With the sheer expanse of super slab here in the U.S. motorcycles are all about being big: Big power, big speed, and of course big cost. However, a new crop of motorcycles from Kawasaki and Suzuki prove that a motorcycle doesn’t have to go 186 miles per hour, have you stretched out across the fuel tank or cost over ten grand to be fun. Meet the 2009 Kawasaki ER-6N and Suzuki Gladius.

While both of these motorcycles are new in America, their platforms are based off motorcycles we’ve already sampled. The ER-6n is based off the recently redesigned Ninja 650R complete with its friendly, 649cc Parallel Twin cradled in a compact steel chassis and wrapped in sharp futuristic bodywork that turns heads. The Gladius on the other hand is modeled off of Suzuki’s beyond popular SV650 model. It’s powered by a 645cc V-Twin wedged in an easily manipulated steel chassis. Like the ER it features a new contemporary shape. The final similarly is that both of these bikes are affordably priced in the sixes, which mean you get a good amount of thrill for a reasonable price.

On paper these motorcycles are roughly identical, but after a few weeks living with these motorcycles day-in and day-out we’ve discovered some striking difference. So follow along as Motorcycle-USA helps you decide which one belongs in the garage.

[Sumber: http://www.motorcycle-usa.com]