I saw this particular bike on BikeEXIF a while back and thought it was stunning, so I was very excited to see it up for sale. If you’re not familiar, Venier’s 999VX was basically a stripped-down Ducati 999 that turned the Italian firm’s ugly duckling into a swan. From its introduction, Pierre Terblanche’s follow up…
The NSR250R was the road-legal version of Honda’s NSR250 race bike, and includes the requisite lighting, mirrors, and speedometer/warning lights generally required for use on the street. Detuned for road use, the 250 two-stroke v-twin produced about 45hp, but could easily be de-restricted for significantly improved power. With as much as 60hp pushing a sub…
The term “sportbike” isn’t really one that has an absolute definition. It’s more of a loose set of parameters intended to capture an idea, and while most of us generally understand what we all mean when we use the word, there’s still plenty of room for interpretation. Ducati thinks a sportbike should be something ruthlessly…
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…