What is art? For a long time the belief was that a motorcycle could not be art because “art can never have any other purpose than itself”. But the folks at the Guggenheim museum in New York thought differently and their 1998 display the Art of the Motorcycle was the most popular event at the…
For a short time back in the 80’s, bikes with fully enclosed bodywork were all the rage. Bimota had the Tesi, Ducati had the Paso, BMW had the big K1, Honda had the CBR/Hurricane, etc. At the same time numerous european countries passed laws restricting the displacement of motorcycles that new riders could own. These…
Look, they made a lot of Ducati 916/996/998’s over the years, and while they’re truly iconic machines, they’re also kind of cliché, especially in stock form. Not that I don’t love them to pieces. I have every intention of owning one at some point. Part of the reason for their ubiquity is the fact that…
Back in the late 80’s one of the requirements for racing was that a factory team race bike had to be based on a street bike/bikes available for the public to purchase. This policy was known as the “homologation rule”. The 1988 Ducati 851 was offered as both a standard 851 Strada and a ready…
Introduced in 1989, the Cagiva Mito was restyled in 1994 by… Well you get three guesses. If, after a quick look at that front fairing and headlight arrangement, you guessed “Massimo Tamburini”, you win a cookie! Either that or you’re quick with a Google search… Looking for all the world like a miniature, aluminum beam-framed…
Introduced in 1997 and made until 2001, the TL1000S was a shot across Ducati’s bow. Tired of the Bolognese firm getting all the press for their sexy, thunderous twins, Suzuki did them one better: a reliable, low-maintenance, liquid-cooled v-twin that made the power of Ducati’s 916 at the price of their air-cooled 900SS… While 125hp…
When it comes to bikes that generate a lot of interest on RSBFS, few can rival the RC30. Known in Honda parlance as the VFR750R and originally available in trim levels specific to Japan, Europe and North America, the RC30 was a homologated version of the dominant race bike of its era. While many will…
I’m not one to gush over a bike, and usually, this sort of thing doesn’t interest me: a limited-edition Italian superbike with tons of possibly pointless bling thrown at it, colorful anodized and blacker-than-black carbon everything, the slightly matte rainbow glow of titanium piping, all stuck to the bike to make it more “exclusive.” But…
