Hen’s Tooth: 1983 Bimota SB4S

Hailing from a time when Bimota had its pick of mass-produced engines to stick into lovely bespoke frames, this 1983 Bimota SB4S is a one-of-34 machine from a factory that wasn’t exactly known for its production capacity. What makes this SB4 so rare is that it is fully faired, setting it apart from the other…

Import Eligible: 1988 Honda CBR400RR

We have seen our fair share of VFR400Rs and lightweight, two-stroke screamers on home soil this year, but Honda’s pint-sized inline-four sportbikes have stayed fairly scarce, except for a few examples here and there. The other side of the pond is another story, where the rev-happy “training” bikes can be had for a song. 1988…

Shades of Lawson: 1983 Kawasaki KZ1000R ELR

The early ’80s were a great time to be an enormous Japanese superbike, as Wes Cooley, Kenny Roberts, Freddie Spencer and Eddie Lawson were busy catapulting your fortunes into the stratosphere. The Kawasaki KZ series in particular was enjoying the fruits of Lawson’s labor, as the flat tracker from Upland, California won the AMA Superbike…

Tax Evader: 1987 Yamaha FZ700

The late ’80s dawned with a series of ominous signs: The economy turned south, Full House debuted, I was born and the tariff on Japanese bikes over 750 cc shipped to the U.S. was in its full, dreadful swing. That meant that some of the decade’s meanest street/track machines were prohibitively expensive to buyers on…

‘Busa in the buff: 2008 Suzuki B-King

Ah, the Suzuki B-King. The rarer cousin of the Suzuki Hyabusa, the B-King is the juicehead king of the naked muscle bike segment, Suzuki’s answer to an unasked “what if …” The outward appearance of the B-King whiffs a little heavily of Axe body spray and hair plugs, but beneath lies a sharply put together…