Update 8.17.2020: This bike has SOLD to an RSBFS reader! Congratulations to buyer and seller! -dc Putting a numbered plaque and some bling on your moribund sportbike is a time-tested method to generate some buzz. It works especially well if you’re a storied, but slightly skint manufacturer of moribund Italian sportbikes. But parts-bin engineering doesn’t…
If you’re looking to sample MV’s four-cylinder wail but can’t contort yourself into the cramped riding position required of the utterly gorgeous F4, the Brutale 750S manages to pack most of that bike’s thrills into a much less painful package. Somehow, there are people out there who don’t like these, but I love the looks.…
The sad thing about being a serious motorcycle geek is that most people don’t really understand my obsession with and enthusiasm for weird motorcycles. Even other motorcyclists. I was thinking about this today as I was poring over the engine of a friend’s Velocette Venom, trying to suss out the function of the little cable-actuated…
The Bimota DB2 is a bit of an odd duck [pun!]: the company’s claim to fame was building high-spec, light weight, race-inspired sportbikes powered by Japanese engines. Those engines came from bikes that were overbuilt and often significantly heavy, so Bimota found a significant performance increase by building motorcycles as much as a hundred pounds…
If you love classic racing graphics on your sportbike, but feel guilty about supporting tobacco brands, this Pepsi-liveried Suzuki RGV250Γ could be just the ticket! Just try not to think too much about the obesity epidemic sweeping the country… Maybe the best bet is probably to find a defunct brand that won’t benefit from your…
Bimota’s tried-and-true formula is on display in the exotic SB6: take a powerful Japanese lump, hang it from an innovative frame and top-quality suspension, and then wrap it in wildly futuristic bodywork. In this case, the “lump” was from Suzuki, the liquid-cooled 1074cc inline four and five-speed gearbox that powered the final iteration of their…
BMW’s R1200S is a “sportbike” in the same way Ducati’s 1000SS DS is a sportbike: it’s designed for folks who love the brand and want something fun to ride in the canyons, not the type that are going to be cross-shopping the latest literbikes or ripping the lights and mirrors off to do track days.…
Update 7.16.2020: This bike has SOLD! Congratulations to buyer and seller! -dc Riders like Valentino Rossi don’t spring from the womb in neon leathers, ready to drag a knee on the way out the delivery room. It takes time to hone their skills on smaller bikes as teenagers, before moving up to Grand Prix machines.…