Sold between in 2000 and 2006 in two different versions, the RC51 has gone down as one of the most legendary motorcycles to ever come out of Honda, well-deserving of the “RC” designation that’s graced other famous Hondas like the RC30, RC40, and RC45. It was Honda’s take on the V-Twin replica racer, beating Ducati at it’s own game with …
1975 Suzuki RE5
Along with some options from Norton and the Hercules W2000, the Suzuki RE5 was one of the rare rotary-engine bikes that actually made it to market. The Suzuki was the most ‘popular’ of the rotary bikes, with slightly over 6,000 examples built. Nowadays, mention of a rotary engine usually makes gearheads think of the Mazda RX-7 and RX-8, but in …
1989 Suzuki RGV250 SP VJ21
Last week I shared a fun VJ22 SP that we had over on the auction site, and I think this predecessor from the same seller is visually even better. I guess I like soda over cigarettes?
ELR Tribute – 1981 Kawasaki GPz550
Kawasaki’s Eddie Lawson Replica is a memorable motorcycle of the 80s, which also means it’s become a pricey collectible nowadays. Here’s a fun way to get some ELR style on a budget.
1962 Honda 240 Port Cub
The Honda Cub is fairly ubiquitous, but this variant is hard to find nowadays. Built for just a couple of years, it was designed to be cheaper and thus have a wider market appeal than the Super Cub. It had a slightly different pressed steel step thru frame and the plastic leg shield was removed.
“Team Suzuki” – 1991 Suzuki RGV250 VJ22 Lucky Strike
Tobacco advertising has led to some of the greatest liveries in motorsports, but some countries were quick than others to ban advertising from cigarette companies. One such country was Australia, which stopped allowing such advertising in the early 90s. In response, race teams and advertisers often came up with alternatives that swapped out certain words but tried to keep the …
1995 Kawasaki GPz1100
In 1995, Kawasaki brought back the GPz moniker for something that MCN called “more sporty tourer than sports tourer.” This was partially because it was built to a price, and partially because the motor was a detuned unit from the Ninja ZX-11 that was dominating American highways and drag strips of the time.
1991 Honda EZ90 Cub
The Honda EZ90, also known as a Cub, was produced from 1991 until 1996. Designed for off-road use only, lots of Cubs were used as pit bikes (even by Honda’s ChampCar and IRL teams) as well as runabouts strapped on the back of RVs and campers.
1975 Kawasaki Z1
The Z1 was Kawasaki’s “bigger is better” counter to the Honda CB750, and it was a legendary motorcycle that Team Green has recently tried to recapture the magic of. The 903cc motor was so big that Kawasaki couldn’t even sell it in their home country of Japan, which had a 750cc displacement cap at the time.
2013 Milwaukee Yamaha R1
Sponsored by Milwaukee Tools, this Yamaha R1 was built in 2013 by Shaun Muir Racing in the UK to compete in the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix. The bike was quite successful at that goal, winning the 2013 running with TT legend Ian Hutchinson as pilot and then placing 2nd in the 2014 running with Michael Rutter (another multiple Isle of …
Custom Paint – 1985 Suzuki RG500 Gamma
With a custom paint job and lots of modifications (such as a 555cc big-bore kit), this Gamma isn’t for purists. But it was built by Rick Lance and should make for a very fun rider!
5-Cylinder Custom – 1978 Kawasaki “666”
I’ve had the pleasure of sharing a few of Allen Millyard’s fun builds over the years, but this is the first time I get to share one that’s for sale.
CA Plated – 1992 Yamaha TZR250 RS
The Yamaha TZR250 was manufactured and sold from 1986 until 1995 in three main iterations exclusively for the Japanese market, never being officially imported to the United States. Born out of the RD250, the model evolved from the more modest parallel twin 250 two stroke of the 2MA and 3MA variants to the 90-degree v-twin 3XV. This 3XV that stands …
First Ride Review – 2022 Yamaha MT-10 SP
View Post1986 Kawasaki Ninja 1000R
An evolution of their popular Ninja 900, the Ninja 1000R was the fastest production motorcycle that Cycle World had ever tested at the time. From their January 1986 review: “One hundred fifty-nine miles an hour! We’re talking fast, here, as in the fastest production streetbike ever. Tucked-in and wrist locked, a Ninja 1000 rider with little regard for his driver’s …