Aside from the disastrous VDue, Bimota’s stock-in-trade was wrapping lightweight frames and fantastically exotic bodywork around reliable powertrains from established manufacturers. The magical formula that led to bikes like the Bimota SB6 seems so simple, it’s a wonder it took so long for other manufacturers to catch on: wrap too much engine in too little…
Fresh off the boat from Japan, this Suzuki RGV250 Γ “Gamma” is the higher-spec SP model that featured fully-adjustable suspension, along with a close-ratio gearbox and a dry clutch. 1988 was the first year of the RGV that replaced the parallel-twin of the RG250 with a new, 90° 249cc v-twin engine that also found its way…
Given the Bimota SB8R’s exotic reputation, you might be surprised to learn just how affordable they can be. They’re one of the most commonly-seen Bimotas and offer up Ducati noise and performance with looks that you’d never confuse with anything else. The slightly odd styling certainly matches the exotic brand and the bike uses Suzuki’s…
Although for many, the second-generation Aprilia RS250 captures the essence of lightweight, two-stroke performance, I prefer the earlier versions, like this Chesterfield replica: the later bikes are just a little bit bulbous in the tail, and that techno-futuristic dash just look a little bit too “1980s Dodge Daytona” for me. Not that I’d pass up…
Introduced in Europe in 1981, the Suzuki GSX1100S “Katana” and its littler siblings like this rare, apparently very late-production GSX400S stunned the motorcycle buying public. A quick glance at bikes available from other manufacturers at the time shows us deep in the era of the Universal Japanese Motorcycle, and the Big Four were clearly following,…
Today’s very clean Suzuki RG500Γ “Gamma” hails from power-mad Australia, where it seems like there are a disproportionate number of these two-stroke terrors stashed away. With fewer than 10,000 produced for all markets during three years of production, the bike was a true race-replica and shared its wild liquid-cooled square-four engine with no other model…
One of the shining stars of the two-stroke GP era, the hugely popular Kevin Schwantz and fellow American Wayne Rainey made headlines for their epic rivalry and “winner-take-all” on-track brawls. Although he actually raced an RGV500, a number of Suzuki’s road-going RGV250s were created with replica paintjobs to capitalize on Schwantz’ racing success riding with Lucky Strike…
A mix of big-bike power and light weight, Suzuki’s GSX-R set the tone for the modern superbike. At the time it was introduced, more and more bikes were being cooled by a strange new substance known as “water,” but the GSX-R remained uncluttered by hoses and unburdened by awkward heat-radiating devices: in an effort to…
