6.26.2020: Iconic shows this bike as sold. Congratulations to buyer and seller! -dc An awful lot of ink has been spilled concerning the Ducati 916. No surprise, considering it’s generally considered one of the most significant sportbikes of the modern era. But the 916 also managed to become a cultural icon, with revolutionary looks to…
Modern 400s are generally geared towards new or budget-minded riders, but can still be very capable sportbikes: I spent a session or two recently chasing one around Buttonwillow, and it turns out a Ninja 400 can work up a surprising turn of speed. In spite of that, they’re still pretty basic machines, specification-wise. But a…
Sadly overlooked now, the MZ 1000S is a seriously versatile bit of German exotica. The Motorrad und Zweiradwerk name may not be familiar to most, but the marque has plenty of racing history and pedigree. Unfortunately, most of it is in the distant past, and that fact likely hurt sales of the expensive motorcycle from…
Known variously as the Kawasaki ZX-6, ZX-6E, and eventually the ZZ-R600, depending on the year and market, the 600 Ninja’s specifications were virtually indistinguishable from its competitors at the time: 599cc, four cylinders, four valves per cylinder, dual overhead cams, and liquid-cooling, with a six-speed gearbox. But unlike the CBR600 and FZR600, the Ninja brought…
Update 6.3.2020: This bike has SOLD! Congratulations to buyer and seller! -dc Kawasaki’s ZX-7R is finally getting its due and clean, low-mile examples are getting pretty hard to find anywhere near the rock-bottom prices they fetched not too long ago. Older, 1970s and early 1980s Kawis like the KZ1000R have found their collectible niche as…
I’m not always a fan of race-replica graphics, but it’s hard to argue that some just look right: Rothmans and Repsol Hondas in particular just drip with style and authenticity. KTM’s RC8R lends itself to wild graphics as well, since it’s anything but restrained, even in regular production colors. Even slathered in all-black aftermarket carbon…
The Ducati Superlight I posted up a few days ago was a classic barn-find, with an incredible 300 miles on the odometer and all the dust and neglect you might expect from a bike that has barely turned a wheel in nearly 30 years. The first of today’s two Ducatis is nearly the exact opposite,…
The Ducati Superlight is a far-cry from today’s “limited edition” superbikes like the Superleggera that have a performance envelope well beyond most owners’ ability to fully exploit. The Superlight isn’t a particularly fast bike, but it is very collectible, and rewarding to ride at speeds normal humans can enjoy without risking license, limb, or achieving…