In the early 80s, Suzuki knocked off the CBX as the superbike du jour. The Suzuki GS1100E came into the market and instantly became the bike of choice for the power hungry. American press mags constantly raved about not just the power, but also the surprising handling abilities for such a large bike.
Honda “NC431V”
No, the NC431V is not an official model – but it’s a hell of combination: a 2-stroke NS400R engine shoved into a modified NC30 chassis, all wrapped up in NSR bodywork.
1,670 Miles – 2001 Kawasaki ZX-11
Here’s a final-year (and very low mileage) example of Kawasaki’s ZX-11, a bike that enjoyed a lengthy production run (from 1990-2001). When it was introduced, it was the fastest production motorcycle in the world, and it kept that title until 1996 when it was beat by the Honda Blackbird.
Well Modded – 1998 Honda VFR800
The fifth-gen Honda VFR800 brought the model into the modern era with a bump in displacement (if not power), Y2K styling, and the addition of fuel injection. This 1998 VFR is a first-year model from one of the best all-around bikes of all time – and it comes with a whole bunch of great upgrades.
1990 Ducati 750 Sport
This 750 Sport is one of the rare reborn SuperSports that America didn’t get got for one year, per Dennis Martin in the comments (thanks, Dennis!). Here in the US, we think of the updated SS generation as the 900 model that debuted in 1991, but Ducati actually tried to bring it back in 1987 with the machine you see …
1992 Ducati 851
Introduced in 1987, the 851 made Ducati relevant in motorcycle racing again. It featured fuel injection, liquid cooling, and desmo 4V heads. 1992 as the last year of production – the next year Ducati would unveil the 888. This example stands out as it’s been signed by Troy Corser, Pascal Picotte, and David Kieffer – three of Fast by Ferracci’s …
1995 Magni Australia
Arturo Magni started working with Moto Guzzi in 1985, and their first project was the “Parallelogrammo” swingarm created to counter the shaft jacking that was common with older driveshaft designs. In 1990, Magni customized a Daytona road racer that was campaigned by Ted Stolarski, Moto Guzzi’s Australian importer for 3 decades. In the early 90s, Magni named their next production …
1981 Kawasaki GPz550
When Kawasaki introduced the GPz550 in 1981, it was a shot in the arm of the middleweight class. Now riders could get something fast, nimble, and sporty without having to get a big bike!
1989 BMW K1 Martin Brune
I’ve featured plenty of BMW K1s on Bike-urious, but this variant was new to me. Per the seller, “Georges Martin (Noted French frame builder, not legendary English musical producer) built motorcycle frames throughout the 1970s, 1980s, early 1990s. This particular bike is associated with Brune, a German motorcycle performance company. The kit was purchased from US BMW gurus Luftmeister (think …
2 Miles – 2009 Harley-Davidson XR1200
For those in the know, the XR1200 was an unexpected joy from Milwaukee, the land of big twins and relaxed riding styles. Clearly drawing inspiration from the legendary XR750, Harley-Davidson released the XR1200 in Europe only at first, though US riders cried foul and the bike was quickly sold in the USA as well. This example stands out as it …
Cycle Gear Giveaway – 1999 Suzuki GSX-R750 With 44 Miles
In 2000, Cycle Gear ran a nationwide giveaway promotion for a Suzuki GSX-R750 that was custom painted by Offbeat Productions with a livery that matched Arai’s Kevin Schwantz livery on their Quantum/s replica helmet.
No Reserve – 2003 Moto Guzzi V11 Le Mans Rosso Corsa
The Moto Guzzi LeMans Rosso Corsa is a rare version of an already rare bike. Only 50 of the Rosso Corsa editions were brought to the United States. Based on the previous generation of the venerable LeMans, this bike was the pinnacle of a bike known for classic Italian cafe racer lines and the bulletproof, well-known MG V-Twin engine. Designed …
2005 MV Agusta F4 1000 Tamburini
When MV Agusta released the F4 1000 in 2005, they released two limited edition models along side the regular “S” bike. One was the AGO – the first 300 models built. The other was the Tamburini, a $42,695 sculpture named for the iconic designer who called this “My dream. My bike.” 300 were produced, 59 of which were imported to …
CA Plated – 1994 Suzuki RGV250R
Over on the auction site we’ve got an incredibly well-preserved example of a RGV250 that was the subject of a Rider magazine Retrospective by Clement Salvadori – and it’s got a California plate!