An unfortunate start
It was at the annual spring training Superbike test at Laguna Seca in January of 1998. A kid of fifteen showed up with his brother and begged a ride on an ex-Todd Harrington Muzzy Kawasaki Supersport bike. After a few laps he drawled to anyone within earshot, "This is the first time I've ridden one of these things ..." and it wasn't long before he found himself tumbling through the dirt in turn eleven. Since that day his prowess on a Supersport bike has gotten much better.
That cool and almost rainy afternoon at Laguna Seca was the first time that current AMA 600 Supersport champion Nicky Hayden rode a Supersport bike. In years to come there will be a trivia question that all the wrong answers will be HyperCycle Suzuki and Erion Honda. The question will be: What was the first Supersport bike Nicky Hayden rode?
The answer: Muzzy Kawasaki.
thanks john ivy for the photos
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