Soft Baggage – 1998 Ducati 900 SS/CR

Every so often a future classic pops up, but with too many niggling questions to be worth pursuing.  A lightweight air-cooled desmodue, the 1998 Ducati 900 SS/CR is a pending collectible and great rider.  With not much of anywhere to hide mysteries, this CR appears free of damage and the long-past salvage title might make…

All You Really Need: 1990 Honda CB-1 for Sale

No one is arguing that we don’t live in an era where “learner bikes” aren’t very sophisticated machines, but no matter how impressive the electronics found on modern small-displacement bikes may be, and no matter stone-axe reliable the mechanicals are, there’s something distinctly uninspiring about the weedy exhaust note of a single-cylinder KTM RC390. It’s…

Naked Ambition – 2001 Yamaha FZ-1

The Yamaha R1’s likeable cousin, the FZ-1 was known as the Fazer offshore.  With its smaller carbs stretching the torque curve, more compliant suspension, and accomodating riding position, the FZ-1 was a bit of a sleeper with 143 hp.  Some of that friendliness has been dyno-tuned out of this example from Michigan, with airbox delete,…

Collector Alert: 1998 Yamaha R1 with 4395 miles

1998 Yamaha R1 on ebay Ahh the Yamaha YZF R1…not just the bike that moved the motorcycle world beyond the legendary Honda CBR900RR/ Fireblade but also the template for pretty much every superbike that followed.   When it was introduced the YZF-R1 changed the expecation of what a street superbike could by packaging a power to weight…