Shogun in an Italian suit: 2000 Bimota SB8R

Taking Italian suspension, style and bespoke build quality know-how and shoving it full of deadnuts-reliable and prodigious power from the other side of the Atlantic, or in this case the Pacific, is a time-honored tradition. In the ’60s, the likes of Bizzarrini and Iso executed the formula to devastating effect in cars. But Bimota ported…

Pre-Busa: 1989 Suzuki GSX-R 1100

The 1989 Suzuki GSX-R1100 earned a hairy reputation on their debut, as frame revisions or dodgy factory suspension meant their handling wasn’t what people had come to expect from the GSX-Rs, which even that early in their run had earned a sterling reputation. The handling was enough to scare some people away, but those who…

Featured Listing: 1988 Ducati Paso 750

This Featured Listing is part of the The Edinger Ducati Collection. Thank you for supporting the site, David! -dc That Ducati Paso 750s don’t get the pure adulation that they deserve from anyone outside dyed-in-the-wool Ducatisti is baffling. Sure, they’re looks might aptly be described as controversial and they never had world-beating power, but their…

Ride and cherish: 1983 Kawasaki KZ1000R ELR

The 1983 Kawasaki KZ1000R ELR is the ultimate expression of streetbike muscle from the era when racebikes actually were just tricked out street bikes with hot engine kits, big brakes and slicks. Without someone like Pops Yoshimura in your rolodex, you still weren’t gonna get close to Eddie Lawson’s horsepower numbers, but with a couple…

Pre-Tobacco Lawsuit: 1992 Honda NSR250 SP Rothmans

There’s something nicely poetic about a cigarette company springing for the racing efforts of some of the smokiest, dirtiest little rippers to ever grace the grand prix stage. It hearkens back to the devil-may-care days before airbag suits or adequate runoff, and celebrates a certain cavalierness that precious few subscribe to anymore. This 1992 Honda…

The original: 1993 Honda CBR900RR

The 1986 Suzuki GSXR-750. The 1998 Yamaha R-1. The 1989 Kawasaki ZX-7R. The 1993 Honda CBR900RR “Fireblade.” If you seek a collection of the foursome of Japanese sportbikes that pushed our segment of motorcycling forward in a series of quantum leaps, there are no substitutes. The 1993 Honda CBR900RR you see before you would make…