If you can't provoke a speeding ticket in first gear, a quick snick to second should hook you right up. To say all four of these machines have power to spare is a flagrant understatement. Juicing the throttle to attain California freeway speed leaves no doubt in any of our minds that they call these things superbikes for a reason. We depart, gliding through the intersection and banking right onto the freeway on-ramp. Though not overly loud, it's obvious these machines mean business. The mere sound of these idling beasts reverberating across the parking lot is enough to turn nearly every head in the vicinity. We've been looking forward to this ride and the sound of the awakening inline fours does nothing but agitate the riding juices. The Honda CBR1000RR, the Kawasaki ZX10R, Suzuki's GSX-R1000, and Yamaha's YZF-R1 all sit quietly in the cool morning mist. The morning of our first big ride, it's hard not to be impressed by the stable of thoroughbreds waiting to be unleashed. Will determining a winner be fun? Oh hell yeah. Will determining a winner be easy? Highly doubtful.

Each model arguably represents the pinnacle of its respective manufacturer's technological bloodlines. And when surveying the four 1000cc supersport models parked in the hotel parking lot, it quickly becomes apparent that picking the 'Best of Show' isn't going to be an easy task. 10 min read The best of the best, cream of the crop, and pick of the litter are all phrases used to denote the outstanding single example of a collective.

Kawa r1