard) on, and the certainly kind you lust after when you see your favorite factory rider whiz by, usually on one wheel.

I tell you what; it's gotten a little ridiculous lately trying to stay on top of the 600-class pecking order. It's almost as up-to-the-minute as the bloody computer industry. This seems to be the name of the game in the 600 arms race. The cold war may be over, but the mid-size crotch-rocket wars are just shifting into high gear. It's a bit of a dilemma for the sportbike buyer, no sooner have you laid down your hard earned dosh on a new steed, when a rival manufacturer goes out with the specific intention to out do it.

OK, Pronunciation. Let's get this straight from the start. It's not Guzzi as in Muzzy, it's Gootzie as in Tootsie (roll). It's important to get this right, because we are referring to one of motorcyclings monarchy so respect is due. Moto Guzzi's royalty stems from its early successes enjoyed from its initial inception in 1921. From the off, its innovative engineering department produced bikes that were technologically years in advance. Small seemingly inconsequential stuff, like being the first to offer a centerstand, to more technically pioneering things like supercharging and upside down forks.

It doesn't conjure up the thought of sport touring or whipping through twisties with wild abandon, but looks can be deceiving my friend. The same fella that designed the CBR-F3 and a Japanese only CBR400-RR designed this bike. A youngster I tell ya'. Now, don't go part exchanging your 750 crotch-rocket yet, but this latest reincarnation of Honda's Gran tourismo certainly scratches a sporting itch... It's even got sticky tires too!

Ducati's '99 version of their 900SS -- the little brother to their all-conquering 916 -- sounds at first like it's going to be nothing more than a minor improvement of the previous 900SS. Its spec numbers are all just barely different, here and there, creating the impression that the bike is nothing more than a slightly tweaked, re-skinned update. But riding the 900SS proves once again that any kind of prejudice is a foolish assumption. Riding the 900SS reveals that this bike is totally different from the last generation supersport and that numbers on paper don't begin to tell the story.

On a recent visit to the Great White North, the nice people at Honda Canada showed me a new Honda CBR 400RR they had in their possession. They had brought the bike into Canada to gauge reaction to it at the Canadian motorcycle show last January. They were most interested to see if the bike might appeal to female riders and open up a new market for Honda. Thinking that I might need to get closer to my feminine side, or something, they let me take the little Honda for a short ride.

If you're lazy and don't want to bother reading another full test of the Honda CBR600F4, and if you want to torture the publisher of 2wf by not looking at any of the other very fine pages we've put together about this bike, then here it is in one sentence: the F4 is just as remarkably good in today's world as the F2 was in it's day eight years ago. Street or race, sportriding or commuting, the CBR600F4 does it all.

The original Interceptor of 1983 was a motorcycle that completely changed our expectations of the 750 sportbike class. It had an external square-section frame, a V-four engine, a 16-inch front wheel, and it provided the street rider with everything of which racers dreamed. It was high-tech to the bone and the trend it started is still in place today. The Interceptor name is now back on the VFR because Honda wants everyone to know that this bike is again meant to make a statement. Much has changed though and that’s a big expectation in today’s world.

I attended the initial press introduction for Kawasaki's new ZX-9R back in December of '97, and then took part in testing the bike for the print magazine that I once worked for, so I looked forward with great anticipation to riding the bike again for an updated riding impression for 2wf. And I was not let down. In fact, it's better than I had remembered it.

"Effortless performance." That's about all that Suzuki cares to claim about its all-new GSX1300R Hayabusa. Conspicuously missing from Suzuki's promotion of the Hayabusa is any mention of the bike's top speed potential, quarter mile abilities, or anything else that might imply the possibility of this bike being blindingly, antisocially, anarchistically, frigging fast. Nope, all that Suzuki promises is "effortless performance". Hell, the bike doesn't even carry the GSX-R appellation given to all of Suzuki's full-out sportbikes, but instead simply has the same simple GSX moniker of the company's…uh, 600 Katana. Suzuki almost makes it sound as if the Hayabusa is supposed to be some kind of very nice easy chair.

First Ride, Suzuki SV650 We rushed back from the first day of Superbike testing at Laguna Seca to take part in Suzuki’s introduction of its all-new SV650X motorcycle. Suzuki chose a little rustic lodge outside of the small town of Julian, California, as a meeting place to start the intro and to familiarize the journalists in attendance with the SV650’s technical features.

A Bike in Every Garage We're beginning to suspect that the guys at Triumph aren't a bunch of idiots. First they brought back a dead company from scratch by using a modular technology that allowed them to build multiple engine configurations and displacements inexpensively. Then they release a completely redesigned, high-tech, lightweight, sportbike with a distinct identity and performance that allows it to run with the best of its competition -- and all at a lower price than their previous machines. And through all of this, Triumph continues to produce retro versions of the bikes of the original marque that made it all worth dredging up the old Triumph name in the first place.

For '99 Suzuki will in fact be bringing their new 650 twin to the States. The bike looks much like a downsized version of the TL1000S and it is powered by a 650cc 90 degree V-twin.

"What the hell is an Aprilia Falco?" is what I wondered when I first saw the bike. It isn't enough different from the Aprilia Mille not to be a sportbike, yet it doesn't have bars high enough to be in the same class as, say, the Triumph Speedtriple. According to Aprilia, the Falco is a "light-sports" bike designed for those, "…who identify with the pleasure of a sporty but not extreme ride." I guess that means it's a diet Mille. Same great taste…or something.

With Ducati's 916-engined ST4 on its way, we thought that we should first take a look at the ST2 before we test that latest version of Ducati's sport touring machine. Reports tell us that both of the bikes will be available throughout the year and that some riders might even find the ST2 to be more desirable than the ST4. It all depends on what a rider is looking for.

We actually tested the '99 version of Honda's high-speed flagship before we tested the new Suzuki Hayabusa, but the report about the second of those two bikes was completed and published first. This might lead one to think it's now going to be difficult to say much in the way of praise about the CBR1100XX, but that's not so. Yes, the Hayabusa is now the king of top speed but the XX still has goods that should interest many riders.

The 929 came from a clean sheet of paper, and the savings in weight and increases in performance are all high-tech. Honda claims a 22% increase in horsepower, an 18-pound decrease in weight, and a 500 increase in rpms to 11,500. From how the air is managed on the intake side, to how the mixture is controlled and burned, to how the exhaust is managed is all completely different from the old 900.

The new for 2000 ZX-9R has many improvements over the '98 version that felt like a 600 with a huge engine. This time it is an improved, evolved bike, not a total redesign. Which is fine, considering that that more-than-competent last version came to us only two years ago. So, what are the changes?

Mr. Takashi Hiraga is the man behind the engine design of the new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R. His goal was to produce a lighter, more powerful engine and, as always, an environmentally friendly one for the concerned Californians. What he came up with is the typical haul-ass Kawi motor with three more horsepower at the top and no loss in the low or mid-range. This has been achieved by cutting the intake length down 7 mm and redesigning the combustion chamber

We were invited to Spain for the introduction of the new for 2000 version of the R1. My fellow journalists and I would spend one day on the brand new Valencia circuit and another day on the mountain roads around Valencia. I was excited to ride the new racetrack as it had received nothing but praise from everyone I had talked to who had been there.

The Mille R features an Ohlins upside-down 43 mm fork with titanium nitride coating on the tubes and gold anodized sliders. External rebound and compression adjustments are easy to use, and the brake hanger is a one-piece forged aluminum bracket that is more rigid than conventional caliper mounting plates. The rear shock is also an Ohlins unit with the usual compression and rebound adjustments. There is plenty of room between the swingarm and subframe, so spring preload can easily be adjusted.

The first two things that stand out about the new GSX-R750 are the seating position and the general feel of the steering. That might not sound very stunning at face value but it is because these two things are so much different from how they were with the last generation of GSX-R. On the new bike, you sit on it rather than down in it so there is no longer that feeling of being locked into position. Moving around on the bike through tight transitions takes less effort,

After the Suda guys breathed on this ZRX1100 it achieved a 10,000 rpm reading of 158 horsepower at the rear wheel. Though Suda’s engine output looks radical on paper, that kind of power potential can be found in every ZRX, thanks to the plethora of ZX-11/ZZR1100 parts that have been available for many years. This bike’s heritage gives it an added bonus that the Yamaha XJR1300 and Honda CB1300 can’t brag about because their powerplants don’t have a long sportbike history. Only the Suzuki Bandit 1200, whose engine is derived from the bulletproof GSXR1100, can boast a range of proven performance parts equal to the ZRX1100.

Tractors. Even some Moto Guzzi owners affectionately refer to their machines in that way. But it's not really fair. Moto Guzzi's machines once pushed the cutting edge of the performance envelope. First introduced to the European market in 1971, the Moto Guzzi V7 Sport was intended to be a sportbike that could compete, on and off the track, with the best cafe racer in the world - Ducati's 750SS. The V7 was a tad heavy compared to the Ducati but that's because Moto Guzzi designed it to be a better street machine as well as a stable and fast performer. And though it was heavier than the Ducati, it was lighter than the Laverda 750SF and the MV Agusta.

It's a two-stroke sportbike. It's a racing series. It's a two-stroke sportbike and a racing series all in one. It's IROC for motorcycles. Well, maybe AROCH is more like it: American Race Of Champion Hopefuls. And that's it in a nut. You can't have one without the other; the RS 250 is available to licensed racers only and the Cup Challenge is for Aprilia RS 250s only. Sure, you might be able to get your hands on an RS 250 and never race it but I have to leave you to your own devices for that one.

Is true happiness a screaming 14,000 rpm 750 multi or a bellowing 1000 V-twin? We compared the two latest superbikes for the street to determine which delivers the most coolness, friendliness, funness, and which promises to be the best to really, actually live with long term.