The Ducati 851 debuted in 1987 and featured brand-new four-valve heads and liquid-cooling, revolutionary design features for the already venerable 90° L-twin. The Pantah engine, while very durable even under racing conditions, was limited in terms of outright power by its two-valve heads and air/oil cooling. Ducati wanted to compete in World Superbike racing, and…
Enough ink has been spilled complaining about the design of the Ducati 999, but two things are clear: it is a far more practical, useable motorcycle than the classic 916, with ergonomics that at least took actual human physiology into account and the controversial looks of the bike are aging well. To be honest, as…
Introduced in 1994 to replace the VFR400R, the RVF400 used a smaller, 399cc version of Honda’s gear-driven V4 powerplant with a 360° firing order. The updated model featured a revised fairing with cat-eye headlamps replacing the earlier bike’s round units, distinctive air tubes leading from the fairing to the front of the tank to feed…
Some more 80’s Honda action this week, only this time the bike is in much better condition and has all of its parts included! Modern sportbikes often obsessively address issues of weight while clawing at ever-higher horsepower numbers, worshiping at the temple founded by Lotus founder Colin Chapman and his philosophy that, “adding power makes…
Update 12.30.2014: This OW01 is back on eBay with a buy-it-now of $20k. If you missed it the first time, this is a very reasonable buy! -dc Because the specs and overall silhouette for the Yamaha FZR750R are misleadingly similar to the regular FZR750 and don’t feature an exotic engine configuration like the Honda’s RC30’s…
Note: We’ve seen this one before, but it’s been a couple years and Tad has a fresh perspective to consider. -dc We generally try to stay away from modified machines at this site, but this GSX-750R LE is exactly the type of motorcycle I love: a bike that shows evolutionary change, a gradual improvement to…
So here’s a bold statement: if the Ducati 916 had never existed, the 999, along with its little brother the 749, would be considered a masterpiece. It’s a superlative machine in almost every way, and was possessed the typical Ducati virtues: a thumping v-twin with a wide powerband, stable handling, and glorious noise. But it…
For those who follow and collect homologation machines, the OW-01/02 series bikes are the crown jewels of the Yamaha lineup. But before the OW nomenclature, Yamaha homologated another racing machine – the FZR 750RU. While not quite as rare, coveted or expensive as the OW bikes, the 750RU is a great collector machine. It has…
