Although the ZXR-750/ZX-7 H1 often gets overlooked in favor of the GSX-R from the same time period, the Kawasaki was a worthy competitor. The bike was powered by a 749cc inline-four that produced 105hp, a number that looks unimpressive in light of today’s sport bikes, but was on par with the Gixxer and YZF. Interestingly,…
If you are in the US you are probably not too accustomed to seeing a VFR700, as the 750cc and later expanded 800cc and 1200cc “Interceptor” models have been produced in much higher numbers. The 700cc edition was only build for a few years to comply with a fortunately short-lived tariff the U.S. imposed to…
While Europeans have always been neck-deep in the whole Moto GP-thing as embodied by bikes like the Aprilia RS250, here in the US where flat-track and drag-racing are king, fans of whippy two-stroke race-replicas had to work a bit harder to get their fix, at least before the advent of the internet… But even US…
On the air-cooled side of the 1995 Ducati showroom, possibly back in a corner, was the 900 SS/CR. Not leading edge like the 916 or 748, not as racy as the 900 Superlight, not a new naked Monster, a nice bargain but not like the 600 or 750, the 900 SS/CR had its own gap…
Set the way-back machine for 1975 and attend EICMA (Esposizione Internazionale Ciclo Motociclo e Accessori) in Milan, there you’ll see the original bikini-faired Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans, the iconic basis for the long line of Le Mans-badged machines. The torquey long-wheelbase heavyweights were ( and are ) the cornerstone of Guzzi’s line-up. 2003 Moto…
2002 Honda RC-51 SP2 on eBay The 90s were a tough time for Honda on the racetrack. World Superbike regulations allowed v-twins a displacement increase up to 999cc to make up for the horsepower “advantage” that the four cylinder motorcycles had. The Ducati 916 used this to thoroughly dominate WSBK to the tune of five championships in…
1997 Yamaha YZF-750R on eBay As a YZF-750R owner myself, I’m always looking for them and at them. They don’t turn up very often. Unfortunately the YZF-750R will always be overlooked as it comes in between the legendary FZR-750 OW-01 and the drop dead sexy Yamaha R7 and also the revolutionary Yamaha R1. However, it really is a…
Just 500 of the classically-proportioned Ducati Paul Smart 1000LE bikes were imported to the US, with silver half-faired bodywork and a blue-green frame intended to recall the bike ridden to victory by Paul Smart at the Imola 200 in 1972, a win without which Ducati might not exist. Modern retro-styled bikes often use their throwback…