There were a lot of things that led to the Bimota V-Due’s inauspicious fall from grace, mostly related to costs and hype that would ultimately spell disappointment when the bike finally broke cover. But by far the bike’s worst flaw was its positively heinous fuel injection system, which was designed to keep the bike in…
As special editions to begin with, Ducati Paul Smart 1000LEs generally see duty as garage queens, left largely stock and original. This one certainly has led a pampered existence thus far, but clearly was owned by someone who did not know the phrase “leave well enough alone.” 2006 Ducati Paul Smart 1000LE The list of…
Origami, if you’re not familiar, is the Japanese art of paper folding, and the resulting creations look like angular, abstract animals. KTM’s RC8R takes folded paper style to extremes, with elemental shapes and broad, flat panels that would look more at home on a concept bike than a production machine, like an origami Ducati 916.…
Unlike Honda’s NSR250R, the RS250R was Honda’s over-the-counter race bike intended for privateer teams. Of course, if you were a factory outfit, you could get your hands on something like the NSR250 or RS250RW, which honestly gets a bit confusing. Especially the fact that the NSR250 and NSR250R are completely different bikes, and the one…
One school of thinking about fast bike riding posits that the goal is speed, and that the motorcycle itself is a mere tool for achieving that end. But although a track-day GSX-R makes plenty of sense from a purely practical point of view, practical can be a little boring, so why not go fast with…
By 2002, the evolution Ducati began with the 916 was nearing the end of its rope, as age and the need to advance took their toll on the range. That didn’t stop Duc from taking one more stab at making the bikes faster and more competitive, though, and the year saw the release of the…
This 2007 Ducati Sport Classic 1000S has covered just 6,300 miles since it left the showroom, and has very few blemishes to show for its 10-year tour of duty. Along the way, it has been given suspension bits from RaceTech, sexier side covers and belt covers and wears a set of sticky Dunlop Sportmaxes. 2007…
I’m a big fan of “budget exotica” mainly because I’m on a budget and I like exotica. First generation Speed Triples and Daytonas, Brutales, and Monsters are all really affordable ways to get a rare performance motorcycle for very few dollars, relatively speaking, but if you want a single motorcycle that can do just about…