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…
Cagiva’s Raptor was a followup to the Ducati Monster by the original bike’s designer, Miguel Angel Galluzzi. Powered by Suzuki’s powerful, reliable and, most importantly, low-maintenance v-twin in both 650 and 1000cc flavors, the Raptor attempted to recreate the magical Monster formula for Cagiva. Unfortunately, while it was better in pretty much every quantifiable way…
Although it’s nearly twenty years old now, it’s likely very few people would realize that this Bimota SB6R is anything other than a modern motorcycle: while many 90s designs have quickly become very awkward or dated at the very least, it’s clear Bimota knew what they were doing when they styled this thing. With Italian…
Fans of bikes like today’s RG500 Γ “Gamma” may fantasize that they are every bit as fast as a modern sportbike. But they’re probably viewing things through rose-tinted glasses: 95hp and 350lbs dry aren’t exceptional numbers today. Matched with the flexible frame and shockingly skinny tires, you’re looking at something would probably have a hard…
Race-replicas are generally garish affairs: race bike paint is intended to offer up a striking rolling billboard that differentiates the machine on track and gets attention for sponsors. But the Suzuki RG500 Walter Wolf replica offers up subtle but effective style that’s very unusual among race-reps. Maybe that’s because Walter Wolf never actually sponsored racing…
Update 6.12.2016: SOLD! Price is $7,500 Introduced in 1986, the GSX-R1100 followed the age-old tradition of stuffing a big motor into a small package. It was more complicated than that, of course, and the 1100 isn’t just a 750 with a bigger engine. But the idea is there, and it can easily be argued that…
The Bimota SB6 was one of the Rimini-based company’s best sellers, with 1,700 built, including 600 of the more exclusive SB6R models like this one. Powered by Suzuki’s GSX-R1100 engine and five-speed transmission, it was a whopping 90lbs lighter than the donor bike and, with top-of-the-line Paioli forks up front and a shiny Öhlins shock…
In the late 1990s, manufacturers of sportbikes had basically given up on the v-twin like the one that powers this Suzuki TL1000R. Twins could still be found in smaller bikes, but serious sport machines had mostly moved onto the inline-four configuration. Except, of course, for Ducati and they probably stuck with it because they couldn’t…