Three for the Road – 1985 Honda NS400R

In the spate of GP racer replicas that littered the 1980s, perhaps none are as perplexing as the Honda NS400R. Patterned after the NS500 that Freddie Spencer rode into the history books (with a nod to the RS500 privateer machines), the NS400R shared the GP bike’s odd 3-cylinder arrangement. And while the NS400R was the…

20,000 Reasons – 1990 Kawasaki ZX-R250

Today’s find is an absolute gem that is overlooked and likely relatively unknown in the United States. American riders tend to dismiss smaller capacity motorcycles as starter bikes or scooters. But in many markets the quarter liter sport bike was the real competitive ground zero, and the machinery on offer was as technologically advanced as…

Hail Mary – 2008 Ducati 1098R

In late 2006 Ducati had a conundrum. The Pierre Terblanche designed 999 was a massive hit on the racetrack in the hands of the WSBK team, with 3 WSBK championships to show for it. In the showroom, the 999 received critical acclaim. Well, let’s just say it earned more critics than acclaim. The fact was,…

Re-Californication: 1984 Yamaha RZ350

The Yamaha RZ350 was the last of the federally imported two strokes into the EPA-heavy state of California. With precise oil injection, the Yamaha Power Valve System (YPVS) to maximize efficiency, and air-injection and catalytic converters in the exhaust stream, this was the cleanest factory smoker on the planet in 1984. Sadly this was not…