The name Tesi comes about because this motorcycle was actually the designer’s (Pierlugi Marconi) Mechanical Engineering thesis – on paper, at least, there are technical advantages to hub-centric steering. The simplified story here is that hub-centric steering completely isolates braking forces from suspension travel, which should improve mechanical performance of both aspects. This is one of the Limited Edition “Concept” …
Join Me – The 2025 Quail MotoFest 5/17
5/14 Update: I originally shared this post four months ago but it’s time to bring it back as the Quail happens this weekend! We’ll be leaving Iconic on Friday morning and riding up, hope to see you out there!
80 Year-Old Racer – 1946 Harley-Davidson WR
The WR is an interesting bike in Harley’s storied history. Designed specifically for Class C competition, it featured a 738cc V-twin with several upgrades. Sold as a stripper-spec racing machine, it did not have lights or brakes, and was sold to assist privateer efforts to avoid putting money into a factory team. It was incredibly successful – by 1948, it …
1982 Sachs-Nauder 125 MX
Here’s a bike I hadn’t heard of before – the “Sachs-Nauder.” Per Sheldon’s EMU, these were built by Nauder (the French importer for Sachs) between 1981 and 1986. They made an enduro and a MX bike with Sachs 125cc and 250cc engines – according to a period advertisment the 125 made 30 hp while the 250 made 39 horsepower in …
McGrath Replica – 1991 Honda CR125
1991 was the first year for Pro Circuit’s race team in what would become one of the most successful independent efforts in Supercross history. They won both the 125 West and 125 East championships that year thanks to riders like Jeromy Buehl, Steve Lamson, Brian Swink, and of course: Jeremy McGrath. Here’s a cool replica that you can put on …
Bikes of AHRMA – Nick Ienatsch’s Yamaha TZ750
My series of my favorite bikes from AHRMA racing continues with a legend owned by a legend: Nick Ienatsch’s Yamaha TZ750! Oh…and it happens to be street legal!
Bikes of AHRMA – Moto Paton 500
My series of my favorite bikes from AHRMA racing continues with a Moto Paton 500 – something I never expected to see in person, let alone actually out on a race track!
Bikes of AHRMA – 1979 Kawasaki KZ1000 MKII
There were a few standout bikes from my race at Willow Springs that I wanted to share but the post would have been way too long. So I’m going to call them out in individual posts. Here’s one of the competitors – Edwin Haazer’s 1979 Kawasaki KZ1000 MKII!
Guess That Bike – Made in Japan Edition
You guys and gals have been too good at my latest Guess That Bike posts, so I’m hoping this one presents more of a challenge. Obviously it’s Made in Japan…but what is it?
Bikes of AHRMA – 1975 Yamaha TZ750
There were a few standout bikes from my race at Willow Springs that I wanted to share but the post would have been way too long. So I’m going to call them out in individual posts. Let’s start with one of the bikes that competed – a ’75 Yamaha TZ750!
Event Recap – 2025 AHRMA Willow Springs
A couple of weeks ago I raced Willow Springs with AHRMA, and while I shared my experience in BEARS with my BMW R75/5 I also wanted to take a moment to share some non-race-specific highlights from the event as there’s a bunch of cool old bikes and cool (usually also old) people. As a reminder, I always go racing with …
9 Kilometers – 1985 Honda Elite CH150
The Honda Elite is one of the most common scooters of the 80s. It was introduced in 1984 as a 125cc model, though the next year it became a 150. It was sold in the US for another three years. – this one’s in Canada and it stands out as it’s only covered 9 kilometers!
Abhi Races a BMW R75/5, Part 3 – The First Race Weekend
Well, my first race weekend with the BMW has come and gone. Good news: I didn’t die. More good news – I won both of my races!
Guest Event Recap – 2025 Gathering Of The Nortons
Walter Barlow continues his excellent series of event recaps from the east coast with a look at the Gathering of the Nortons. Have you seen his stories from the Modern Classics Motorcycle Show: the main event, the parking lot, and bikes for sale?
SoS Racer – 1994 Yamaha TZ250 with Raptor 660 Engine
The seller of this bike makes quite a claim: “Beat Kramer’s for 1/4 the price!” That obviously caught my attention as a Kramer owner, and while I don’t know how accurate his statement is, I will say that this is an impressive hybrid which combines two famous Yamahas – a TZ250 frame with a Raptor ATZ 660 engine (which has …