BMW developed and supported the Boxer Cup series in the 2000’s to showcase their R1100S, and had a special edition Boxer Cup Replika available toward the end of the run. Special livery, suspension and components set the editions of 300 apart from the normal -S. This Jersey native is spotless with low miles for a…
In spite of its shaft drive and pushrod valvetrain, the original Moto Guzzi Le Mans went head-to-head against bikes like the Ducati 900SS. Unlikely as it might seem, it held its own, but later generations gradually lost ground on the competition. A new platform and six-speed gearbox introduced in 2000 on the V11 Sport was…
These days, when someone says “BMW sportbike,” two things happen. First, the squinty, asymmetrical S1000RR immediately springs to mind. Second, you don’t immediately burst into a fit of laughing: not long ago, “BMW sportbike” would have been something of an oxymoron. But people forget that, sandwiched in between the sporty-toury R1100S and the game-changing S1000RR,…
BMW’s R65 was introduced as a junior model to the R90 and an update to the R60. Hans Muth was enlisted to style the LS, with his signature triangular fairing and orangey-red bodywork with enigmatic white alloys. This one has been hidden away and revived a couple of times, with an extraordinary 4,629 miles and…
These days, Moto Guzzi “sportbikes” really need the quotation marks I’ve included here. Ducati managed to develop their signature 90° v-twin format and stay competitive among the current crop of tech-heavy rockets, but it’s unlikely that, even given a pretty large budget to attempt something like that, Guzzi could have stayed true to their longitudinal…
Moto Guzzi cross-pollinated their 1990’s unfaired sport model with the newly developed 992cc four-valve V-twin, the result being the V10 Centauro. Calendar-girl bodywork surrounds the air and oil-cooled beast within, tuned down from the Daytona 1000’s peak but still happy to rev to the 8,400 rpm limit and crank out 95 hp. This one has…
In remembrance of the Bal d’Or from 1971, when a Moto Guzzi 850 made a podium finish after 24 hours, came the Le Mans 850. This Mark 3 has all the good stuff, revised heads with bigger valves, air-charged suspension, full-featured dash, and still wears its early 1980’s emissions and noise regulation gear. Complete as…
Lots of young men had Farrah Fawcett posters on their walls in the mid 1970’s, while those with the two-wheeled affliction might’ve had one of a sexy R90S. The bike was BMW’s return to /S machines and was made only for a few years, but won Daytona and the inaugural AMA SuperBikes championship in 1976…