Cupertino, CA (5 January 2008) - Ducati North America is proud to announce the imminent arrival of the 2009 Monster 1100 S in US showrooms, and exciting celebrations surrounding the big-bore Monster's arrival.

What you wear on a bike may not help you to ride better, but improper gear can certainly spoil a street ride or slow you down on the track. Case in point: At last year's fall Daytona Moto-ST race, our man struggled with his bike's tank constantly battering his chest on the banking, distracting him and making it difficult to tuck in. A chest protector only made things worse. It turns out the rear bulge on the tank put pressure exactly on the zipper pull of his inner suit, which in turn pressed directly on his sternum. The solution? A tiny piece of cloth padding taped over the zipper pull. Sometimes the simplest details can make a big difference, and sometimes you may not even realize that a piece of loose or tight gear is causing you grief until you wear something that fits correctly. Here, then, are some guidelines to follow when selecting riding gear for the street or track; apparel that fits comfortably and provides ample protection, yet doesn't irritate or distract you.

American engineer Walter Roehrich thinks outside the norms-which is why his company is launching the world's first supercharged American superbike using the Porsche-designed V-twin engine from a Harley-Davidson V-Rod. This new all-American superbike joins the Australian-built Vee Two Super Squalo in bringing the supercharger system of forced induction to the two-wheel marketplace. But instead of the Super Squalo's format of converting an existing bike and clothing the result with streetfighter bodywork, Roehr is producing a complete from-the-ground-up product that-while also powered by a proprietary engine-also uses a different form of supercharging, housed in his own chassis design.

Driven racing is proud to introduce a new edition to their line of grips the Driven D-3 grip.

As you've no doubt read by now, the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix was a success despite crazy weather that cut the MotoGP race short and forced the 250 race to be cancelled. There were plenty of highlights over the weekend: Walking into Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time and realizing how enormous it really is. Seeing Nicky Hayden lead the race and score his first podium of the year. And watching Valentino Rossi win and take the record for most premier-class victories from Giacomo Agostini. But the best part of the weekend for me was going to the Lucas Oil Indy Mile at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. That's right, a dirt-track race.

Few aspects of riding technique are as clouded with the dark specter of myths, old information-or just plain bad information-than how to warm up new tires. In fact, many of us, me included, still use the misleading terminology of "scrubbing" in new tires, which wrongly implies that the surface of the tire itself needs to be scrubbed or abraded to offer traction. While this may have been the case long ago when manufacturers used a mold release compound, it most definitely is not the case today.

These charts contain quarter-mile time and speed, roll-on times, and top speeds for each bike. You can also use the charts to find the issues of Sport Rider each bike was tested.

These charts contain fuel consumption data, measured rear-wheel horsepower and torque, and measured wet and dry (no fuel) weights. You can also use the charts to find what issues of Sport Rider each bike was tested.

Aprilia | BMW | Buell | Ducati | Honda | Kawasaki |
Laverda | Moto-Guzzi | Suzuki | Triumph | Yamaha |