IT'S A TOUGH WORLD OUT THERE IN SPORTBIKE-LAND.

The competition for supremacy is fierce, and new models

are being introduced every year that are quicker, faster, and

lighter than ever before. Leave a design alone for too long,

and today's latest and greatest

can quickly become yesterday's oldest and slowest.

There are a few motorcycles, however, that were so spot-on right out of the box that the manufacturer has had the luxury of simply changing the paint scheme every year. Even with little or no updates mechanically, these bikes have been able to fend off any and all challengers with hardly any effort. Ducati's 916 is one of those select few "Big Kahunas" in this group. Setting the sportbike world on its ear when it debuted in 1994, the 916's standard-setting performance (from both a styling and riding viewpoint)has been unrivaled ever since. Despite the competition's best efforts, none have been able to approach the desmo's combination of telepathic front-end feedback and stable handling manners. Its straight-line performance isn't the absolute best, yet it's been enough to keep the Duck in perennial contention for our Bike of the Year honors since its introduction.

But things are starting to get serious now. This year Suzuki returns with a brand-new V-twin sportbike that makes no apologies regarding its intended purpose. The new TL1OOOR takes the previous TL1OOOS-model's 996cc engine, beefs up its power output with a large array of hot-rod tricks, stuffs it into a stout-looking twin-spar aluminum chassis (replacing the S-model's oval-tube aluminum, trellis- style frame), and wraps it in sleek, aerodynamic bodywork. The "R" model designation, along with the words "V-Twin Superbike" stenciled along the sides, signifies just where Suzuki is aiming the TL-R: squarely at the Ducati 916, and quite possibly at the ultimate sportbike crown in general.

The TL-R's list of technical innovations is long and impressive. (For a comprehensive look, see "Suzuki TL1OOOR First Ride," June '98.) But will it add up to enough performance to topple the Ducati's V-twin sport- bike reign, and maybe take with it the ultimate sportbike title? We brought the two bikes together for the usual Sport Rider shootout~thrash to find out if the new contender can really go toe-to-toe with the champ. we also included the Honda VTR1OOOF to see if finely polished street manners (in addition to a great chassis and motor) are enough to outweigh any outright performance advantages.

HlT THE STREETS

You probably know this already because we've said it a hundred times before, so we'll make it short: If the Ducati is doing anything other than carving through a long set of turns at flill honk, it makes life tough on you. In

other words, in most urban commuting or extended straight-line droning scenarios, it sucks. (Umm, we say "most," because the Duck seems to be a magnet for members of the opposite sex. And George Costa over at Beverly Hills Ducati saw fit to provide us with a biposto 916, giving us passenger capability. OK, so maybe it doesn't totally suck.) Schwarzenegger clutch pull, sport-serious riding position, a seat that could pass for a vinyl-covered board, engine heat that cooks your thighs medium-rare-blah, blah, yadda

yadda, you've heard it all before.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is the Honda VTR Soopahok. Now here's a bike that you could ride practically all day long. The seating position is the most upright of the three, and there's plenty of legroom, even for six-foot types. The seat itself is plush compared with the others, and the passenger accommodations are the best of the bunch as well. All the controls are perfectly laid out, and their feel is crisp and immediate; typical Honda, basically.

That perfection extends to the engine manners, too. The carburetion is near flawless (the only bike with carburetors in this group), and the clutch feel is light and responsive. One thing about the clutch, though: if you're looking to holeshot traffic from a stoplight, beware of the clutch's tendency to grab suddenly if you get really aggressive with the throttle. Our only other gripe with the VTR is a slightly clunky first- to-second shift. Everything else on the

bike makes commuting a breeze, with the engine's supreme low-end torque allowing you to squirt out of tight spots with ease.

The Suzuki TL-R falls somewhat between these two. The ergos aren't as radical as the Ducati, but they're more racer-serious than the VTR; the reach to the bar is short, though, which eases pressure on the wrists. The seat is wide and pretty com~, but the pegs are set a bit high, cutting into legroom. The hydraulic clutch has a light pull and decent feel, and the fuel injection's

1/4-MILE

DUCATI 916 10.77 @ 126.25 mph

HONDA VTR1OOOF 11.17 @ 124.80mph

SUZUKI TL1OOOR 10.76 @ 129.14mph

TOP-SPEED

DUCATI 916 159.0 mph

HONDA VTR1OOOF 151.2mph

SUZUKI TL1OOOR N/A

LAP TIME. STREETS OF WILLOW

DUCATI916 1:15.75

HONDA VTR1OOOF 1:17.79

SUZUKI U1OOOR 1:16.79

TRAP SPEED. STREETS OF WILLOW

DUCATI 916 109.7 mph

HONDA VTR1OOOF 107.5 mph

SUZUKI U1OOOR 111.3mph

ROLL-ON. 60-80 MPH

DUCATI 916 3.85 sec.

HONDA VTR1OOOF 2.78 sec.

SUZUKI TL1OOOR 4.30 sec.

ROLL-ON. 80-100 MPH

DUCATI 916 4.78 sec.

HONDA VTR1OOOF 4.60 sec.

SUZUKI TL1OOOR 4.74 sec.

SUSPENSION SETTINGS DUCATI 916

FRONT: preload: 4 lines showing; compression damping: full soft (15 dicks out); rebound damping: 4 clicks out from maximum. REAR: preload:

2Omm from top of threads; compression damp~ mg: 3 clicks out from full soft; rebound: 4 clicks out from maximum

HONDA VTR1OOOF

FRONT: preload: 4 lines showing; rebound damping: 1 turn from full stiff. REAR: preload: number 3 position; rebound damping: 0.5 turns from full stiff

SUZUKI TL1OOOR

FRONT: preload: 8 lines showing; rebound damping: 4 clicks from full stiff; compression damping:

8 clicks from full stiff. REAR: preload: sag: 1.25 inches; rebound damping: 0 clicks out (full stiff); compression damping: 12 clicks out (full soft~

throttle response is fairly crisp. The TL-R doesn't quite have the midrange romp of the other two, however, even though its engine is the quickest revving out of the three. The fuel injection's immediate response in on/off throttle transitions can be an annoyance in slow turns as well, and we noticed a slight surging at light throttle/400~5000~rpm situations.

Oh yeah, one more thing: Suzuki engineers have improved the TL's gas mileage. Our TL-R test unit averaged 36 mpg, much better than last year's 30 mpg with the S-model. The VTR still sucked when it came to range, while the Ducati was better than both.

So, it seems pretty obvious: If you're looking for the easiest bike to live with, your back's giving you a little trouble, and ya wanna look a bit respectable- the Honda VTR is the one to nab (gas mileage notwithstanding).

RACETRACK AND CANYON SHREDS

Now for the important stuff. You sure as hell didn't plunk down all those greenbacks to just tool around the city, didja? Time to roost.

"The Super Hawk was not meant to be a racetrack-serious motorcycle," was the word from Honda reps at the VTR's intro last year. And for all intents and purposes, they were right. When ridden at anything up to a seriously fast pace, the Super Hawk is one enjoyable bike,

sporting a reassuringly stable chassis that's easily flickable, without being twitchy. Its fairly upright seating position allows good leverage over the bars when negotiating tight canyon roads, while the suspension soaks up most pavement irregularities without complaint. The motor's ultra-wide torque spread gives the rider a choice of gear ratios in cornering situations, freeing up concentration that would normally be spent on keeping the engine on the boil. Once the pace extends into the seriously fast zone, however, the Super Hawk begins to wilt a tad. The suspension rates that work well in the majority of street situations start to lose their composure with an overabundance of high-speed compression damping causing some chassis upset over sharp- edged midcorner bumps. And the motor begins to lose its effectiveness as the speeds rise, revving sluggishly compared with the others. Ground clearance also suffers, with the exhaust canisters quickly following the peg feelers.

What can be said about the Ducati that isn't widely known already? The

916 is a bike that inspires confidence in anyone who jumps aboard. The chassis remains dead-stable through the gnarliest sections, and although they require a little muscle, directional changes are ridiculously easy. Canyon road or racetrack, it doesn't matter; the Ducati's overall handling package is the standard by which all others are judged. The front-end feedback is unsurpassed, fostering superior mid- corner speeds that make up for any deficit suffered on the straights. You'll note that even though the 916's front straight speed on the Streets of Willow

is slower than the TL-R, its lap time was quicker by more than a second.

And what of the Suzukl? On the race- track, where pavement irregularities are (mosfly) kept to a minimum, the chassis is fairly well-composed, keeping things under control for the most part (once the rebound damping was cranked up to near maximum on both ends, with a corresponding increase in preload and decrease in compression damping). When ridden back-to-back with the others, however, the TL-R's rather high center of gravity (for a V- twin) was noticeable; this made quick left/right transitions more of a chore than the others. The six-piston brakes provided excellent power, but their feel was rather numb; it was sometimes difficult to tell where the point of maximum braking was.

The TL's motor was easily the strongest of the bunch, generating the highest trap speeds on the Streets' front

straight. But it makes the bulk of that power up high, and with the tall gearbox ratios, getting good drives off the tighter corners on the Streets course was difficult. This definitely hurt its lap times.

Once onto the imperfect tarmac of everyday roads, the TL-R's racetrack orientation came to the fore. With racetrack settings, the Suzuki's suspension was rather harsh over midcorner bumps, jostling the rider a bit. Any attempts to soften things up would only result in the chassis coming unglued in the faster stuff; reaching a good compromise was difficult. An overabundance of high-speed compression damping seems to be the culprit here. Mind you, it wasn't alarming, and when ridden at anything up to a 90 percent pace, the Suztih was excellent, providing a stable, comfy (more than the Duck, at least) corner-carving platform. Only when the hammer really came down did this dilemma manifest itself

AND SO??

Well, there really is no clear-cut winner. The Honda Super Hawk's polished street manners and user-friendly handling make it a solid choice for those desiring a machine that isn't so demanding of its rider. The Ducati, on the other hand, requires that its pilot be serious about his/her commitment to go fast. But in return, the 916 rewards its rider with performance that still sets the standard, despite virtually no change to its four-year-old design.

And bridging the gap between the two is the Suzuki TL-R. Its outright performance is closer to the Duck- without the harsh ergos and high sticker price-but it's not as finely honed as the Honda, and needs a bit of fiddling before it can truly realize its performance potential. So the choices are there for you to sort out. You just have to decide how much of a commitment you're willing to make.