Small Bites: 1990 Yamaha FZR 400

Always a gem in original guise, the Yamaha FZR400 stands alone as the smaller-than-middleweight that was officially imported into the United States. Unlike the current crop of small-bore US bikes, these 400cc scoots were often reserved for European countries only; power-hungry America was not seen as a viable market by most manufacturers. This was partially…

Tropical Depression: 1988 Honda CBR250R

Deep in the vaults of exotic hardware purposely kept from the shores of America include examples such as this magnificent 1988 Honda CBR250R. There were extremely rare in the US during the late 1980s and 1990s – which is amusing since the venerable 250 Ninja was imported during the same period of time. But the…

Low Tech, Big Fun: 1997 Honda CBR600 F3 for Sale

When the original “jellymould” CBR600F Hurricane was introduced in 1987 the enclosed, sleekly aerodynamic fairing hid a dark secret: a steel frame. While racier competitors had switched to lightweight aluminum construction, the simple, effective CBR600 F3 stuck with the less expensive material until the CBR600 F4 was introduced in 1999. Although the styling was hyper-modern,…

Learning Curve – 1992 Honda CBR400RR

Most often Rothmans livery is seen on two-stroke race replicas, but this middleweight is a 399cc inline four.  It’s a grey market import from Japan, registered in Florida and looking excellent with just under 7,000 miles.     1992 Honda CBR400RR for sale on eBay   Sometimes referred to as the “baby ‘Blade”, the CBR400RR was…

Late-century modern: 1999 Honda CBR 900RR

This is what a sportbike should still look like, if you ask me. Loud, high-contrast, aggressive graphics wrapped around a stubby, purposeful chassis carrying more engine than makes sense. There are, of course, a ton of newer bikes that hit the right aesthetic notes, but none have the same Air Jordan vibe of the mid-late…