The Yamaha FZR1000 EXUP was named “Bike of the Decade” [the 1980s] by Cycleworld magazine, meaning it faced down some very tough competition, including the Ducati 851, Suzuki RG500, and the original GSX-R750. What made it so special? Well servo-actuated exhaust valves are pretty ubiquitous these days, but the big FZR was the first four-stroke…
In the pantheon of 400cc sportbikes, a lightweight, rev-happy segment of rippers designed to help aspiring knee draggers stay within foreign tiered-licensing guidelines, the Kawasaki ZXR400 stood out as a hard-edged race replica writ small. The baby brother of the world-class ZX-7 superbike, the ZXR400 turned its tiny displacement and diminutive weight into an advantage.…
Although bikes in the 400cc class are virtually unknown in the USA, they were big business elsewhere, with bikes like the Honda CBR400 and VFR400, Yamaha FZR400, and today’s Featured Listing Kawasaki ZXR400R competing in showrooms and race series for the hearts and hard-earned money of sportbike enthusiasts. Here in the US, it is 600s…
In the 1990s, Honda had a bit of a problem with their engineers building cool machines the company didn’t seem to know how to sell: the Hawk GT, the CB1, and their retro-styled musclebike, the CB1000F known internally as “Project Big One.” And big it is: those are 18″ wheels front and rear, but they…
Update 7.24.2017: Interested parties can email the seller directly: mrcbx@att.net Built in small quantities between 1981 and 1983 and very rare sight here in the US, the Honda CB1100R was created to homologate the big, four-cylinder machine for endurance racing. Based on the CB900F and powered by a 1062cc air-cooled inline engine, it featured the…
Sometimes, bikes are meant to be accessible, and offer real-world riding fun and performance. Sometimes, they’re just meant to showcase potential, to flaunt a manufacturer’s capability, to kick sand in the face of competitors. The H2 and H2R fall into this category. Does anyone actually need a nearly 300hp track-only motorcycle? Of course not. Reviews…
Before the haters and the interweb know-it-alls pipe up, we all know that the FZR600 – while a great bike in its day – is not rare. So what the heck is it doing here on RSBFS??! I can sum it up with one word: Condition. These bikes are not really collector material; Yamaha simply…
Performance motorcycles have gotten so powerful and fast that they’re only even rideable by normal humans because of sophisticated electronics. If 99% of riders need traction-control just to keep their 190hp superbike on the road, couldn’t it be argued that they’re too powerful? ABS and all the other safety systems are amazing, but should be…