If you haven’t seen Honda’s legendary RC30 in person, it’s easy to mistake the smaller, 400cc VFR400R NC30 for that iconic homologation machine. The smaller headlights of the more widely produced NC30 give the game away, although it shares very similar looks, like an RC30 that was put in the dryer on high heat for…
The original Suzuki GSX-R750 that was introduced in 1985 may have been a “race bike for the road” in theory, and it certainly gave privateers an excellent foundation on which to build a pretty competitive machine. But there are always areas where compromises are made for production efficiencies, so there’s always room for improvement when…
When you see “Oro” in a motorcycle name these days, it immediately conjures images of low-production, high-spec exotics like the MV Agusta F4 750 Serie Oro. This little smoker was really anything but “limited-production” or “high-spec,” and Aletta Oro translates to “golden wing.” Of course, it’s obvious that it has nothing in common with Honda’s…
Two-stroke sportbikes of the late 1980s and early 1990s followed a very similar format: aluminum beam frame, full fairing, racy ergonomics, and a small two-stroke powerplants packing cutting-edge technology and serious power per cubic inch. But the formula wasn’t really the result of a lack of imagination, it was convergent evolution: the class was ruthlessly…
Practical sportbikes like the Yamaha FZR400 generally weren’t babied and pampered, or cherished in the way that seems so common with Italian superbikes: for an FZR400 fan, “to cherish” means to flog mercilessly on a canyon road or tight track, passing bigger bikes around the outside on that skinny 140-section 18″ rear tire… But nice,…
The 1996 Suzuki RGV250 VJ23 was basically the last gasp for road-legal two-stroke sport bikes, and one of the most technologically advanced. Sure, Aprilia made the RS250 for a few years beyond that, but it was actually powered by the previous generation of Suzuki’s RGV250 engine, and the final examples weren’t even road legal in…
Update 8.2.2019: This seller has upgraded to a Featured Listing. The bike is back on eBay and is now NO RESERVE! Good luck to buyers and seller! Links updated. -dc I’m a big fan of smaller, less powerful sportbikes. Sure, maybe that sounds like I’m not a real motorcycle enthusiast, since I’m not addicted to…
Update 10.26.2019: This bike has SOLD! Congratulations to buyer and seller! -dc If you’re a fan of four-stroke motorcycles, two-strokes like this Featured Listing Honda NSR250R MC28 can be a little… underwhelming, the first time you see, and especially hear one. I mean, even with aftermarket pipes, they make an oddly weedy sort of zing…