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2005 Superbike Smackdown II Photo Gallery

Photos of the 2005 Street Superbike Smackdown II. 2005 Superbike Smackdown II Street.

If you see this quintet in your rearview mirror it won't be for very long.

We ate up miles of ribboned ashpalt for our liter bike shootout.

Duke shows B.C. and Joe who the king of wheelies really is.

We found little to complain about with the GSX-R, and that included its chassis and suspension.

Joe Wallace test the R1 in the curvaceous roads of Southern Oregon.

Joe does his best Duke Danger impersonation.

We had to pry the keys to the Gixxer out of B.C.'s hands when it came time to switch bikes.

999R at Sundown

The 999R exhibited impressive cornering stability throughout our test on the street.

Tyler Maddox snapped these pics at sundown in Southern Oregon - ZX-10R

Ken looks like he's doing 200 mph with his sick MotoGP leathers and stylish Shoei helmet.

Joe Wallace puts on his best touring pose on the R1.

Duke Danger still loves the ZX-10R, and selected it second best in '05.

Donbertti uses his jet pack to put the Duc ahead of the rest of the bikes in an informal roll on test.

About the only time these bikes don't beg to break the law is when they're at a standstill.

B.C. fell in love with the Gixxer with one twist of the wrist (insert joke here).

The CBR is still the only bike that offers an electronic steering stabilizer, dubbed HESD by the factory.

The re-designed tail section caught the eye of many of our testers, but it's width also caught the heel of our riding boots.

Suzuki took a chance and fitted the '05 Gixxer with a triangular exhaust. It got mixed reviews from our group.

The R1 wasn't as quick steering as some of the other machines in our test, but it did an admirable job in the twisties.

The Unit-Pro-Link suspension continues to provide impressive feedback and stability in mid-corner.

The CBR offered up excellent braking power on the street.

Honda still opts for the underseat exhaust on the RR, which can heat your buns on warm days.

The CBR still offers up the most informative and clean instrument cluster.

Loud-mouthed journos don't like the hard-to-read tach on the ZX; expect Kawasaki to bin it in time for next year's model.

The ZX-10R is also fitted with radial mount brakes.

The GSX-R is fitted with radial-mount caliper brakes, as are the rest in this stellar group.

Suzuki integrated the turn signals into the mirrors on the '05 model.

Suzuki made huge improvements to the cockpit of the GSX-R and now even informs the rider what gear they're riding in.

One of the highlights of the 999R is the ability to adjust various components, like the shift-lever

The Ducati instrument cluster gets mixed reviews from our group. Taller riders had difficulty viewing information through the windscreen.

As if the Italian styling isn't suave enough, the 999R gets big marks for the carbon fiber.

Yamaha opted to stay with the underseat exhaust in '05, and our style experts agree it looks phenomenal.

The R1's binders were excellent, as were the rest in our test.

The R1's fit and finish is beautiful. Just take a peek at the cockpit.

This bull turned angry at the sight of red, but then backed off when he saw it was a screamin' R1.

The ZX-10R is offered up in a new version of traditional Kawasaki green that proved to be diffucult to capture accurately in photos.

With a slipper clutch and all the amenities necessary to lead the way, Suzuki has developed the sickest open class motorcycle available to the public.

Our resident Kawi apologist, Duke Danger, gets his kicks on the country roads of Southern Oregon.

Under the picturesque S.O. sky, our test group huddled in an effort to see which bike would emerge with the 2005 Superbike Smackdown Title.

About the only time we weren't tempted to break the law was when the bikes were parked.

Riding the '05 crop of literbikes around without breaking at least one law is very, very difficult. Just ask D.B., shown here.

This quintet actually drew the attention of the Oregon State Police - big surprise.

Tyler Maddox knocked on death's door to get this picture of Kenny and Danger haulin' ass.

Exhibiting safe riding skills, D.B. stays inside the double yellow and keeps his knee off the ground.

The ZX remains a bike for the hooligan masses with ample torque and killer brakes.

The raven color R1 caught the attention of many on lookers.

The CBR's black cloak gives it a nasty look, which drew praise from our testers.

The 2004 MCUSA Superbike Smackdown I winner, still offers gobs of power, but is also still slightly nervous compared to some of the other bikes in our shootout.

A ribbon of pavement is all you need to turn a sunny day into an adrenaline-injected adventure.

The 999R is the most steady around tight corners as Kenny demonstrates here.

B.C. couldn't get enough of the GSX-R's grin-inducing power.

Many in our test group selected the R1 as the best looking machine in the bunch.

Kenny and Duke Danger flog the CBR and R1 on Green Springs highway in Southern Oregon.

A rock solid chassis is one of the reasons our testers loved the CBR.

The CBR may not pump out the horsepower like the others in our shootout, but getting the front wheel in the air is as easy as twisting the wrist.

Part of a cinematographer's job is to sort it out with the State Trooper when the speeds attract attention.

Honda's CBR is a bit down on power, but it certainly doesn't give up any ground aesthetically.

The GSX-R churned out the most horsepower according to the EDR Motorsports dyno, posting 152.2 hp @ 11,300 rpm. Click Graph to Enlarge.

In terms of midrange power, the 999R is the bike to beat, pumping out asphalt-folding torque between 5500 and 8000 rpm, right where you want it on the street.Click Graph to Enlarge