In 1996, Suzuki endeavored to make its GSX-R 750 reclaim its spot atop magazine tests, superbike grids and riders’ wishlists with a redesigned frame that aped the RGV500 grand prix bike, and the introduction of the now-legendary SRAD ram-air system. Two years later, when this 1998 Suzuki GSX-R 750 SRAD was built, they had grown…
The seller of this early-run 1985 Kawasaki Ninja 600R recently completed a fastidious restoration of the bike, down to changing the aged rubber charcoal canister strap for an OEM replacement. He also sourced new gaskets for the anti-dive system in the forks, which took some parts hunting, elbow grease and careful planning. The forks got…
When Massimo Tamburini was done laying waste to the sportbike world with the sinewy beauty and kneecap shattering performance of the Ducati 916, he wasted no time in returning to the Cagiva Research Center to one-up himself. The resulting MV Agusta F4 series plucked heart strings and squeezed adrenal glands in a totally different way,…
In the year 2000, Honda improved the CBR900RR, by then an aging living legend, to keep up with literbikes from the competition. The Yamaha had swept past Honda with the R1, and it was time for the CBR’s next evolution. But this 1999 Honda CBR900RR represents the last and most up-to-date version of the original…
Kawasaki built the ZX7 line for what seems like the last third of the last millennium, ending its run with a reputation for being smooth, comfortable and reliable, but behind its 750cc-class competitors as a track bike. The reputation gained by the later bikes belies the roots laid by the 1991 Kawasaki ZX-7RK. An out-of-the-box…
There’s little that can be said about the Honda CBR900RR that hasn’t been repeated in every forum, magazine, Craigslist post and lookie-there sportbike blog ad nauseam. By the standards of the day, they were a revelation. They were tiny, pinpoint-accurate handlers with big-bore power. For a few years in the Clinton era, there were few…
For a few years in the late 1980’s – early 90’s, Honda had double coverage in the 400cc segment with two 4-cylinder 4-strokes, the V-4 VFR and the straight four CBR400RR. Marketed somewhat differently, the CBR400RR really only made it to the western hemisphere as a grey import, where it has recently shined. This one…
It’s hard to describe what the 1993 Honda CBR250RR meant to the riding masses to audiences in this country, as riders here have never been required to buy starter bikes before moving on to more powerful machines. If you can get your license and qualify for financing in the United States, whatever race replica you…