ducati 1098 !!!!!!

The race-kitted 1098R comes complete with a pair of carbon fiber 102dB silencers and a dedicated ECU, with 8 ready to go profiles switchable from the instrument panel. Ducati also include a DDA (Ducati Data Analyser) and guarantee a 50% reduction in running costs this year. Gone are the days when the engine needed a complete rebuild after every session. The bike is available in one color and one color only – Fire Engine Red – nothing else will do.

The road legal 1098S is only slightly less impressive. The 1098 introduced a number of ‘firsts’ for Ducati and production sport bike design. The 1098 was the first production motorcycle fitted with Brembo Monobloc brakes, the first to have a data acquisition system integrated as standard equipment and the first to use an ingenious construction method for its weight-saving single-sided swingarm. Fully adjustable Ohlins FG511 forks with low friction Titanium Nitride treated sliders. The list is endless.



The 1098S is a race bike, make no mistake – it might be fitted with street legal lights, exhaust and a license plate but it’s a race bike. The riding position forces the rider to mould to the tank and seat, crouching behind the fairing. The chassis responds almost as though you were transmitting the commands telepathically and gives all the feedback you could ever require.



How could you not want one of these? If you don’t want one, there is something wrong with you – see a doctor immediately. The 1098S is almost worth getting divorced over. There are plenty more where that one came from, but a Ducati 1098 is for life. The only really difficult decision is whether to buy a black one, or a red one.

2008 yamaha R6 !!!!!!!!!

Eight years ago Yamaha's ground breaking YZF-R6 smashed traditional middleweight class rules. Its light, nimble chassis paired with a compact yet powerful, high-revving powerplant wrapped in sharp, aesthetically pleasing bodywork raised the bar and simultaneously transformed what riders have now come to expect from a 600cc Supersport bike.

The Yamaha R6 has always been a machine of few compromises, and that's why we've always loved it. It also explains why R6 sales now account for 51-percent of Yamaha's sportbike pie. But as Honda's CBR600RR showed in this year's Supersport Shootout V, a bike with compromises sometimes can edge its narrowly focused competitor.

Not happy with being relegated out of the top spot, the R-six is back for '08 with some substantial changes that aim to bring the bike back to the front.

Visually it's difficult to distinguish the new R6 from the old. Yamaha recognizes that since its major overhaul in '06, the R6 has become a rolling icon - best viewed at any angle. So instead of messing up a good thing, the Tuning Fork designers chose to make some very subtle tweaks that further enhance the machine's clean, yet edgy, look. And unless you have the two bikes side by side, it can be difficult to spot the changes.

Up front, the upper cowling had been reshaped and the rearview mirror mounting points have been relocated from the fairing itself to the fairing support stay. The side fairings have been slightly modified and have an upper edge that reaches farther forward, which smoothes out the aerodynamic package. The already miniscule tailpiece has been tapered, which completes the stealthy radar wave deflecting image.

Despite its nearly identical appearance, underneath that slick new bodywork lies an entirely new chassis. Everything from the fork, lower triple clamp, frame, shock, swingarm and even the subframe has been reworked in order to extract maximum handling performance out of the slightly-heavier 366-lb machine (claimed dry weight).

We've always been impressed by how nimble and precise the R6 chassis has been, but up until now that sharpness has come at a price - overall stability. This was especially noticeable when speeds extended into triple digits.

Yamaha acknowledged the problem and the new black deltabox aluminum frame has been tuned for more rigidity in some areas, less in others. Despite the tweaks, the frame retains the same asphalt carving 24-degrees of rake, 97mm of trail and 54.3-inch wheelbase. Steering head and motor mount areas have been reinforced helping to make them more rigid. The main frame cross member has been removed and frame wall thickness has been slimmed by 0.5mm which helps to optimize frame rigidity.

The rear subframe is now made of magnesium (a first for a Yamaha production motorcycle) and weighs over a pound less then the cast aluminum design it replaces. A pound may not seem like much, but every little bit helps in the never-ending quest for optimum mass centralization.

One specific technological innovation that trickles down from the R1 is Yamaha's Chip Controlled Intake (YCC-I). The system varies intake funnel length from tall (66mm) and short (26mm) position when throttle angle input is greater than 60 degrees and engine rpms are greater than 13,700. This means engineers no longer have to make a compromise between top-end and mid-range intake tuning, giving R6 riders the best of both worlds.

The Yamaha Chip Controlled Intake (YCC-I), seen here from the R1, has trickled down to the supersport class. The MotoGP-derived system alters intake funnel length for optimal mid- and top-range tuning

In the capable hands of Graves Motorsports, the new R6 looks to be an excellent and immediately competitive racing platform. You too can have a taste of what both Josh Herrin and Ben Bostrom's lives are like in four distinct flavors: Team Yamaha Blue, Raven Black (with race-inspired sponsor decals) and Liquid Silver for $9599. Or if your looking for something more exclusive that will help you embrace your inner mullet-you can pickup the Cadmium Yellow with Flames color scheme for $9799. Without a doubt, the new R6 is the best Supersport Yamaha has ever produced, but will it have what it takes to dethrone the Honda CBR600RR? We're counting the days until we can find out.