There is a new documentary out called ROAD which which is based on the life on motorcycling legend Joey Dunlop so it seemed extra appropriate to post a Joey Dunlop commemorative edition RC51/VTR1000. Back in 1997 Honda’s response to a resurgent Ducati was its own V-Twin, the SP-1, which would be the basis of the…
When it comes to Rare Sporbikes, I think RSBFS author Mike said it well when he wrote the following: Bikes become collectable in a few ways: They can be iconic motorcycles that have simply survived the ravages of time and modification, they can be homologation machines built in limited numbers and destined for the racetrack,…
Every once in a while someone produces a bike that truly harkens back to the old days of motorcycling, a bike that requires concentration and skill to master and doesn’t suffer fools gladly. Or as one of my favorites writers wrote, bikes from a time “when men were REAL men, women were REAL women, and…
Update 8.5.2014: First posted in December of last year, this unique bike is back on eBay and a few thousand cheaper. Thanks for the heads up Mike! Links updated, -dc Back in the late 70’s/early 80s, BMW motorcycle’s were not exactly “sportbike” oriented. Enter Mike Krauser, president of Krauser Inc which was at the time…
I had a long post written up about how almost every motorcycle company creates a limited edition bike to celebrate a successful rider, how this can result in anything from a Hailwood MHR to a Bostrom 998, etc, etc. But then my girl told me I was being overly loquacious (one of the risks of…
The RC8 was KTM’s first attempt at a big sportbike and wow, what a first attempt. Right from the start it was designed to compete directly against Ducati’s 1098/1198 Superbikes as well as the Big Four Japanese liter class bikes. When it debuted in 2008, the RC8 received positive but not glowing reviews, mostly due…
Joey Dunlop, Agostini, Fast Freddy Spencer, Wayne Rainey, Mike Hailwood, and Valentino Rossi, all have had legendary careers in motorcycle racing. But only a very few were able to endure over multiple decades, and even fewer managed to do it with a break in-between. Seriously, to take a multi-year break from racing and then…
I remember reading that collectors look at four criteria when assessing a vehicle for rarity/desirability: age, number produced with a particular configuration, technological impact, and availability in the country being sold in. What is interesting is that while some vehicles become rare, some are created to be that way right from the beginning. These vehicles…