Nicky Hayden rolled into his grid position for the '07 Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix knowing he couldn't win. It was not a good feeling.

The Kentucky Kid was having a dismal year in defense of his '06 MotoGP World Championship. But he'd made recent progress, arriving in Monterey on the strength of two consecutive podiums. And yet back at the circuit where he'd dominated the first two USGPs, he knew the best he could hope for was a podium spot, and even that was a long shot.

Triumph calls the paint color of our '07 Daytona 675 test bike "scorched yellow," but the metalflake finish reminds us of the famous mid-'60s land-speed-record-holder Goldenrod. Powered by four Chrysler V-8 engines, Goldenrod posted a 409.27-mph record run at Bonneville in 1965, and while we weren't setting goals that high for our project Triumph, we were hoping for some big numbers and a top-10 finish in an AMA Formula Xtreme race. Our bike does have one thing in common with the record-holding car aside from the color: Just as Goldenrod was built in the Summers Brothers' backyard Southern California garage, our FX Triumph came together in a tiny garage in the San Fernando valley and has never seen the inside of a brilliantly lit or fabulously equipped factory workshop.

Comparison Test
In the sport of boxing, Muhammad Ali is widely regarded as the greatest of all time. His upsets against Sonny Liston, George Foreman and Joe Frazier easily cemented his place among boxing greats. Using charm, showmanship and a confidence bordering on arrogance, he was expected to win each time he strapped on his gloves-which he usually did. However, when athletes are at the top of their game they can become complacent and fail to train with necessary gusto or correctly evaluate their opponent. This is when upsets usually occur. For example, 1975: Muhammad Ali was slated to fight Chuck Wepner, a definite underdog in the sport. During the fight Ali was up to his usual antics, taunting his challenger and dancing around the ring-that is, until Wepner landed a punch that sent Ali to the mat. Ali quickly came to his senses and knocked Wepner down for the count.

There's a new kid on the block in the pavement arena of the motorcycle industry. And while he's not exactly a threat to the neighborhood bullies at the moment, taking a look at his past deeds might give them some cause for concern in the not-too-distant future.

Bike
Anyone who follows auto racing knows that BMW has a very stout technological and engineering background and the capability to be competitive at any motor-racing discipline it puts its mind to. The Bavarian manufacturer is now targeting a younger riding audience for its motorcycle lineup with a slew of new models boasting high performance that never would have been thought of 15 years ago from the brand best known for touring machines. Rumors spread that BMW was interested in getting back into World Championship competition, and there was some speculation that it would enter MotoGP after some riders were spied testing a three-cylinder prototype at a Spanish track in 2006. But then BMW Motorrad VP Peter Muller announced at the '07 Paris Show that the company intended to enter the World Superbike Championship in 2009 with a 1000cc four-cylinder machine.

The odometer rolled over 3000 miles the other day. The chain is in desperate need of some lube and so loose that it's almost dragging on the ground. The filth and muck on the rest of the bike are probably thick enough to add a few pounds of weight. A fresh layer of dirt is added every Thursday when the underground lot is swept. I've never checked the oil, let alone changed it. Such is the life of our Suzuki GSX650F test bike. This time of year is great for us because there we have all the latest trick sportbikes in the garage: the literbikes, 600s, a ZX-14, the 1098R. We're kids in a candy store, for sure. But with all those bikes sitting there aching to be ridden, what have I spent the most time on the last few months? The little GSX. It's crazy, but for the majority of riding I've been doing it's almost the perfect thing.

Although much ado is being made about the Ducati Traction Control system on the company's new 1098R homologation model, it's not the first time traction control has made its way to a production motorcycle. Honda was actually the first to employ a TC system on its ST1100 sport-touring rig back in the late '90s.

Stand-alone tests of European exotica, while important, can usually be summed up in a handful of words along the lines of "Wow, it's fantastic! Wow, it's expensive!" followed by an insightful comment relating the outrageous cost to the equally outrageous performance. Wishing to avoid a similar fate in these pages for Ducati's latest R model, we hatched a plot during the long drive back from HPCC one day to pit the exotic and expensive 1098R with one of Japan's best: the '08 Honda CBR1000RR. And because the 1098R is delivered with a set of Termignoni carbon/titanium slip-ons and an ECU that unlocks that bike's traction-control system for track use, we equipped the Honda with an aftermarket exhaust and a traction-control system to match. Beyond those forced similarities, however, the contrasts are many: Italy versus Japan; V-twin versus inline-four; "real" traction control versus pseudo-TC, and valve springs versus desmodromics. Why the Honda and not the Kawasaki ZX-10R that won our recent literbike comparison test ("Turn It Up to 11," June '08) and represents perhaps the pinnacle of Japan's offerings? We could argue that the CBR turned the quickest lap time in that earlier test by a comfortable margin and that this test is more about track capability and lap times than all-around performance on both street and track. But we really picked the Honda because, like the 1098R, it's red. We like red.

I awaken to a dry heat. As I open the bedroom door it feels like I've stepped into an oven. Jeez. Someone left the heat up and we're all going to get sick.

Downstairs, the first one up, I open the balcony door to let some cool air inside. It's still pitch black outside, but I can hear the patter of rain. I put the coffee on and step into the shower. Surprisingly, by the time I come back out most everyone is up. It's mighty early for most of them.

Roger Edmondson describes himself as a salesman, a businessman who'll look you in the eye and give you an answer. If you underestimate him you do so at your own peril. Which is what the American subsidiary distributors of the Japanese manufacturers are quickly discovering.

The mystical part of Daytona International Speedway for Scott Russell was never the run from the chicane to the finish line. It wasn't the International Horseshoe. It wasn't the high-speed dogleg. For Russell, the most magical part of the Speedway was more pedestrian.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've no doubt heard of (if not ridden on) the infamous Tail of the Dragon. Officially known as US 129, this 11-mile stretch packs 318 turns and is arguably motorcycle Mecca. It's easy to see why; the picturesque landscape is straight from a fairy tale, while the twists and turns are seriously exhilarating. On a perfect day the sun would be shining, the road would be clear and opposing traffic would be nil. But the world isn't perfect. First off, there is zero room for error on the Dragon. Falling on one side of the road will greet you with rock face, whereas the other is lined with guardrails and trees-neither of which is optimal for a rider's well-being. Besides that, the road can be filled with riders of varying skill levels, especially on weekends. Unfortunately some riders fail to acknowledge that the road isn't a racetrack and treat the Dragon as if it were, seeing slower riders (or drivers as the case may be) as "passing opportunities" and making generally foolish decisions. Last I checked there weren't any trophies waiting at the bottom of the hill. Of course the threat of opposing traffic, usually of the four-wheeled variety, crossing over into your lane is another danger to consider. Occasionally commercial vehicles attempt to navigate the Dragon, the operators obviously unaware of the tight turns that follow. Because of the size of these vehicles there is no choice but to cross into the opposing lane to complete a turn. The dangers here are obvious, but they are worth noting.

As you can see, my glove situation is getting, er . . . a little bit out of hand, if you'll pardon the pun. I'm not exactly certain when or how the trouble began, but it seems that the more gloves I collect the more difficulty I have finding a pair that fits.

Although There Was Some great racing going on at Barber Motorsports Park this past April, the overwhelming topic of discussion the entire weekend was the unveiling of the '09 AMA Superbike series format by the Daytona Motorsports Group, now the custodians of AMA Pro Racing. As expected, a number of radical changes were made to the present structure of the AMA Superbike series, and nearly all of the current racing categories have been deleted or radically altered.

Two hours and 125 miles from home with the midmorning sun hanging brightly aft of my left shoulder, I'm in my favorite place-deep in the mountains. It's been a glorious start to what I can already tell will be a special day. Terrific weather-slightly cool when I left at daybreak, but now warming nicely. Mostly it's the roads. Fine, curvy roads. I have them nearly to myself.

On a worldwide level, Triumph has the Speed Triple to thank for keeping the company afloat. Almost since its inception in 1994 the bike has been Triumph's best-seller worldwide. That year it sold 1100 units-16 percent of sales for the year. In 2005 the bike established its own identity and moved away from the "naked Daytona 955" stigma. During this time the streetfighter craze was really starting to take hold in Europe: 6600 Speed Triples were sold worldwide, 1700 of them in Italy. On this side of the pond it's the company's second-best seller behind the Bonneville and its variants. For 2008 Triumph is touting a major redesign of the bike, though at first glance it would be hard to tell any difference. The biggest change is a switch to Brembo four-piston front brake calipers (from Nissin). Oddly, a Nissin radial master cylinder is included in the mix as well. The calipers bite on 320mm floating discs.

It doesn't take much to upset the middleweight-class applecart-a minor update in one model year can vault a competitor from the back of the class to the front. Just as easily, a single, tiny glitch can punt last year's winner off the podium. Case in point: In our 2005 middleweight smackdown, Honda's then-new CBR600RR emerged from a veritable three-way tie-that had to be broken by rounding scores to two decimal points-for top honors. The following year the same CBR, unchanged but for a different brand of OEM tires, ended up in last place. This past year, coincidentally, our middleweight-of-the-year trophy ended up at Honda, as the new-for-2007 CBR600RR won the smackdown with a clean sweep of the street and track scores. Will history repeat itself?

In the Ducati family it's no secret that the 848 is following in the footsteps of its 1098 older brother. As it shares many common parts with the 1098-most notably its bodywork-making comparisons between the two is inevitable.

For being the only fish in the three-quarter-liter pond, the GSX-R750 sure gets a lot of attention from Suzuki to stay sharp. You'd think that as the last 750 sportbike left standing it would have the right to rest on its laurels and enjoy some well-deserved leisure time. Let the 600s and literbikes work themselves into a froth every two years; the last-generation GSX-R750 certainly wasn't a slouch ("Ahead of the Curve," Dec. '06), and with no direct competitors for almost a decade, you couldn't blame Suzuki if it'd just plastered some new graphics on the '08 version and called it good.

The Sale Of Ama Pro Racing To the Daytona Motorsports Group (DMG) evokes a number of reactions, not the least of which is irony.

The phone call from Kawasaki's Jeff Herzog had that familiar ring to it. "Hey, Kent, remember at the Versys press launch where we talked about preparing one to race in the Moto-ST endurance series? Well, I've got one over at Carry Andrew's shop right now getting modified for the 8-Hour event coming up. We're thinking of having both you and Andrew Trevitt race the event on two separate teams. Carry is also building another Ninja 650R for Trevitt's team. Interested?" It all sounded pretty appealing, but the clincher was when Herzog told me who I would be riding with.

Comparison Test
They say the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and while that may be true, what they fail to mention is that a straight line has to be the most boring path between two points. Clearly the mathematicians who came up with this theory never rode a motorcycle. But motorcyclists are a different breed. We choose to take the longest path to our destinations-usually with plenty of twists and turns along the way. And while we here at Sport Rider love to go fast around a racetrack on the latest and greatest sportbikes (as witnessed by the cover story this month), there is a soft spot in our hearts for a bit of sport-touring. Every so often we get the urge to pack our things, hit the streets and take off for a weekend-adding a bit of adventure to our speed fix. And with the sport-touring segment getting a bit of revitalization as of late, we thought we'd give the latest offerings a try. This time around our journey would take us from our Los Angeles headquarters to the quaint little town of Cambria, located on California's beautiful central coast. Our steeds for this trip? The '08 BMW K1200GT, Kawasaki Concours 14 and Yamaha FJR1300A. On the surface there isn't much separating these machines-all three have more than 1,000cc of four-cylinder thrust to pull them along, shaft drive, ABS, upright seating positions, bags and adjustable windscreens, but there's more to each of these bikes than meets the eye.

Our track day at Buttonwillow coincided with Dunlop's release of its new DOT-race tire, the Sportmax D211GP, and we were able to snag a set of the new tires for each bike. Like the Sportmax D209GP it replaces, the 211 utilizes the company's N-Tec construction, and the front and rear tires incorporate continuously wound aramid-fiber tread belts around their circumferences as well as N-Tec steel beads. New are dual compounds, the front tire with three zones of rubber and the rear with seven. Both tires have a harder underlying base rubber compound that spans the entire tread width and extends to the tire's surface in the center of the tread's profile. On the front tire's sides a softer compound is laid over the top of the base compound, resulting in the three zones-the company's first multicompound front tire for production-based racing. The rear tire has additional small, triangular sections of the base compound extending through to the surface in the center of each of the two side sections, adding support to the softer rubber and splitting the tread into seven sections. The new Sportmax also features a next-generation tread pattern that continues the company's evolution of the cosecant-curve pattern.

Comparison Test
Incredible. Outrageous. Insane. These are some of the words we used to describe Suzuki's then-new GSX-R1000 when it won last year's literbike comparison test ("Mind the Gap," July '07). Even with the victory and those platitudes, however, the writing was on the wall for the big GSX-R. While we raved about how it disguised its weight so well, handled brilliantly and had amazing power, it was 27 pounds heavier than its predecessor, and the margin of victory-over the unchanged, returning models from Honda and Kawasaki-had shrunk significantly from the previous year.

Following What Can Only be described as a rocket ascent from nonentity to the pinnacle of MotoGP achievement, Bridgestone has released a street tire using technology culled from that experience. The BT-016, successor to the BT-014, is labeled as a performance tire for street use and the occasional track day and features multiple compounds for both the front and rear tires. The front BT-016 uses a three-layer compound (3LC), one compound for the center of the tread and a second for both edges. The rear tire goes one step further, however, with 5LC (five-layer compound): The center of the tread is a hard compound for wear, and two successively softer compounds are found between the center and edge of the tread on each side. The transition compound of the rear tire is identical to the front tire's center compound, while the edge compound is the same on both. Furthermore, the center compounds offer high tensile strength in the circumferential direction, while the edge compounds have high tensile strength in the radial direction.