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…
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,…
For many years, Grand Prix motorcycle racing was dominated by two-strokes: 125s, 250s, and the hairy 500s that carried the likes of Schwantz, Rainey, and Doohan to victory. But as the popularity of two-strokes waned on the road, the formula was changed to allow four-strokes to compete, and ultimately all Grand Prix motorcycle racing machines…
I’m always torn when considering bikes like the Ducati 749R: on one hand, they’re rare and increasingly valuable and should be carefully preserved. On the other, there’s really no point to them as roadbikes, since they’re uncomfortable, high-strung, and obviously more valuable than a more common 749S that offers very similar performance with less of…
One of the most collectible Ducatis of all time, the Supermono isn’t even a v-twin. It is, as the name implies, powered by a single-cylinder engine. If you’re a bit confused by this and thinking, “Hmmmm… I don’t remember there being any Ducati singles in the 90s…” you’re not actually crazy. There weren’t any Supermono…
Some bikes take time to find their audience, but the Ducati Supermono was always going to be a classic. Created to compete in the Sound of Singles race series that supported World Superbike in the mid 1990s, the Supermono was a bit of a throwback to Ducati’s past: a pure racebike with exotic components, quality…