35 2009 KAWASAKI ZX-6R
A little leaner and a lot meaner, the all-new Ninja 600 eats
Autopolis with a Big Piston Fork.
40 2009 STAR V STAR 950
Go big everywhere but on the bottom line and only your
accountant will know it's a middleweight.
42 2009 HONDA CRF450R
Changing the rules with electronic fuel injection and more
tricks than you can shake a (checkered) flag at.
44 SHORT SHIR: KAWASAKI VULCAN 2000 CLASSIC
Big Mike Seate trolls the Florida Keys on the only cruiser
that's bigger than he is.
CAT TALES
UP TO SPEED
News for '09: Suzuki’s GSX-R1000 and SV650, BMW's K1300
and S1000RR, plus ABS for Honda’s CBR600/1000RR.
CHECKERS: BYE-BYE BAYLISSIMO!
BEHIND BARS
DRAWING THE LINE
CODE BREAK
MEGAPHONE
MC MAIL
ME & MY BIKE
FEATURES
46 STONED TO THE BONE
On the rocks with accidental adventure-tourist Jack Lewis
and BMWs F800GS.
56 SUN, SURF AND STREET
Taking in the Republica de Costa Rica on two wheels a day.
SPECIAL SECTION: LA.’s VINTAGE SCENE
62 THE CRETINS M.C.
Rockin' and rollin’ in the City of Angels.
68 JUSTIN KELL’S GLORY
Where Hollywood's A-list shops for moto-couture.
70 THE GARAGE COMPANY
The '70s are alive and well on West Washington Boulevard.
72 PHAROAH'S CULT SCOOTER CLUB
Kissing frogs on the annual King Tut Putt Rally
74 MC PROJECT: TRIUMPH SCRAMBLER
Channeling the TR6 Trophy to build the bike Hinckley should
have built in the first place.
MC GARAGE
A COMPLETE GUIDE TO LIVING WITH YOUR MOTORCYCLE
82 DOIN’ TIME
86 SMART MONEY
88 GEAR: ALARMS
90 MC TESTED
92 TRACK TIME
94 STREET SAVVY
96 ANSWERS
98 LAST PAGE
If a bike is meant to excel on the
racetrack, it makes sense that it's
developed on one. So it was with the
latest ZX-6R, which Kawasaki’s engineers
and test riders spent countless hours refining
on the manufacturer’s private road course
in Southern Japan. Having strengthened the
engine and honed the chassis to meet the
demands of the 2-mile, 19-turn Autopolis
circuit, Kawasaki extended an invitation to the
press to sample the new bike on its home turf.
Thus I found myself racing down the front
straight with 150 mph showing on the speedo
and the tach needle flirting with redline in
top gear. Sailing past the brake marker I’d
been using at the end of day one, I pulled In
the brake lever and shed three gears, bracing
against the vision-warping deceleration. True
to form the Big Piston Fork remained in the
upper range of its travel, and with the bike's
chassis completely composed, I leaned in to
the turn, trailed off the brakes and rolled on
the throttle at an rpm that would have had...
And much more!
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