Honda’s VF1000R was from a fascinating transitional period in sportbike design, as companies moved away from racebikes based on big, heavy roadbikes like the Wes Cooley Suzuki and Kawasaki ELR to bikes like the lithe and lightweight GSX-R and ZX-7. This hulking brute has the monoshock rear and fully-faired look of those later bikes, but…
Today we bring you something different. How about an iconic sport bike that was not very rare in its day? The V45 Interceptor was perhaps among the most common of the cutting edge hyper bikes of the early 1980s. With a leading role in the fascinating play that was the Honda technical juggernaut, the Interceptor…
While it’s a hard pill to swallow for newly-minted track-day heroes with visions of tire-spinning corner exits, the best way to learn to be fast is by building good habits in an environment where every single pony counts. Hitting the track on a GSX-R1000 will allow a newer rider to lap at some mind-bending speeds,…
RSBFS faithful know – and generally love – the NC30. Posing as a RC30 (especially with this livery), but in smaller size, less weight and a screaming 400cc V-four, the NC30 is the less expensive choice. But you don’t give up fun for that; what you trade in outright HP you gain in smiles per…
This Honda NSR400R was up for sale recently, but did not find a buyer. Hopefully, it will sell this time around! After years of relatively conservative technology, where overhead cams were considered pretty cutting-edge, motorcycle design went into overdrive during the 1980’s and the Japanese, fueled by their 1970’s domination of the market, were at…
We must be in the season of ex-race bikes, because today we have yet another Superbike offering. This one, however is different. This one goes back to the days before all the large manufacturers threw cubic dollars to go racing, back when smaller teams and independents still had a chance. This bike, this race effort,…
The NSR250R was the road-legal version of Honda’s NSR250 race bike, and includes the requisite lighting, mirrors, and speedometer/warning lights generally required for use on the street. Detuned for road use, the 250 two-stroke v-twin produced about 45hp, but could easily be de-restricted for significantly improved power. With as much as 60hp pushing a sub…
Here in the good ol’ US of A, 250cc motorcycles are generally lumped in with scooters in terms of the respect they get. And while scooters may be fun to ride, no one wants to be seen doing it. And two-strokes? Emissions legislation killed those by the early 1980’s so most Americans’ experience with smokers…