Vermeulen fastest in Motegi testing

The Suzuki rider had qualified a season-worst 17th and then struggled to 11th after his bike cut out before the race began, but he lapped in 1:47.894 in Monday's test, a tenth of a second faster than Yamaha's Colin Edwards.

Outgoing world champion Nicky Hayden was third quickest as he worked on new components from the Honda factory and some Michelin upgrades.

"We spent time this morning checking some settings and testing a few modifications from HRC," said Hayden.

"We also tested some tyres for Michelin - both front and rear - in particular looking to help with the grip and performance in the first few laps so that they come in a bit quicker.

"That was a big part of the day with the tyres playing a huge role in things right now."

Valentino Rossi tested the prototype of Yamaha's 2008 bike for the first time and was fourth.

Vermeulen, Edwards, Hayden and Rossi were the only regular MotoGP riders to participate in the test, with the remainder of the field comprised of teams' Japanese test riders.

Suzuki's 2008 design also made its public debut in the hands of Nobuatsu Aoki.

Monday's testing times:

Pos  Rider             Bike           Time
 1.  Chris Vermeulen   Suzuki    (B)  1:47.894
 2.  Colin Edwards     Yamaha    (M)  1:47.947
 3.  Nicky Hayden      Honda     (M)  1:48.065
 4.  Valentino Rossi   Yamaha    (M)  1:48.213
 5.  Kousuke Akiyoshi  Suzuki    (B)  1:49.090
 6.  Akira Yanagawa    Kawasaki  (B)  1:50.229
 7.  Tadayuki Okada    Honda     (M)  1:50.641
 8.  Nobuatsu Aoki     Suzuki    (B)  1:50.675