Superleggera means “super light” in Italian, and has been applied to everything from aluminum-bodied Ferraris to modern Ducatis. For the time, the Bimota YB11 offered pretty outrageous performance, compared to mass-produced open-class superbikes. In the YB11’s case, the claimed 403lbs dry is on par with something like a modern superbike, with a bit less power.…
Update 7.8.2019: We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Amatumoto Grand Prix Motorbikes for being a sponsor of RSBFS! From Amatumoto, “This 2017 Suter MMX500 at reduced price will not last long, so if there is someone out there that has been pining for a reliable 2-stroke GP500, they should act soon.” Contact Amatumoto…
I co-opted Jaguar’s old motto for that headline, but it does seem to apply to the short-lived Yamaha YZF1000. Known in some markets as the “Thunderace,” the YZF1000 was quickly superseded by the class-breaking R1, but it was an open-class motorcycle in the GSX-R1100 and ZX-11 mold, offering handling, reasonable comfort, and real-world performance. Weight…
Update 7.2.2019: We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Amatumoto Grand Prix Motorbikes for being a sponsor of RSBFS! This NSF250RW is available now for purchase as is or as a custom build. Contact Amatumoto today! -dc Why buy a race replica when you can pick up an actual race bike? Today’s Sponsored Listing…
The original Benelli triple in the Tornado displaced 898cc and couldn’t really compete head-to-head against the other comparable superbikes of the era. It was a good bike, with sound engineering and a quirky layout that located the radiators and fans in the tail of the bike. But it wasn’t quite good enough and, when WSBK…
For a flagship superbike, the Suzuki GSX-R1100 looked relatively primitive on paper: oil/air cooled engine, twin cradle frame, five-speed gearbox… But the sledgehammer personality of the early GSX-R1100 makes it more collectible today, next to comparatively polished in-era competition from Honda and Yamaha. It may not have been the most sophisticated bike, but it did…
Update 6.20.2019: We last saw this bike in March of 2018 and bidding ended just shy of $10k. It’s back on eBay with a buy-it-now of $17,875. Links updated. -dc Ducati has come a long way in terms of service costs and reliability. The four-valve Bologna twins have always offered good power and a bulging…
Sold in 1987 and 1988, the NC24 version of Honda’s VFR400R could easily be overlooked for the gem that it is. Styling is subdued, although the single-sided Pro Arm swingarm hints at something special underneath. This was a V4 sportbike for the masses, instead of an expensive, difficult-to-obtain homologation bike, like the RC30. As you’d…