Given the futuristic Star Wars appearance of the bike – as well as the innovative internet-only sales model – I thought the reference to the movie franchise fitting. But what is more amazing is that this bike is purported to be Number One of the two thousand examples created (1k each as 2000 and 2001…
The last street-legal production two stroke sport bike officially imported into all 50 States of the US by a major manufacturer, the RZ350 holds a special place in the heart of motorcycle enthusiasts. It was Yamaha’s valiant move to bravely keep the two stroke spirit alive and kicking in the face of tightening emission and…
The Ducati 851 is a long-standing icon in the sport bike world. Leading the charge to Ducati’s dominant run of WSBK titles, the 851 was as successful on the showroom/street as it was on the track. Simultaneously introducing liquid cooling, fuel injection and four valve desmo heads, the 851 was both the leading edge of…
It came from the 80s. And while that is an accurate tag line, the truth is it sort of oozed its way boldly out of the 1970s. Like the last of the front-engine Formula 1 racers, the Katana was visually stunning and stood at the pinnacle of old-school performance. Unfortunately, that pinnacle was really a…
In the soda wars of the 1980s, Coca-Cola was the big dog. But others were keen to move in on the success of Coke, including Pepsi and RC Cola. Each had a slightly different take on the same theme, and competed for the same set of customers. Fast forward to the late 1990s and you…
The 1980s represented a wild period for motorcycle manufacturers. Everyone was throwing technology at the performance problem, and all Big Four vendors went full speed down the Turbo road. Little did they know it would be a dead end street. But while it lasted, the glorious promise of liter-bike power in a mid-sized motorcycle ruled…
Legendary motorcycle designer Massimo Tamburini had a long and storied career. From co-founding iconic motorcycle manufacturer Bimota, to penning some of the most striking designs in motorcycling history for the likes of Cagiva, Ducati and MV Agusta, Tamburini has been responsible for many a rider’s dream machine. You might have seen some of his design…
Hmmmm. A grey-market two stroke. I doubt anyone on this site will complain, as these illicit smokers have been in our DNA and part of our regularly scheduled programming since the beginning. And if you are going to collect something deliciously rare, why not opt for colors and livery that are slightly less common? Thus,…