Indeed, Kawasaki engineers deserve credit for thinking outside the 600cc box. There's virtually no place in the powerband that any of the other 600s make more horsepower, making the ZX engine unbeatable on the street. It's only once past 13,000 rpm (generally frowned upon by the local constabulary) that only the free-revving Honda gains a slight advantage. A big torque bulge at about 8000 rpm out-muscles the others, and it twists out more than 42 lb.-ft. from then until 13,000 rpm. The CBR doesn't even get above the 40 lb.-ft. mark until 10,000 rpm.

The award for low-end grunt among the 600s actually goes to the Suzuki, as it carries a torque advantage until about 7000 rpm. Unfortunately it kinda falls on its face for the following 1500 revs before picking up again and narrowly posting the highest peak torque figure of 45.8 lb-ft at 10,750 rpm during the dyno race (held at our friends at White Brothers Racing and performed by their carburetion specialist Brian Calma). Horsepower peaks just after 13 grand, at 100.0, and the Gixxer hits its rev limiter earlier than the other Inline-Fours.

And speaking of torque, let's not forget about the 748cc (yes, you read correctly) Ducati 749. If the rice rockets had an 11,000 rpm rev limiter like the Italian V-Twin, all the Line-Beams, Gatling Beams and Beam-me-up-Scottys would be trying to peer through Desmo fumes. However, strangely enough, the Duc feels quite peaky on the road. It just doesn't have that rapid quickening of revs that make the 600s so exhilarating.

"Where's the bottom-end on this thing?" asks Hutchison, adding that the music from the two 374cc cylinders is a bonus. "The juicy part of the Ducati is the sound of the V-Twin. It's so much more pleasing than the buzzy In-lines. The Duc engine gets the thumbs-up in the sensory-pleasing department."

"Ducatis have that traditional Briggs & Stratton shake and clomp," adds Buchanan, "but that's part of the charm – quite a different beast than the tight, clockwork mechanisms of the Japanese."

It's the Honda that steals the award for the biggest dyno number: 105.4 horsies, to be exact, but that's all the way up at 14,000 rpm. In comparison, the ZX cranks out 104.6 hp 1500 rpm sooner. On a racetrack, the RR's engine is magic when keeping the tach needle bouncing from 11,000 rpm until the rev limiter kicks in at a class-high 15,500 rpm. However, that high-rev thrashing isn't appropriate for street riding, and the CBR is at or near the bottom of the 600 pack until the mechanical chemistry kicks in at 11 grand.

While all among our group were enamored by the CBR's track performance, there was no lack of affection for the race-bred Ducati 749. "This bike is the most fun of all to ride on the track," gushed Roberti. "It makes you feel like a World Superbike racer! It is very stable at high speeds; just as good as the Honda, though the steering requires more input in tighter turns."

Precise and stable is how Hutchison described the Duc. "Feedback from the front end on the street is excellent. I never had a doubt about the front of the Duc while canyon carving."

Right up there among the favorites is that sneaky Yamaha again. A slight steering geometry change for '03 has taken away most of the nervousness of previous R6s, and the 50% stiffer frame pays real dividends.

"The R6 loves to corner," says Buchanan. "It feels like it's always begging to be leaned over a little more. What I like about the Yamaha is it feels like a racebike. The same attributes that make it a favorite on the track make it fun in the canyons. It's just a very easy bike to ride."

"Easy to turn in and very good feedback while raked over," says Chamberlain about the R6. "The only flaw I could find in the Yamaha was a slight headshake problem when cranking over bumps, which could probably be solved by a steering damper."

Despite the biggest biceps of the group, the brawny Kawasaki never became a favorite for most of our riders – unless the race was in a straight line. "Probably the biggest problem for the Kawi is its stability and handling," notes Chamberlain. "The front end is a little sketchy, especially at speed and over bumps, which made me feel a little uneasy at times." As with the Yamaha, Chamberlain believes a steering damper might easily solve this problem.

The GSX-R600 is fitted with a damper from the factory, as is the 749, both of which were lauded for their stability. "Probably the most stable bike of the bunch," says Chamberlain about the Gixxer. "You could throw it into a corner and it would just carve, never shaking or wobbling except on the real bumpy stuff."