Red, white and smoky: 1985 Kawasaki KR250S

The 1985 Kawasaki KR250S was a street-going version of a two-stroke road racer that took home four championships in the 1970s. They weighed less than 300 pounds, made 45 horsepower and packaging was kept tight with a weird “tandem twin” engine design. The mill was essentially two singles in a line with a unified crank.…

Sharp Sword: 1982 Suzuki Katana

The 1982 Suzuki Katana is a beautiful example of a manufacturer using the time-honored tradition of raiding the parts bin to make a machine whose impact multiplied the sum of its parts. With its running gear filched from the GS line, the 1982 Katana was a race-bred little brother to the GS1100 bruiser, but it…

Right-sized – 1986 Honda VF500F Interceptor

Following the 750 Interceptor to the showroom but actually descended from the diminutive VF400F, the 499cc version was just about right for an intermediate rider ( or cognoscenti ) in the American market.  Most got ridden to a fair-thee-well but this New Hampshire example shows beautifully with just over 6,000 miles. 1986 Honda VF500F Interceptor…

From the Cape: 1998 Bimota SB6R

Bimota is known for taking the road less traveled – in order to travel that road faster and with more exclusivity. And while Bimota has had some brilliant successes and failures, it was the SB6R that promised mainstream potential. Housing a GSX-R1100 powerplant magically wrapped in aluminum and fiberglass, the SB6R weighed less than the…

A Good Fit – 1987 Bimota YB5

Even Bimota was not immune to the siren call of Yamaha’s 130 hp FJ1200, producing one of their only biposto models.  This example has been carefully preserved in South Africa. 1987 Bimota YB5 ( South Africa ) for sale on eBay Yamaha had recently given their air/oil-cooled four a big displacement bump and tuned it…