In the late 80s, Honda introduced one of the first modern production naked motorcycles. Though the Honda Hawk (also known as the N650GT) was not a commercial success, it went on to inspire more prevalent motorcycles like the Suzuki SV650N, and has become an absolute cult favorite. This specific Honda Hawk, a ’91 (the last year of American sales), has …
1989 Honda GB500 – The British Bike from Japan
In the late 80s, Honda took a risk and sleeved down the motor from the popular XR600 dual-sport, prettied it up, and surrounded it with cafe-style bodywork evoking images of 60s British cafe racers. Only imported into the States from 1989-1990, the Honda GB500 was too slow for American tastes at the time and thus sold poorly. It wasn’t cheap …
1979 Yamaha SR500
The Yamaha SR500 has been a popular bike for decades, due to clean styling and a reliable single-cylinder engine. These traits have also led this bike to be the base for thousands of custom works, including choppers, dirt-trackers, and cafe racers.
1993 Yamaha GTS1000
For only one year in the US, Yamaha sold a sport-touring bike that was far ahead of its time – the GTS1000. Full of technology that would not make its way to most bikes for years to come, the GTS featured fuel injection, ABS brakes, and most importantly, the RADD front suspension designed by James Parker. This suspension was able …