Largely forgotten now, especially by modern sportbike enthusiasts, Laverda was once a serious player in the Italian sportbike scene of the 1970s. In terms of reputation, anyway, if not in actual production numbers. Their big-bore parallel-twin was supposedly heavily “inspired” by Honda’s parallel twin design of the period, and Laverda’s grown-up engine was heavily overbuilt…
Update 4.8.2019: Sold for full asking price! Congratulations to buyer and seller! -dc We showcase a lot of two strokes, and we wax poetic about their knife-edge handling and peaky, unforgiving powerbands. Most of the time, we’re showing off nice but rider-quality machines that will make the new owners very happy on the track or…
Racebikes are different than other bikes we feature on RSBFS. Where the goal for many collectible roadbikes is absolute originality, or at least limited, period-correct updates, the whole point of a racebike is that it’s a rough-and-tumble artifact, a bit of living history, and battle scars are okay. If the machine in question is historically…
Update 3.8.2019: This bike has SOLD! Congratulations to buyer and seller! -dc There is obviously no practical reason to own a 300hp, track-only motorcycle that isn’t eligible for any racing series of which I’m aware. Maybe something involving quarter miles and ETs? Reviewers of the Kawasaki H2R generally don’t even seem to regard the bike…
You read the headline correctly. What you are looking at is an honest-to-God MotoGP racebike that won the CRT class at the 2012 Qatar Grand Prix under American roadracing hero and two-time World Superbike champion Colin Edwards. The overall win went to Jorge Lorenzo, who was on his way to his second MotoGP championship. Edwards…
Update 3.6.2019: Dave reports that this bike has SOLD! Congratulations to buyer and seller! -dc Showing up to your local track day on any late ’90s or early-aughts Ducati is pretty close to the best way to elevate your cred above the herds of hammered SV650s and GSXRs buzzing around each other like a mobile…
Ducati’s two-valve engine variants have long been seen as the affordable, low-performance option for novice or “mature” riders and bikes far from the leading edge of performance. Which makes the choice of an air and oil-cooled Ducati Sport Classic as the foundation for a high-performance racing machine like this highly-developed example pretty surprising. When the…
1.4.2019: This bike has SOLD! Congratulations to buyer and seller! -dc Much as Moto Guzzi’s purchase by the Piaggio Group saved the company from possible [likely?] extinction, it also doomed any chance that a new superbike to compete with Ducati or Aprilia would see the light of day. And one did reach the prototype stage,…