The Aprilia RS250 was the first two-stroke I actively lusted after. Keep in mind that I grew up in an era when two-strokes, at least here in the US, were basically found in off-road bikes and really annoying yard-care equipment. Not really the sexiest of associations. I still think that the sound of a two-stroke…
The Bimota SB6 was one of the Rimini-based company’s best sellers, with 1,700 built, including 600 of the more exclusive SB6R models like this one. Powered by Suzuki’s GSX-R1100 engine and five-speed transmission, it was a whopping 90lbs lighter than the donor bike and, with top-of-the-line Paioli forks up front and a shiny Öhlins shock…
In an era where 200bhp, 200mph superbikes with MotoGP electronics packages can be had for less than the cost of a Honda Civic, this little Yamaha TZ125 might seem a bit like a joke, not much more than a racy moped. A moped with a dry clutch, a six-speed gearbox, and a pair of disc…
A flawed motorcycle that nevertheless succeeded in its intended mission, BMW’s radical K1 was tasked with changing public perception of the slightly stodgy brand and, although it didn’t actually sell particularly well, it certainly managed to send the brand off in a new direction. A bit too futuristically-styled, and possibly a bit too ambitious in…
The Honda RVT1000 SP-2 might lack the drop-dead sex appeal of a Ducati, but Honda’s legendary reputation for build-quality and reliability offer up a charm all their own. Back in the mid-1990s, Ducati was seeing unprecedented success on and off track with Massimo Tamburini’s brainchild, the 916 and its derivatives. On-track, it could be argued…
“Wait,” you’re thinking. “Aryton Senna raced cars, didn’t he?” Well, unlike most race-replicas, the MV Agusta F4 Senna was built to help support the charity named after the famous driver, instead of being built to commemorate his race successes. Largely unchanged from the “regular” F4 of the time, the Senna came with a 174hp 998cc…
The Bimota VDue was an ambitious project from the start. Of course it incorporated Bimota’s usual jaw-dropping bodwork draped over a stiff, lightweight frame and top-spec suspension components. A 300lb, carbon-fiber dream-machine in patriotic red, white, and green paint. But the real centerpiece was a direct-injected, 500cc two-stroke v-twin of Bimota’s own design, a clean-burning…
Today’s classic and very striking Honda CB1100R was based on the CB900F and built to homologate Honda’s big-bore sportbike for endurance racing. It was powered by a 1062cc version of their air-cooled four that featured plenty of exotic go-fast bits, made 115hp, and motivated a claimed 520lbs dry. That figure sounds pretty portly by today’s…