The 1998 Yamaha R1 was to sportbikes what Michael Jordan was to the NBA—a game changer. In a time when 120 HP literbikes were the norm, Yamaha scrapped the playbook and jumped into the fray with a mighty warrior that handled like a 600 and wheelied off the throttle in third gear. Top-end power was impressive with 138 HP at the wheel, but it was the 71 LB-FT arriving at a low 7750 RPM that made for midrange twist so strong it put many inexperienced riders on their butts. Wrapped in a featherlight package with a stubby wheelbase, it was simply a vicious streetbike.

Even though Momma always said, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” Kawasaki fans have been telling us otherwise. Rumor has it that by connecting a few wires and completing the “jumper mod,” your ZX-6R will instantly gain free top-end power. According to the myth, not all ZX-6Rs have the hidden power locked within—just the 2005-2008 models. With evidence aplenty across the Internet it was hard to believe this rumor might be pure hogwash, but we hit the dyno to confirm or refute it anyways.

2011 Honda CBR1000RR
Miles done: 1155
Mods: Leo Vince EVO II exhaust, Dynojet PCV and quickshifter
Contact: leovinceusa.com, powercommander.com
Price: $839, $369.95

Like many age-old arguments, the bitter battle over chain tension has been discussed for decades. Although chains have their downfalls like high maintenance and more friction compared to a belt-drive, a chain strikes the best balance of strength, efficiency and cost.

2011 Honda CBR1000RR
Miles Done: 666
Mods: Taylormade exhaust, Dynojet Ignition Retard Controller
Price: $899, $59.95
Contact: racetaylormade.com, powercommander.com

As many of you might have already discovered, the secret weapon we’ve been hinting at is none other than nitrous oxide. We’ve turned to the squeeze, the giggle gas, the juice, NOS. Call it what you want, but don’t take it lightly.

The first generation (1999-2007) Hayabusa has a restrictive airbox with a flapper valve (intake air control valve actuator) that separates the upper and lower sections of the airbox. Can fiddling with the stock box reward a tuner with hidden horsepower?

Miles done: 140
Mods: None yet

Cooking corners and dragging knee is exhilarating and equally unique to motorcycling, but sometimes there’s no replacement for an abandoned road that’s long enough to see what she’s worth. In that moment it’s all about horsepower, aerodynamics and bravery.

Although the streetbike industry is full of great shops and stand-up companies, it also has its fair share of bad seeds. If it sounds too good to be true it likely is, and the quicker this mentality is applied the less likely you’ll be played.

2011 Kawasaki Ninja 1000
Justin Fivella: Associate Editor
Miles Ridden: 9400
Mods: Two Brothers exhaust, Puig windscreen, ProGrip rim stripes, R&G Racing sliders/spools, Luminics yellow headlight bulb, Rizoma levers, Saddlemen seats, Continental ContiRoadAttack 2 tires, R&G Racing fender eliminator, Vortex Racing sprockets, RK 520 GXW chain

After nearly 15,000 collective miles and a long list of mods it’s time to reflect on our relationships with the Kawasaki Ninja 1000 and Yamaha R1.

Dave Sonsky: Editor
Miles Ridden: 5200
Mods: Roaring Toyz lowering link, Greggs Customs indicators, GYTR seat cowl
Price: $99.95 (link), $99.95 (indicators), $199.95 (cowl)
Contact: buynowroaringtoyz.com, greggscustoms.com, yamaha-motor.com

We’ve traded the high-buck holler for some budget speed mods and decided to see just how fast we can go with $2500.

Justin Fivella: Associate Editor
Miles Ridden: 7400
Mods: Saddlemen seat, ProGrip wheel stripes, Puig windscreen, ContiRoad Attack 2 tires, R&G Racing fender eliminator
Price: $259.95 (seat), $14 (grips), $84.95 (screen), $check local dealer (tires), $119 (fender elim), $14.99 (wheel stripes)
Contact: saddlemen.com, progrip.com, conti-moto.com, twistedthrottle.com

For better or worse, tall tales and inflated stories follow the streetbike scene like white on rice. When we repeatedly heard of 10 HP gains from a 520-chain swap we decided to investigate the claims.

Although big-money builds with turbos, tweaked motors and crazy add-ons are nice to drool over, it’s the real world stuff that hits closer to home. We all daydream about finding an AMA Superbike take-out motor or wish a Yoshimura-built bullet resided between our bike’s frame rails, but in reality our budgets are a limiting factor.

Dave Sonsky: Editor
Miles Ridden: 4100
Mods: Competition Werkes fender eliminator, Hotbodies windscreen
Price: $129.95 (fender eliminator), $74.95 (windscreen)
Contact: competitionwerkes.com, hotbodiesracing.com

When it comes to octane and power, people’s beliefs are all over the board. Whether you think less octane is better because it “burns faster” or follow the more is better theory, everybody has an opinion as to what the best swill for their sportbike might be.

Justin Fivella: Associate Editor
Miles Ridden: 3700
Mods: Two Brother’s Racing Black Series carbon-fiber slip-ons
Contact: twobros.com
Price: $1009.98

Dave Sonsky: Editor
Miles Ridden: 3300
Mods: K&N oil filter, Spectro Platinum 4 oil
Price: $13.99 (filter), $14.99/quart
Contact: knfilters.com, spectro-oils.com

Busting the myths and digging up the truth about sportbike folklore. Right or wrong, truth or myth, we're here to get to the bottom of it all so you know where you stand.

All of the long hours in the shop have paid off. The early installments traced the steps to reviving a crashed bike and making it road worthy with upgraded performance and appearance mods. Phase two covered the monumental engine build that included a full internal package along with a Stage 2 Velocity racing turbo system.

Justin Fivella: Associate Editor
Miles Ridden: 3000
Mods: R&G Racing Aero frame sliders, front axle slider and rear slider/spools
Lumonics JDM Yellow headlight bulbs
Price: $330 (R&G Aero frame sliders), $51 (front axle sliders), $101 (rear axle slider/spools), $40 per pair (Luminics JDM Yellow bulb)
Contact: twistedthrottle.com, luminicsbulbs.com

The moment the bike was off the truck from the engine builders at RPM Cycle Performance we got to work with the finishing touches. The suspension, brakes and engine are ready for the road, but we still have some crucial accessories to install that will improve function, looks and safety.