In the late 70s, Honda offered both a CB750F and a CB900F, but per their marketing department the US only got the 750 and Europe only got the 900. Both markets were upset about this because humans always think the grass is greener on the other side. It took a few years, but Honda eventually satisfied the US by bringing …
Freddie Spencer Paint – 1985 Honda VF1000R
Over on the auction site, we’ve got an interesting VF1000R that’s been painted in a Freddie Spencer tribute livery – a paint job more commonly found on the two-stroke NS400R. What do you think of the end result?
2002 Ducati Monster S4 Fogarty Edition #126/300
Over on the auction site, we’ve got a rare example of the “Foggy Monster” with just 1,212 miles – and the sale includes all of the stock parts!
#265 – 1972 Kawasaki Z1
9-6-2022 Update: Four years later, this bike is back up on the auction block. Normally when I share a bike years later and it’s in a different state, it’s because the bike has sold a time or two. But this time it’s in a different country (England) because the owner himself moved! Regardless, this is an incredible example of a …
1983 Moto Guzzi Le Mans III
In 1983, the Moto Guzzi Le Mans III was brought back after MG was able to get the smaller engine certified under US emissions – for a few years the US was stuck with a 949cc engine. With the arrival of the Mark III, Guzzi created approximately 80 technical changes of varying severity from the Mark II model.
No Reserve – 1983 Kawasaki KZ1000R Eddie Lawson Replica
A limited edition tribute to Eddie Lawson, just 750 examples of the Kawasaki KZ1000R ELR (Eddie Lawson Replica) were built between 1982 and 1983. With the exception of subpar rear shocks, the press and the public loved this bike and how aggressively it was set up.
All The Extras – 1984 Honda Nighthawk CB700SC
Also known as the CB700SC, the Nighthawk S was an interesting bike designed to avoid the 45% tax imposed on imported bikes of 700cc or bigger. Despite the ‘smaller’ engine, this bike was faster than many of its 750cc competitors, and the press loved it. Honda killed this bike after only a couple of years, leaving it to become a …
2016 Suzuki GSX-R1000
Troy Siahaan (Road Test Editor for Motorcycle.com) is one of my favorite people in the motorcycle industry, and he’s letting go of his Gixxer track bike because he’s too busy racing the Lightfighter.
2003 Ghezzi-Brian Folgore Supertwin
Ghezzi-Brian was founded in 1995 by Giuseppe Ghezzi and Bruno Saturno. Within a year they won the Italian SuperTwin championship, thanks to first place finishes in 9 of the 32 races. They took their SuperTwin and built a small run of road-legal replicas with the drivetrain from a Moto Guzzi Sport 1100i. Most of the production run stayed in Italy, …
Zero Miles – 2006 Triumph Daytona 675
Introduced in 2006 as the successor to the four-cylinder Daytona 650, the three-cylinder Daytona 675 has been a favorite of riders and the press ever since it debuted. MCN summed it up with: “Silky, compact handling, allied to kick-ass engine power and a howling exhaust note, make the Triumph Daytona 675 a real winner on the road, or track.” Here’s …
2002 Ducati 998S Troy Bayliss #393
2002 was the first year of the 998, which featured an all new Testastretta motor that produced 123 horsepower (up 11 from the 996). Ducati offered the base 998, the 998S, and the 998R. The middle-of-the-road “S” model got an Ohlins shock and steering damper, carbon fiber belly pan, revised brake calipers, and color-matched mirrors.
1986 Honda VF1000R Restomod
When it was released, the VF1000R was a bit of a revelation: it was Honda’s flagship, designed to showcase what the Japanese firm was capable of. It was also a huge tease to US riders, because it was initially only released in Europe only – America got the VF1000F instead, which was designed to be more of a touring bike. …
1999 Suzuki Hayabusa
In the 1990s, motorcycle manufacturers competed in a technological arms race, with each brand vying for a leg up in what became known as the “speed wars”. This prompted a slew of new models with ever-increasing top speeds in a bid to earn the title of world’s fastest production motorcycle. Kawasaki’s ZX-11 reigned supreme for a period, until Honda stepped …
2008 BMW K1200R
“Gorilla in a Tuxedo.” That’s how Motorcycle.com described the K1200R, a naked version of BMW’s K1200S sportbike. It was big, fast, and a bit quirky – it was also the most powerful production naked bike available when it was released. As MCN put it, “The BMW K1200R is another from the latest-generation Beemers that blow away the firm’s reputation for …
2009 MV Agusta F4 1078 RR 312
Over on the auction site we’ve got one of the last examples of the first generation of MV Agusta’s legendary F4 1000. You wouldn’t be alone if you though the MV Agusta F4 was the world’s most beautiful motorcycle – but styling is subjective. What can’t be argued is speed, and the F4 R 312 was, when released in 2008, …