Laypeople often love cars and motorcycles with gratuitous stylistic frippery: air vents leading to nowhere, extraneous “engine beautification” panels to cover up the oily bits and wiring, unnecessary surface details to break up large panels. They don’t really understand the function of all those parts, or aerodynamic styling, so if it looks right, it is…
To celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2006, Yamaha kicked out 500 extra-special versions of their newly-redesigned, 175 horsepower flagship bike, the R1. Normal R1s that year were on another level from earlier iterations, with frame and engine modifications that took them closer to the all-conquering YZR-M1 MotoGP bike of Valentino Rossi, but marketability dictated that…
Update 8.5.2019: This bike has SOLD to an RSBFS reader. Congratulations to buyer and seller! -dc This 1984 Yamaha RZ350 wears the iconic black and yellow Kenny Roberts livery and signatures, is original aside from some airbox mods and jetting and is with its original owner. It has 15,000 miles on it, but has been…
Update 7.11.2019: We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Amatumoto Grand Prix Motorbikes for being a sponsor of RSBFS! This OW01 has an updated price of 33,000 Euros, or roughly $37,162.95 USD at today’s exchange rate. From Amatumoto, “It is an impeccably prepared motorcycle, with an excellent documented pedigree and certain to be a…
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 Known in some markets as the “Thunderace,” the YZF1000 was quickly superseded by the class-breaking R1, but it was an open-class motorcycle in the GSX-R1100 and ZX-11 mold, offering handling, reasonable comfort, and real-world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…
How is this for international intrigue? Take a smoking two stroke iconic super bike built in Japan. Export said bike outside of the home market into Europe, the Pacific Rim or Canada. Later years on, that bike finds its way into the US and now lives in the state of Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark and…
This 1987 Yamaha FZR750R is the result of a Herculean act of self-control, as it has remained entirely unmolested, unstarted and unridden for its entire 32-year life. For a bike with a sweet-handling Deltabox frame, state-of-the-art for the time handling and a smooth, reliable and hugely capable 750cc 20-valve Genesis inline four, we’re not sure…
The late 1980s’ prevailing ideas about greed, money, partying, and the blessed individual weren’t always reflected in the vehicles people drove — the Chrysler LeBaron wasn’t exactly haute couture — but when they were, stand back. The early iterations of the Yamaha FZR1000 reflected the big-hair-and-cocaine era like few others, with a high-contrast red-and-white speedblock…