No Substitute – 1982 Honda CX500TC Turbo

The whole concept of “there is no substitution for cubic inches” was challenged resolutely in the 1980s by the advent of forced induction. Essentially boosting the output by shoving more air/fuel into the motor than it could breathe on its own, forced induction was not a new idea – but it was very new for…

Good, Better, BST – 2001 Ducati 996

Continuing Ducati’s impressive form in WSBK racing, the 996 model picked up where the 851 and 916 dropped off. Largely marketed as a bigger bore evolution of the revolutionary 916, the 996 was actually a pretty comprehensive update to the overall package. Now 20+ years on, the 996 is well into collector status and continues…

Quatorze – 1992 Ducati 851

Near Toronto, Canada, just above the Great Lake of Ontario, comes this pretty Italian supermodel. The 851 is fabled for bringing together the trifecta of liquid cooling, fuel injection and four-valve desmo heads together in one fantastic package. So good was this bike that it set Ducati on a dominant streak in the WSBK racing…

Crazy Cat Lady – 1985 Yamaha RZ350

Keeping the pre-mix party going is today’s very rare, totally stock (right down to the factory catalytic converters) 1985 Yamaha RZ350 in red/white colors. Much has been said regarding these little RZs, and they are generally a much-lusted after bike despite the smaller capacity. This bike has low miles, and looks to be pretty authentic.…

Featured Listing – 2009 Aprilia RS125 Track Bike

Continuing in our recent form of fantastic two strokes comes today’s Featured Listing – a 2009 Aprilia RS125 Track Day bike. If you are a RSBFS reader and have seen comments in recent smoker posts you will know that there is nothing sharper for the track than a lightweight, focused two stroke. And when the…

Double Header – 1992 Yamaha TZR250R 3XV

If yesterday’s ’91 model year TZR250 in the muted grey colors didn’t quite get your motor running, how about a fresh-from-Japan ’92 model year in the bright and cheery white/red livery? This is a bike that looks like it is going fast even when it isn’t, and as a 250cc v-twin two stroke pushing a…

Napoleon Dynamite – 1984 Yamaha RD500LC

Unlike the geeky and ungainly title character who comes good at the end (#spoileralert), the Yamaha RD500LC has never been anything but cool. The Japanese interpretation of what a street-going, 500cc two-stroke GP machine should be, today’s example appears to have played around in France before being imported into the US and going through a…