Later Yamaha R1s like this 2006 LE aren’t really collectible as yet, but I’m sure they will be down the road, particularly when decked out in these very flattering colors that recall Kenny Roberts’ racing machines. This was one of the last versions of the R1 to use the flat-plane crank engine, so Yamaha folks…
Update 1.2.2019: This bike has SOLD! Looking at strange beasts like the 2019 Harley-Davidson FXDR, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that Harley ever had anything to do with road racing. Or turns in general, for that matter. Years and brand image have done much to erase the memory of the 1972 Harley-Davidson XR750TT, an honest-to-God,…
The masters from Rimini were on a roll: From the tube-framed madness from the cusp of the 1980s to the aluminum beams as the 1990s approached, Bimota has always been in the frame game. But unlike many bespoke frame makers who concentrated only on the chassis, these Italian artists disguised as motorcycle makers ensured that…
The mid-2000’s saw BMW put their flagship 1170cc DOHC twin into three very different motorcycles – a big super-motard, a hare-n-hound off-roader, and this, the HP2 Sport. While both the motard and off-road machines were mega-size compared to the mainstream, the HP2 Sport fit better into the superbike genre and can show and go. This…
One of the most collectible Ducatis of all time, the Supermono isn’t even a v-twin. It is, as the name implies, powered by a single-cylinder engine. If you’re a bit confused by this and thinking, “Hmmmm… I don’t remember there being any Ducati singles in the 90s…” you’re not actually crazy. There weren’t any Supermono…
John Bloor’s new Triumph engineers had a modular solution for their line of of four-stroke engines – all had 76mm bores and strokes were 65 or 55mm depending on multiples of 250 or 300cc. The big 1200 was their atom smasher and had two balance shafts in the crankcase to smooth things out. This time…
Yamaha’s TZR250 doesn’t seem to command the same prices or attention as Honda’s NSR. Which is interesting, considering it’s similar in terms of weight and performance, and the TZR is generally even rarer in every market outside Japan: both the 3MA and 3XV versions were officially sold in the Japanese market only, although plenty found…
If “916” were the punchline, the joke would surely start out with: “These two Italians walk into a bar….” And while it is true that the 916 was the love child of Massimo Tamburini’s striking design and Massimo Bordi’s shrieking new v-twin, the 916 was no joke. This was a watershed bike for Ducati –…
