The late ’80s dawned with a series of ominous signs: The economy turned south, Full House debuted, I was born and the tariff on Japanese bikes over 750 cc shipped to the U.S. was in its full, dreadful swing. That meant that some of the decade’s meanest street/track machines were prohibitively expensive to buyers on…
The Yamaha FZR 400 is the kind of bike that manages to get ignored by wide swathes of the motorcycling population, but instill deep devotion in those who have discovered its fantastic chassis, sprightly engine and general friendliness. 1988 Yamaha FZR400 for sale on eBay 1990 Yamaha FZR400 for sale on eBay That appears to have…
Yamaha’s two-stroke Grand Prix replica went by a few different names, depending on where it was sold: RD500LC in Europe, RZV500R for the Japanese market, and RZ500 in Canada and Australia. You’ll note that nowhere do we mention which version we got here in the USA. The reason? We didn’t: this wild, two-stroke four-cylinder was…
The 1992 Yamaha FZR600 Vance and Hines was little more than a garish factory-applied graphics package to celebrate the two manufacturers’ AMA Supersport partnership. We’ve covered a few of these things over the years, and I might be the only person on the RSBFS team who legitimately digs heinous ’90s graphics packages. 1992 Yamaha FZR600…
An iconic product of the WSBK race series, the Yamaha FZR-750R or OW01 was an homologation special which sold for more than twice what a more streetable FZR-1000 fetched, and cost Yamaha zillions. Rather than a tarted-up road machine, Yamaha built the race bike – poorly suited for the road actually – equipped it for…
The Yamaha GTS1000‘s front suspension is from an era when bike makers were getting into wild experimentation to eliminate the shortcomings of conventional two-legged forks. Bimota spat out its interpretation with the Tesi, John Britten tried with the Hossack design, and Yamaha licensed RADD, Inc.’s design. 1993 Yamaha GTS1000 for sale on eBay Before we…
During the 1980s and early 1990s, the Japanese manufacturers engaged in heated competition in the quarter-liter class, creating some of the most exciting small-displacement motorcycles of all time. They were lightweight, highly-developed, and looked great. Unfortunately here in the USA, we didn’t really get to experience them at the time, as ever-tightening emissions regulations effectively…
The days might still be hot here on the East Coast, but they’re steadily getting shorter, and the evenings have the familiar cool snap. Summer is nigh over, but here at RSBFS we are just gearing up for one of the best seasons to get out on a sportbike and relish the crisp temperatures and…