Limited by budgets and economies of scale, many smaller car and motorcycle manufacturers are stuck rehashing the same product line, trying to keep pace with much larger companies capable of significant revamps and updates of their models to keep pace with the ruthless advance of technology and changing consumer tastes. Certainly, the Italian brands have…
Most times, even if their models share no significant components, motorcycle manufacturers go to great lengths to make sure their bikes all share a strong familial resemblance. In fact, the most recent GSX-R600 and 750 are virtually identical and appear to share their frames and body panels, with only their engine displacements, graphic treatments, and…
Beyond the tragedy of losing a young life with so much unspent potential, the death of Nicky Hayden robbed from American motorcycling the last great talent to take a DIY mentality born on a dirt track to the world stage. The loss will resonate for years, as Hayden’s influence touched every corner of the sport…
Before Yamaha dropped its lithe, world-beating R1 in 1998, it had already set the bar pretty high for itself with the YZF1000R Thunderace, which took home bike of the year honors in ’97. Elsewhere around the globe, the YZF1000R was sold for seven years, stepping in as a blistering sport touring mount once the R1…
The Yamaha FZR400 has a fiercely devoted following as a track day and club racing darling, thanks to its unusual for the time aluminum Deltabox frame, screaming engine and lithe curb weight. You don’t see too many on the streets in this country, where big-bore horsepower has always reigned supreme. 1988 Yamaha FZR400 for sale…
As slab and Slingshot Gixxers from the mid to late ’80s get more and more expensive and desirable, now is an increasingly good time to look to their competition to snag an equally capable but much cheaper mount. Early Kawasaki ZX-7s are a great alternative, with more forward-looking styling and a reputation as the baddest…
The hard-edged Kawasaki ZXR400 is something of a rarity among grey-market Japanese 400cc sportbikes, as importers drag far more Honda VFR 400s and Yamaha FZR400Rs to our shores. For whatever reason, the Hondas and Yamahas seem to command most of the demand. 1989 Kawasaki ZXR400 H1 for sale on eBay It’s not for lack of…
The term “barn find” pretty much says it all: the collectible car or motorcycle in question was found sitting in an actual barn, where the previous owner stored it when it stopped running. Possibly hidden under a layer of dust, old blankets, back issues of Playboy, and mold. The implication is that it is in…