A mix of big-bike power and light weight, Suzuki’s GSX-R set the tone for the modern superbike. At the time it was introduced, more and more bikes were being cooled by a strange new substance known as “water,” but the GSX-R remained uncluttered by hoses and unburdened by awkward heat-radiating devices: in an effort to…
Although it’s nearly twenty years old now, it’s likely very few people would realize that this Bimota SB6R is anything other than a modern motorcycle: while many 90s designs have quickly become very awkward or dated at the very least, it’s clear Bimota knew what they were doing when they styled this thing. With Italian…
Update 6.12.2016: SOLD! Price is $7,500 Introduced in 1986, the GSX-R1100 followed the age-old tradition of stuffing a big motor into a small package. It was more complicated than that, of course, and the 1100 isn’t just a 750 with a bigger engine. But the idea is there, and it can easily be argued that…
Although the 750cc class is basically dead today, there was a time when middleweight sportbikes were the bikes to have, and competition between the Japanese Big Four was fierce in showrooms and on track. Kawasaki’s ZX-7, known elsewhere as the ZXR750 was perhaps The People’s Middleweight Sportbike of the era, a far more accessible and…
At some point, I think I’m doomed to buy a K4 GSX-R1000: when I go to track days, it seems like all the older riders are using them, and it won’t be all that long before I’m one of those grizzled old track rats. But do they get them as retirement gifts from Social Security?…
Today’s GSX-R750 is sort of the polar opposite of Sunday’s Ducati Supermono: the Gixxer was always intended to be ridden and enjoyed anywhere, street or track. It needed no army of trained technicians to make it run, or a crew to push start it like the Supermono did, or pro-level riding skill to appreciate, or…
Although the ZXR-750/ZX-7 H1 often gets overlooked in favor of the GSX-R from the same time period, the Kawasaki was a worthy competitor. The bike was powered by a 749cc inline-four that produced 105hp, a number that looks unimpressive in light of today’s sport bikes, but was on par with the Gixxer and YZF. Interestingly,…
The MV Agusta F4 1000 pretty much represents the bargain of the decade, with nice examples of the very sleek, and genuinely very fast F4 trading for right around $10,000. Which is about what a nice 2013 GSX-R600 will set you back. For commuting or track days, that Gixxer is very likely the better choice:…
