Ducati went all in on special editions in 2003 after Troy Bayliss took home the metal in the 2001 World Superbike Championship and American teammate Ben Bostrom followed him to third. They kicked out a special edition 2002 Ducati 998S for each man, wearing special carbon fairing pieces, Ohlins suspension, colored chromoly frames and Marchesini…
The Ducati R bike has always been a major factor in the history of Ducati. Renowned originally as homologation machines in order to go racing, the R brand has taken on a life of its own as a limited edition, high performance exclusive tier of the existing model line. And while there may be some…
Taking Italian suspension, style and bespoke build quality know-how and shoving it full of deadnuts-reliable and prodigious power from the other side of the Atlantic, or in this case the Pacific, is a time-honored tradition. In the ’60s, the likes of Bizzarrini and Iso executed the formula to devastating effect in cars. But Bimota ported…
The 1989 Suzuki GSX-R1100 earned a hairy reputation on their debut, as frame revisions or dodgy factory suspension meant their handling wasn’t what people had come to expect from the GSX-Rs, which even that early in their run had earned a sterling reputation. The handling was enough to scare some people away, but those who…
Moving on from booming V-twin, limited edition bikes from Italy comes this beautiful, well, uh, V-twin, limited edition screamer from, er, Italy. Sheesh. The big difference is that this one is a two stroke from Noale, and not the desmo- aspirated variety from Bologna. Specifically, this is the GP-1 branded Aprilia RS250, a final example…
We’ve been a little Ducati-heavy this week, but there’s no way I was going to skip this one: an Eraldo Ferracci-prepped and tuned Ducati 916 SPS. Sure, this might look like yet another boring 916, but the SPS is one of Ducati’s fire-breathing homologation specials, and this example has been endowed with a highly-tuned stroker…
Update 6.18.2020: This bike is SOLD! Congratulations to buyer and seller! -dc We don’t post a ton of “classic” sportbikes here, but some motorcycles transcend the era in which they were built: the bevel-drive Ducati 900SS, the Moto Guzzi V7 Sport, Norton Manx, Vincent Black Shadow, Kawasaki ELR, Honda CBX, and this bright orange Laverda…
The 1983 Kawasaki KZ1000R ELR is the ultimate expression of streetbike muscle from the era when racebikes actually were just tricked out street bikes with hot engine kits, big brakes and slicks. Without someone like Pops Yoshimura in your rolodex, you still weren’t gonna get close to Eddie Lawson’s horsepower numbers, but with a couple…