46 Kawasaki ZX-6R

Hot laps in freezing cold.

52 First Ride: Ducati 1098

Return to classic form.

-by Don Canet

55 Ugly Ducks

Bad drcams from Ducati’s past.

-by Peter Jones

58 Euro Cannonball

Flat-out across Europe on a Kawasaki

ZX-14.

-by Dale Lomas

70 Cannonball Kwaker

Building the stealth bomber.

80 Rootbeer Inferno

Gregg’s Customs new-school RC5l.

-by Blake Conner

100 RideCraft

Doc Wong's riding remedies.

-by Geoff Drake

106 Skyline Survival

Lessons learned at Alice's restaurant.

42 2007 Honda CBR600RR

■a Honda's latest firecracker.

n -by Blake Conner__________

79 Long-Term Update

Kawasaki ZX-14. Suzuki GSX-I

and Yamaha FJR1300AE.

88 3 Thumpers

Honda CRF450R vs. Kawasaki

KX450F vs. KTM 450 SX-F.

-by Ryan Dudek

108 RideCool Sport Vest

Personal air conditioner.

108 Kaoko Cruise Control

Lock and roll.

110 Spidi Admiral

Dry. warm and protected.

114 Sonny Angel, An

American Original

Racer, enthusiast, businessman,

innovator.

-by Norm DeWitt

12 UPFRONT

In the clutch.

-by David Edwards

16 LEANINGS

The Accessibility Factor.

-by Peter Egan

18 TDC

Heated topic.

—by Kevin Cameron

22

30

34

126

133

146

Hotshots

New Ideas /

Roundup "

Service

Showcase j

Slipstream

Don’t think of the 2007 CBR600RR

as an all-new bike; after all, it has

been training for this occasion for

20 years. The bike you see here has

been lurking in the shadows of Honda’s

R&D department for a while, getting

stronger, faster and more nimble. Its time

has finally come.

Two decades ago, Honda stunned us

with the CBR600F Hurricane, the first in

a long line of nine models leading to the

trim, toned and muscular machine of today.

In that span, more than 400,000 CBR600s

have been sold worldwide, half of those

right here in the U.S. The Hurricane, F2,

F3, F4, F4i and RR models have all made

memorable impressions, both at the race-

track and on the showroom floor. Matter

of fact, CBRs have won Cycle World's Best

Middleweight Streetbike category in our

annual Ten Best Bikes awards seven times!.

This new bike is a culmination of all that

knowledge, experience and a host of fresh

ideas rolled into one.

Honda has always been known for inno-

vation, and this motorcycle is a showcase

for all the gadgets and gizmos its engi-

neers could think up. As with the RC21IV

MotoGP bike that the RR aspires to be,

designers sought to increase performance

by dramatically improving the power-to-

weight ratio through a drastic diet and

hopping up the engine. Another goal was

to reduce the physical size of the bike: Its

wheelbase and aerodynamic profile both

are much smaller.

When the first CBR600RR came out in

2003, it also was brimming with technol-

ogy, borrowing multiple concepts from

the Grand Prix garage and HRC. The bike

was impressive but had an Achilles heel: It

was a porker. All that engine performance

went to waste trying to overcome the bike’s

heft. When the model was updated in '05,

engineers managed to shave 9 pounds off

the bike, which then started showing its

potential.

Not wanting to make excuses anymore,

the ’07 RR has officially graduated from

the fat farm. Weight is down a whopping

16 pounds. Slicing a massive chunk like

that oft'of a modem sportbike isn’t an easy...