The Ducati 916 is a bike that should need no introduction on these pages. The immortal, evolutionary offspring of the 851/888, the 916 offers every bit of performance that the evocative design implies. And while time has a tendency to mute the claims and hyperboles of an era, this model continues to represent itself well.…
Having spoken with a couple people about the Yamaha FZR1000 of the late 80s and early 90s, I’ve gotten the distinct impression that, however competent it may have been, it really wasn’t cool in the way the Suzuki GSX-R1100 was. I think someone went as far as to say they were kind of the “nerdy”…
It’s not that hard to come across clean Kawasaki ZX-7Rs these days, even after many of them were used and abused and thrown away. But this 1993 Kawasaki ZX-7R M1 is a lot more special. It’s not quite an RR, but the M1 is an early homologation special of the ZX-7R, and it wears a…
This ZX7R has popped up from the middle of the 1996-2003 run, mostly stock and showing no particular damage. The owner lists a recent major service, battery and new tires. Not a ground-breaking design or super lightweight, the mid-size Ninja did nail down a few AMA Superbike titles, and is still a great looking ride.…
My knowledge of French comes courtesy of car manufacturer Renault (pronounced Run-Not) who marketed Le Car in the 1970s. It came with Le Tires, Le Hubcaps, and Le tiny little motor. But it was, according to Renault, a car. Popular Mechanics dubbed it a French VW Rabbit, low on style but practical and useful. Thankfully…
Look, I know it sucks: you’re never going to own a Britten. You’re never going to ride one. Honestly, most people will never actually see one in person. Maybe someday, someone will build a run of nearly perfect replicas built to the original specifications. But even if they do, you probably won’t see one of…
The 1979 Yamaha RD400F Daytona Special made its name by tangling with a breaking wave of magnificent four strokes and excelling in the face of the bigger machines. By ’79, two strokes were supposed to be effectively dead, with emissions and the popularity of the new superbikes rendering them relics of a bygone era. But…
After the John Bloor resurrection of the Triumph brand and some experimentation with both three and four-cylinder engines, it became clear the triple supplied the right blend of weight, power, and perhaps most importantly, character that provided an alternative to the run-of-the-mill fours then dominating the sportbike scene. The original Daytona used a spine frame…
