After years of compromising with their middleweight sportbike, trying to provide riders with all-around flexibility, Yamaha decided to go all out with their first ‘race replica’ – the Yamaha FZ600. Designed to capture some of the increased interest in MotoGP, this bike got the “PURE SPORTS” decal so you knew they weren’t messing around.
Cabin Livery – 1995 Honda NC35 RVF400
MCN called the Honda RVF400 (also known as the NC35) “a pin-up race replica that had sports bike fans dribbling down their paddock jackets in the mid-nineties.” A 400cc little brother of the RC45, the NC35 is still an enjoyable ride today thanks to sufficient power, a low seat height, and a relative lack of weight. This bike has aftermarket …
1999 Suzuki Goose 350
Over on the auction site we’ve got a bike I had never heard of before – the Suzuki Goose! I really enjoy writing this one up so I figured you’d enjoy it as well…
1996 Honda CBR600F3
Let’s complement the yellow-and-pink livery of today’s Vance & Hines memorabilia listing with some yellow-and-purple from Honda!
No Reserve – Vance & Hines Yamaha Team Memorabilia
Over on the auction site we’ve got a fun collection of goodies for Vance & Hines road racing fans – a front fairing from Colin Edwards’ bike, pit board used to guid Thomas Stevens, and a branded duffel bag. I’m hoping it goes to someone who owns one of the limited-production V&H Yamaha FZR600 Replicas!
Mick Doohan’s Pit Bike In England – 1995 Honda SJ50 Bali
Honda’s SJ50 Bali was a little two-stroke single that was primarily designed for the European market. Normally these wouldn’t really merit a second look…but this one used to be Mick Doohan’s pit bike in GP racing!
Blue Collar Bobbers Kit – 2004 Kawasaki Ninja 250
Based out of Sandy, Utah, Blue Collar Bobbers produces bolt on kits to give people an easy way to customize their bike “into an old school, nostalgic hot rod.” Here’s a Kawasaki Ninja 250 that’s equipped with the BCB Cafe Racer kit (no longer available new).
Spondon Frame – 1979 Honda CBX Custom
The paint job on the tank tells you what you need to know – this interesting custom pairs a British frame with a Japanese engine…plus a whole bunch of other goodies!
Two Stroke Turbo – 1990 Yamaha RZ350 Land Speed Project
If you’re looking for an intriguing winter project, there’s a Canadian-spec RZ350 in Utah with a turbocharger on it that needs some TLC…
1989 Yamaha XTZ600 Tenere
11-7-25 Update: One year later and this bike is still for sale though the price has dropped a bit. You can now find it with a BIN of $5,500 or best offer and a slight location adjustment to Okeechobee, Florida here on eBay. Just look at the paint scheme on this thing. It makes you want to cut the sleeves …
267 Miles – 1983 Honda VF750F Interceptor
Over on the auction site we’ve got one of the lowest-mile VF750Fs you’ll ever see. Bonus points because it’s a UK import so it’s got a livery that was never offered in the US, either!
2024 Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+
A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of attending the press launch for Yamaha’s newest generation of the Tracer. The big news was the addition of radar, which allowed for adaptive cruise control and assisted braking. It came with a $1,600 price bump (up to $16,499), and in my conclusion I felt like the radar wasn’t worth the …
1986 Yamaha TT350
Yamaha’s answer to the recently-retired Honda XR350R, the TT350 was a hybrid between their XT dual-sport and the YZ motocross bike. Yamaha marketed it as “Dirt Tough, Street Wise” and “a purpose-built machine that’s perfect for tackling the toughest enduro…or riding to work!” They only sold it for two years, making it difficult to find nowadays.
1965 Yamaha YM-1 Cross Country Sport 305
Described in Yamaha’s marketing materials as a “Cross Country Sport”, the YM-1 was an evolution of the YDS-3 and it was the top of the line Yamaha sportbike of the time.
1965 Fuji Rabbit Superflow S601
I don’t feature scooters much, but the Fuji Rabbit Superflow is definitely worth a look. An impressive 75,000 units left the Fuji Heavy Industries factory, but it’s very hard to find any now. Why is this scoot so interesting? Well, at the time, it was as luxurious as you could get with a scooter.