Factions in the Northern California Super-Motard community have been quaking with joy for two days over the news that former three-time Superbike champion Doug Chandler is currently testing a Kawasaki ZX10R in Japan—for the Kawasaki factory. Does this mean a return by Chandler to Superbike? Probably not, sadly.

Numerous well-placed sources have Chandler testing the ZX10R at a racetrack in Japan this week.

Repeated attempts to reach Chandler for comment have been unsuccessful.

While this is just the sort of news that might lead the many Kwacker-heads in the audience and industry to believe that Kawasaki will be back in US Superbike in 2006, Soup remains skeptical. Chandler is said to be testing an '06 streetbike.