There’s an interesting ongoing discussion in the comments section on this site regarding exactly what qualifies as a “rare sport bike.” Bikes seem to fall into three general categories: exotics like Bimota or limited-edition Ducatis. Bikes that weren’t rare when new, but have become rare simply because good examples have become scarce through attrition, like…
For those who follow and collect homologation machines, the OW-01/02 series bikes are the crown jewels of the Yamaha lineup. But before the OW nomenclature, Yamaha homologated another racing machine – the FZR 750RU. While not quite as rare, coveted or expensive as the OW bikes, the 750RU is a great collector machine. It has…
So you’ve been badly bitten by the track-day bug, and you want something that will really teach you to go faster, something you can beat the living hell out of and it will just ask, “Please sir, can I have some more?” Or maybe you’ve decided that track days just aren’t enough, and you want…
First up is this submission from regular reader and frequent commentor “SixthGear” in this 1985 Yamaha RZ350 that reportedly has 10 miles. It’s listed in San Francisco for $13,500. The second bike was emailed to me by several readers for consideration. We’ve actually seen this one before in this post but I agree that this…
Here’s a largely stock and very low mileage FZR1000. This is a pre-EXUP model which puts the horsepower at 135, which in 1987 what a number to be respected. Also noteworthy at that time was the 5 valve head. The owner notes a radar detector of similar vintage has been added and it even wears…
In the world of quarter liter gray market smokers, the Yamaha TZR is seen less often than the Honda NSR or Suzuki RG/RGV lineup. While not as rare as the Kawasaki KR models, TZRs come up for sale less frequently. Personal taste will dictate how desirable these models are versus the other “Big Four” smokers,…
Looking to get into sportbikes, but thinking maybe a used GSX-R1000 is a bit much? And maybe a Ninja 250 looks and sounds a bit too cheap, and is maybe a bit too common? Well this rare little gem of a Yamaha FZR250 might just be the ticket! Made between 1986-1988 with a shrieking 250cc…
I will admit that my first real exposure to SportBikes started in the late 1980’s with fast Freddy Spencer so I didn’t really get to appreciate what people like Kenny Robers did for motorcycling. King Kenny, applying a dirt track racing style to 500cc racing circuit, became the First American World Champion, and to commemorate…