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 1985 Honda VF1000R answered a lot of prayers when it finally came to the States, after the press and public here had for years praised everything Honda threw a V4 at, but clamored for the serious sportbike Europe got. The VF1000R was the first Honda V4 outside of a full-on racebike to have gear-driven…
This 2014 Ducati 1199 Superleggera has barely covered its break-in period, and comes complete with a boxful of accessories and two Akrapovic exhaust setups. And, if you’re so inclined, the option of a two-year warranty. On a 200-horsepower, 400-pound Scud missile. With a license plate. And turn signals. 2014 Ducati 1199 Superleggera It is nigh…
In the mid-20th Century, Norton occupied rarefied standing in motorcycling, making itself legendary among racers in Britain and Europe, taking home Manx TT trophies and trading wins with other big names on the continent and in the Isles. Its big-bore engines and revolutionary vibration-isolating frame designs made the brand wildly popular, cutting edge and fast.…
It’s hard to imagine that, just a couple years before the introduction of the GSX-R750, Suzuki’s top-performing repli-racer was the stylish, but very last-generation GS1000S, a bike with twin shocks, handlebars, a center-stand, and a bar-mounted bikini fairing. The original “Slabbie” GSX-R750 that came along in 1985 brought modern endurance-racing style to the masses and…
Triumph’s entire 1990s range of sport, sport-touring, retro, and naked machines like this original Speed Triple was built around a common spine frame and two engines, the 885cc inline triple seen here and a larger-displacement inline four. This allowed Triumph to quickly create new variations and mirror market trends without sacrificing quality, a strategy that…
Sometimes, the very final version of a car or motorcycle is a pale shadow of the original, as the years inevitably add pounds and dilute the purity of what made the original example so desirable. But the Honda NSR250R went out with a bang instead of a whimper, at the top of its game, and…
The market for factory replicas is hot right now, especially from the 1980s era of Superbike racing. These were the days of low-tech, skinny tires, big handlebars and manly men riders. Air-cooled, inline fours with two-valve heads and a quartet of carbs ruled the track. Motors were impossibly wide, bias-ply tires were (by today’s standards)…
