This is the bike you just watched Geoff May destroy launching off of Jamie Hacking’s Kawasaki. Much like it’s bigger brother, the GSX-R 750, the 600 is a straight out race replica. Fast, fast, fast and with Suzuki determined to get the GSXR to the front of the Supersport pack, the 2008 model is as close as you can get to a race bike without breaking the bank. This is really not much different to the superstock racers – slightly heavier, slightly slower, but more than enough power combined with impeccable road manners to convince you to tape up the lights, remove the mirrors and go play bike racer at your local racetrack. This is where the real action is in sports bikes.Completely redesigned this year, sharing almost no parts with the 2007 model.

Kawasaki looked to Akira Yanagawa, their superbike rider for development of the all-new Ninja ZX-10R. Yanagawa said, “yes,” Kawasaki took the part to pre-production testing, tweaked it and gave it back to Yanagawa for more destruction testing in WSB. The result is nothing less than staggering. This year’s ZX-10R boasts a new swingarm that uses pressed instead of cast beams, a fully-adjustable 43mm inverted fork, new gear ratios for 1st, 4th and 5th gears along with an extra tooth on the rear sprocket to take advantage of huge amounts of torque available and a completely new engine tuned for even greater high-rpm performance. Even the wheels are brand new on this year’s model – lighter, stiffer, squeeze cast wheels. I want one already. Shark-like styling complete what promises to be Kawasaki’s best liter bike ever.

Yamaha’s ongoing love affair with Deltabox frame continues and the YZF-R1 features a beefy frame and swingarm giving spectacular handling with just the right amount of flex for comfort and maneuverability. Just ask Loris Capirossi - Like Honda, Yamaha use MotoGP as a testing bed and this model is packed with features tested on the track: YCC-T fly-by-wire throttle system; the world’s first electronic variable-length intake funnel system; Slipper-type back torque-limiting clutch; and six-piston radial-mount front brake calipers and 310mm discs supplying the sort of stopping power a bike of this speed needs.

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation groups motorcycles into the following three separate classes: street, off-road, and dual-sport. A sport bike is a type of motorcycle under the street classification and is generally designed for optimised performance at the expense of comfort, passenger/load capacity, and other features.