'06 observations: 2006 seems to be shaping up into a banner year for sportbikes, but there is more up the sleeves of the manufacturers....(One trackmind)

Publication: Rider

Publication Date: 01-NOV-05

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COPYRIGHT 2005 Ehlert Publishing Group

How three fierce competitors can come up with nearly the same design inspiration in the same year, such as the low-slung stubby exhausts that Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha have used on some of their new 2006 models, is beyond me. Sure, the basic idea probably came from MotoGP (though I wonder what Erik Buell's reaction will be upon seeing the exhaust systems on the Ninja 650R, GSX-Rs and YZF-R6), with the aim of centralizing mass and cutting weight, but these midship exhausts are not like radial brakes or underseat exhausts, where one maker came out with them and then everybody else followed. Wham--one year midships are exotica,...

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