Here in the USA where torque, big, low-revving engines, and straight-line speed were the order of the day, corner-shredding 250cc race-replicas never stood a chance of being popular. But you always want what you can’t have, so quite a cult has grown up around bikes like this little Honda NSR250R. Powered by a reed-valve, liquid-cooled…
The idea behind the SB6 is classic Bimota: take a dead-reliable, honking big Japanese engine and wrap it in a sexy, lightweight frame, drape with carbon bodywork, and fit top-shelf suspension at both ends. Unfortunately, by the mid-1990’s, Japan had well caught up to the Europeans in terms of handling and, although their bikes sometimes…
Perhaps the most iconic version of an already iconic bike, the Ducati 996 SPS wasn’t just a carbon-covered “limited edition” named after some famous person that may or may not have had a passing relationship with the brand. It was an homologation special, with just enough built to allow specific bits like adjustable steering heads…
Although they built their reputation around their race-spec bikes, Bimota also built plenty of street-biased bikes. There’s obviously no real racing class for a bike like the Bimota YB5, powered as it was by Yamaha’s 1188cc FJ1200 engine and 5 speed transmission. But while it may not have been eligible for any race series, the…
Update 9.21.2015: RSBFS readers do it again! This pair and two others from the seller’s collection sold in just 24 hours! Contact me if you have a special bike that needs to be sold with a Featured Listing. Just $59! Congratulations to buyer and seller! -dc Honda’s V4 sportbikes have gained an enviable reputation as…
I have a contrary streak in me a mile wide and sometimes I like being different just to be different. I’ve owned Saabs and Alfa Romeos, both of which feature some really interesting design features that offer up alternatives to conventional thinking, although they don’t always work as advertised… And to me, the Honda NS400R…
Cagiva’s “Aletta Oro” S2 was designed to be a stylish, entry-level sporty motorcycle for countries where a “starter bike” is defined as something other than a 600lb, 883cc machine with no cornering clearance. The name translates as “gold wing” and the little bike offered up the usual light weight and nimble handling required to compete…
Ducati’s 750 F1 was intended to closely resemble their competitive TT1 racebike, and was the very last bike introduced before the company was taken over by Cagiva, when Ducati was on the ropes financially. It was the very last of the old-school Ducatis, and is finally starting to find its value because of that. The…