The Ducati 749/999 series is often seen as the red-headed step child of the Italian world. Following the mega-successful Massimo Tamburini design of the 916/996/998 family, designer Pierre Terblanche was to pen the follow-on act. With big shoes to fill and great expectations to achieve, Terblanche offered the world the stunning – if not the…
The name Ayrton Senna evokes some crazy raw F1 emotion. Arguably the greatest F1 driver of the modern era (uh, Schumacher and Hamilton excepted), Senna was in his day the highest paid driver and an international superstar. He parlayed some of that wealth and fame – not to mention his close personal relationship with motorcycle…
Ducati is well known to crank out “Limited Edition” bikes that consist of some graphics and a unique number plate to try to create a scarce supply / high demand situation. But alongside the marketing LEs, there are also some truly rare and special offerings that remind us what Ducati is capable of. The 996…
If the RSBFS faithful required additional proof that Ducati is a racing company that also builds street motorcycles, I give you the curious case of the TT2. Wildly popular with racers due to its small and lightweight stature, decent torque and power and impeccable handling, the TT2 was a mere 600cc of Pantah-powered goodness that…
Motorsports connections are nothing new. From Marquez and Rossi participating in F1 tryouts to Schumacher and Hamilton carving tarmac on Superbikes, racers are at their core, well, racers. The number of wheels is not necessarily an issue for those that have the talent, means and connections. But with Ayron Senna, this connection went way beyond…
In the 1980s all the major Big Four manufacturers were geared up to go racing. This was a massive boon to the consumer; not only did racing improve the overall breed, race-ready bikes showed up in the showrooms as homologation models. And while Honda and Yamaha produced actual race bikes with street concessions (read: RC30…
It almost seems sacrilege to take one of the most successful Superbike riders of all time and honor him with a naked cruiser. But that is exactly what Ducati did for Carl Fogarty in 2002, bestowing his name onto a special edition Monster with serious potential. Only 300 units were made available worldwide, making these…
When Honda launched the Turbo wars with the 1982 CX500T, the rest of the Big Four were not far behind. Before the very brief rise of the factory turbos came crashing down, Honda had produced both the CX500 and CX650 Turbos, Suzuki introduced the stunning XN85 Turbo Katana look-alike, Yamaha phoned in a warmed-over Seca…
