I seem to be headed backwards in time with my recent posts… This Yamaha TZ350 is a little bit older than I’d normally write about here, but was too cool to pass up. Yamaha’s water-cooled TZ bikes were pure production roadrace motorcycles with no direct street versions. Weighing in at about 250 pounds [dry] with…
Okay, so here’s the thing: all of my early opinions about the 750 F1 were informed by Mick Walker’s Illustrated Ducati Buyer’s guide where the bike got one freaking star. I’m not sure where I put my copy, so don’t crucify me if I got that bit wrong, or if you have an updated edition…
Here in the good ol’ US of A, 250cc motorcycles are generally lumped in with scooters in terms of the respect they get. And while scooters may be fun to ride, no one wants to be seen doing it. And two-strokes? Emissions legislation killed those by the early 1980’s so most Americans’ experience with smokers…
The story of Guzzi’s 1100 Sport is a bit like the story of Judas Priest and Tim “Ripper” Owens, but with motorcycles. It’s the story of an unlikely amateur being asked to join the big boys on stage, and in this case the “unlikely amateur” was former-dentist-turned-endurance-racing-guru Dr. John Wittner. Wittner’s heavily-modified Guzzis were very…
Beloved of squids, teenagers too young to hold a motorcycle license, stunters, track-day junkies, racers, and well basically everybody, it’s hard to get excited about a Gixxer up for sale. Their sporty good-looks and sheer competence mean that they’re basically everywhere, in every sort of condition, and certain generations were aesthetically challenged to say the…
Update 4.22.2015: This bike is heading to a new home. Congratulations to buyer and seller! -dc Update 10.6.2014: Now on eBay, links added. -dc Certainly not the handsomest machine, Buell’s XBRR was a factory racebike based on their XB12 streetbike that featured Buell’s customary obsession with mass-centralization and weight-reduction. Both very good ideas, considering the…
I normally don’t choose bikes from outside the continental US to post, but this Moriwaki MD600 is cool enough I thought I’d make an exception. The listing doesn’t include much information, but if you’re seriously considering dropping 40-large on this, you probably already know what you’re looking at. For the tourists: This is a genuine…
There’s an interesting ongoing discussion in the comments section on this site regarding exactly what qualifies as a “rare sport bike.” Bikes seem to fall into three general categories: exotics like Bimota or limited-edition Ducatis. Bikes that weren’t rare when new, but have become rare simply because good examples have become scarce through attrition, like…