2001 Triumph 955i in silver on Ebay USA When the Triumph motorcycle company was reborn back in 1991, the company’s initial lineup included a big-bore Daytona model powered by an inline 4 cylinder engine. The 1st generation Daytona editions showed that the reborn company could produce a well built bike and have actually become quite…
For sportbikes, power and handling will always be a bit of a ying-yang proposition. Big power usually equals big weight because “there is no replacement for displacement”, while the quest for better handling can result in sacrifices somewhere in the power band. The major manufacturers spend big money to balance the power/handling equation and the results…
Superlative in so many ways, it’s important to remember that the Ducati 999R was a step ( or several ) towards today’s superbike. And though stylists can critique Pierre Terblanche’s design, the mechanical and handling improvements led to three WSBK Championships, 2006’s under Troy Bayliss in the Xerox livery offered as an option on the…
With just 1,500 built for homologation purposes, an unscathed CB1100R is a rare sight, this one in a suburb of Lyon in southeastern France. In the early 1980’s, six-hour endurance races were the gut-check in Europe, and outposts like South Africa, Oz and New Zealand. Pretty heavy but with over 100 horses and full fairing,…
Conceptually based on the retro-styled 2000 MH900E, the SportClassic series helped Ducati weather the late 2000’s, and nice examples often bring more than MSRP. Using the 992 cc air-cooled desmodue, theSportClassics had a vintage aura backed by modern mechanicals. The introductory 2006 year has a couple of niceties that were value-engineered out of subsequent years,…
Harley engineer Erik Buell has had one heck of a ride since leaving H-D in 1983 and starting his own company. On the roller-coaster of race, road, and corporate financing, Buell Motorcycles and Erik Buell Racing has produced some memorable muscle bikes, mostly Harley-Davidson based, but more recently with Rotax power. One of the final…
Sometimes you have to look past the head-scratchiness of an offering, because it is just that special. This strange auction of a contemporary classic R1 in 50th Anniversary Roberts colors, along with its storage unit buddy ( a 2012 Panigale TriColore ) is one of those times. 2006 Yamaha YZF-1000 R1 50th Anniversary Edition for sale…
The second water-cooled Ducati desmoquattro, the 888 did well with Doug Polen aboard, winning the SuperBike World Championships in 1991 and 1992. The venerable 916 was in development and except for 1997 would take the crown annually until Y2K. Imported to Oz four years ago, this 888 SP4 was treated to a surprisingly high-level restoration,…