Stunning bike, stunning hardware, stunning photography. Move quickly: there’s not much time left on this American superbike from maverick Erik Buell’s reborn EBR. It’s a tragedy that this came just a few years after Harley euthanized their sportbike division. With a ball-peen hammer. Harley has been resting on its laurels for far too long: they’ve…
Here in the US, there’s always been a limited market for small-displacement bikes. And when it comes to sporting machines, this seems doubly true: in many circles, a GSX-R600 is a “learner’s bike,” and anything smaller might be slapped with the dreaded “girl’s bike” label. Which is sort of funny: I’ve met some girls who…
This was really where the modern Triumph began. Basically a mix-and-match of triples and fours stuck into a modular, steel spine-framed chassis that allowed the reborn British company maximum versatility to create different bikes on a common platform at a relatively minimal cost. The 900 in the Daytona was a three-cylinder and the same basic…
Only sold for two years in the US, the Yamaha GTS1000 was available from 1993-94. Styling is conservative 90’s Japanese, but without the garish graphics that often distinguish sportbikes of the era and the look is handsome, but so relatively unremarkable that it’s easy to miss the bike’s true standout feature: the forkless front end.…
While I love the idea of owning a 200hp Italian exotic, the realistic side of me recognizes the limitations that come with that purchase. It’d be like owning a great white shark as a pet: the “wow” factor when people come to visit is definitely there. It’s a beautiful animal, a stunning apex predator, and…
Okay, so the MV Agusta F4 is on my short list of “must own” bikes. The 1000’s are fairly common, but somehow I’m paranoid those extra 250cc’s will be the death of me. When they were released the 750’s were a bit disappointing, with performance on-par with Suzuki’s GSX-R 750 and a much higher price…
Unable to compete with the ruthless, technological march of the Japanese manufacturers, Laverda’s SFC 1000 was an attempt to capitalize on their past endurance racing glories, a last gasp before they went under, prior to their relatively brief resurrection in the 1990’s. To be honest, I didn’t even realize that Laverda was still making bikes…
In spite of their pedigree and style, these Guzzis are odd ducks. Or “geese,” I guess. They’re not really sportbikes: way too heavy, and a bit clunky. And they’re not really designed for comfort, so they’re not really touring, or even sport-touring machines, unless you start modifying them with HeliBars and Corbin seats. Back when…