With the introduction of the Kawasaki 750 Turbo (also known as the ZX750E, and branded as GPz), hired gun Jay Gleason ripped off a 10.7 second quarter mile that proclaimed the Turbo not only the fastest production motorcycle in Kawasaki’s arsenal, but the fastest production motorcycle in the world, by any manufacturer, full stop. Puns…
Straight out of Tron came an interesting offramp in the history of motorcycle performance development. The early 1980s were highlighted by many advances and technological achievements, but few were as glorious as the turbo. All four Japanese motorcycle manufacturers jumped on the boosted bandwagon, certain that this was the Next Big Thing. Marketing and graphics…
Relisted with a whopping price drop from $18k opening ask in May down to $12k, this low miles school bike is reflecting the reality of the Turbo market. Links updated. -MI This is a bike that really shouldn’t need any introduction to the pages of RSBFS. After all, being the self-proclaimed RSBFS turbo nerd I…
Hot on the heels of this 1985 Honda VFR1000R (eBay shows that it sold for $7,652), the same seller has just listed a 1982 Honda CX500 Turbo in a similar, no reserve auction. And this is the way that we like to see bikes represented – decent pictures showing a neat, clean, indoor storage facility.…
During the early 1980s, the future was a bright and amazing place to be. The world was full of optimism that technology would solve all of our problems and provide us with transportation that eclipsed the cave man cars and bikes of just a few years ago. And during this time manufacturers pulled out all…
When Honda launched the Turbo wars with the 1982 CX500T, the rest of the Big Four were not far behind. Before the very brief rise of the factory turbos came crashing down, Honda had produced both the CX500 and CX650 Turbos, Suzuki introduced the stunning XN85 Turbo Katana look-alike, Yamaha phoned in a warmed-over Seca…
With attribution (and apologies) to Charles Dickens, this was the best motorcycle, this was the worst motorcycle. This was an age where technology soared, yet this was an age where average triumphed. This was the time of lag, this was the time of boost. This was the Spring of hope, this was the Winter of…
Suzuki’s entrant to the turbo sweepstakes was sportier than the green or red models, still more of a GT all in all. This Oregon example has been ridden some, displayed some, and made ready for the next rider. 1983 Suzuki XN85 Turbo for sale on eBay Suzuki designed a special engine for the turbo, only…