Intended for the Asian market, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an NSR150 SP for sale here in the USA before. As with the bigger NSR250, this was not a budget commuter, and included plenty of high-tech components to match the Repsol race-rep paint job. Obviously, style is key for a first bike that will…
Back when two-strokes ruled the entry-level sportbike class in Europe, Aprilia’s RS125 was designed to appeal to new riders who wanted something sporty, but were limited in terms of displacement and outright power by strict licensing laws that prevented the purchase of bikes that in the USA would be considered “learner bikes.” Sponsor logos and…
As I’ve mentioned before, it’s weird how some bikes seem to show up in waves, and this is the third Honda RS125R I’ve seen this week. The previous example I posted was in very good condition and came with a nice stash of spares, but was more functional than this particular bike, which also has…
Unlike the roadgoing, but still-sporty TZR series, Yamaha’s TZ bikes were track-only motorcycles with performance far exceeding what road riders might expect from their diminutive displacements and dimensions: technically, the Yamaha TZ125 isn’t even pint-sized as this post title implies, since Google reliably informs me that a pint is actually 473cc, and even a cup…
Growing up, my only experience with two-strokes was in leaf blowers: I didn’t ride dirt bikes, and two-stroke sportbikes were long gone by the time I got into motorcycles. A thudding v-twin sounds like sex, and the technology that allows a four to scream to 16,000rpm boggles my mind while the noise makes my hair…
We normally try to post unmolested, rare and exotic motorcycles here on RSBFS. Not customs or kit bikes, no matter how nice. But this little flyweight track-day terror based on a YZF450F seemed like a good excuse to break our own, self-imposed rules. Racing is an expensive hobby, even if you’re doing everything you can…
Not every exotic needs to try and tear your arms out as soon as you twist the throttle, and not every rare motorcycle needs to cost a packet to buy or run: sometimes our need to be just a little bit different clashes with life’s practical considerations. For riders in that particular situation, may I…
The impossibly exotic Gilera CX125 still looks futuristic today but, while the fully-enclosed bodywork and unusual suspension appeared radical when new, the underlying mechanical bits are surprisingly pedestrian. Sure the bike handled well, but the 125cc two-stroke single powering the CX is far from the exciting, sophisticated engine you’d expect, considering the bike’s striking design.…