Using the innovative Daytona 1000 engine, and occupying a more boulevard bike place in the line-up next to the 1100 Sport, Guzzi’s V10 Centauro was fun as a styling exercise and a powerful grocery getter. Though the basis for the modern V-twin was designed in 1971 by Lino Tonti, a significant upgrade was made in…
Not long after Harley-Davidson purchased a 49 percent stake in Buell Motorcycles, the company introduced their more mass-produced bikes, the 1995-96 S2 Thunderbolt touring bike, and curiously afterward, the S1 Lightning sportbike in 1996-98. With total production of about 5,000 units, the S1 was a nice success for Buell as they tooled up for the…
After the R1100S and the BoxerCup marque series faded into the German sunset ( and just before the introduction of the game-changing S1000RR ), BMW breathed some new life into the big opposed twin models with an additional 50-ish cc’s, four valves per cylinder, and a lot of advanced design work. Leading off with the…
Aprilia’s “Thunder” bike, the Tuono is based on the RSV Mille Superbike, with a bikini fairing and adapted for tubular handlebars. Introduced in 2002, the model was made in modest quantities until it was succeeded by the V4 1100 in 2011. The “Racing” special edition offered here has several mechanical upgrades from the base model…
Update 11.9.2015: Back on the market and with a lower opening bid. Good luck to buyers and seller. -dc As new, unrestored, low miles, mint – we have all seen these phrases accompanying motorcycle classifieds. Rarely does a factory GP replica survive 30 years with only 3,200 km. and without a mark. The low number…
At least in the USA, the two-stroke engine was winding down in the mid-1980’s, as the State of California ratcheted down emissions, and the Federal Government applied the fleet concept to motor vehicle manufacturer’s emissions. The final few years were a hodgepodge of catalysts and evaporative emissions canisters, but the sweet handling bikes were quite…
A dentist turned Moto Guzzi racer, Dr. John Wittner won several titles in the mid-1980’s, and lent his hard-earned expertise to the factory during the development of the 1000cc Daytona. Along with some consulting from Raceco ( an English racing tuner that had worked on the exciting Daytona racing prototype ), the collaboration produced the…
Not often you see a sorted current racebike on the market, especially one cosmetically restored. A Ducati 1098S, generally regarded as too much for the street, was the basis for this build which took place last winter. The bike competed in the nine-weekend Championship Cup Series in Florida and placed very consistently to win the…