We don’t normally like to post up bikes that stray too far from stock, but this very useable, purpose-built replica of Suzuki’s XR69 seemed too well put together to pass up. And certainly, this isn’t just some GS1000 with an aftermarket fairing slapped into place with some stickers holding it together. It’s gorgeous, painstakingly crafted,…
Although the term “sportbike” evokes images of sleek, fully-faired two-wheeled plastic darts, the term has been steadily evolving and originally would have been used to describe bikes like this, the Honda CB750F Super Sport. Strangely practical-looking for a sportbike, the CB750F was the logical evolution of Honda’s revolutionary, but long-in-the-tooth CB750. That bike set the…
Turbochargers are pretty ubiquitous these days, allowing for insane levels of reliable performance and fuel economy, especially when coupled with modern electronics permitting compression ratios that early adopters of boost could only dream of. Modern cars offer flat torque curves and seamless power, but older turbocharged set ups were notorious for lag that felt like…
Limited by budgets and economies of scale, many smaller car and motorcycle manufacturers are stuck rehashing the same product line, trying to keep pace with much larger companies capable of significant revamps and updates of their models to keep pace with the ruthless advance of technology and changing consumer tastes. Certainly, the Italian brands have…
Most times, even if their models share no significant components, motorcycle manufacturers go to great lengths to make sure their bikes all share a strong familial resemblance. In fact, the most recent GSX-R600 and 750 are virtually identical and appear to share their frames and body panels, with only their engine displacements, graphic treatments, and…
Many people assume that whatever dusty, badly-lit, low-resolution photographs they’ve taken will be enough sell their valuable motorcycles and include almost no additional information. But it’s easy to head in the other direction and go full-on used car salesman, which the listing for this Ducati 999R has done, going so far as to describe it…
I ran into a nice young rider the other weekend while I was eyeing his flat grey EBR 1190RX. We talked about the bike and all its neato Buell-y features, and he asked me what I was riding, so I introduced him to my Daytona, which also happens to be grey… “Aren’t you a little…
“Homologation” refers to the process by which a manufacturer makes a particular machine eligible for production-based racing classes. In most cases, mass-produced motorcycles include significant compromises in terms of their materials, construction, components, and even geometry that seriously hinder their racetrack performance. You can’t sell every machine with radically oversquare bore and stroke, titanium…