Shivering and wet, we crouched behind protective windscreens, clutching handlebars for those final, weary miles home. The steady rain had long ago soaked riding boots and it was waterlogged fingers that made constant wipes across visors. Headlights pierced the blackness ahead, illuminating the dark bark of Douglas Firs, a far cry from the palm trees and sunny skies four days and a 1000 miles earlier when we had started our 2008 Super Sport-Touring Shootout.

When MotorcycleUSA lined up its '08 sport-touring comparo this past winter, our entire Oregon office was, to borrow a line from Johnny Cash, as