Take a Rotax V-Twin and envelope it in beautiful Italian bodywork…and say hi to the Aprilia Falco, a 996cc road bike that was split between the sport touring Futura and the supersport Mille. Unfortunately for Aprilia, buyers didn’t seem to care as much for this tweener model, and it only lasted between ’99 and ’03 before Aprilia pulled the plug.
1980 Suzuki GS750E Restomod
Whenever I see a listing with the term “restomod”, it’s typically a crapshoot about what work has been done and what the seller thinks a restomod is. But here’s one that nails the intent (at least in my mind) of keeping vintage aesthetics while giving the performance a significant (modernized) boost.
1964 Honda C110 Sport 50
The second generation of the C110 started in 1962, and it featured a 49cc single paired with a 3-speed transmission. Originally, the C110 was called the Sports Cub and it was like a regular motorcycle in that you sat over it rather than the step-through design of most Cubs.
1986 Yamaha FJ1200
When the Yamaha FJ1100 was introduced in 1984, the press went nuts. Rider Magazine called it “the best large displacement sport motorcycle of 1984, and maybe even the best in its class in the history of motorcycling,” and other mags called it Bike of the Year. As other manufacturers debuted big-bore competitors that focused more on sport (like the GSX-R1100), …
CA Plated – 1989 Honda Gyro X
I’ve featured several examples of Honda’s quirky 3-wheeler called the GYRO (which is apparently an acronym for “Great Your Recreation Original.”) The US only got one of the versions, a “S” model that was focused on just carrying a rider around. But Japan got multiple variants include, the UP, the Canopy, and the X. The X was the original model, …
Abhi Races a Honda CB160, Part 1 – Introduction
View Post1986 Yamaha SRX600
The Yamaha SRX600 is a cult classic, but it started as a commercial flop. In the US, it sold for just one year, and it was during a time when American riders valued power above everything else. A relatively light weight bike with a 41 horsepower motor just didn’t cut it – but for riders who can appreciate the styling, …
“Mega Monkey” – 2022 Honda Monkey Custom
Packing roughly $8,000 in cosmetic and performance modifications, this build is a “tribute to all the Japanese muscle bikes” of the seller’s past. Can you tell that he used to own a ZRX1200R?
Picture Intermission – AHRMA Laguna Seca 2023
Last month, the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association (AHRMA) brought its traveling show to Laguna Seca. I was planning on being at Laguna Seca the day after AHRMA anyway for an Aprilia Racers Day event, so it was an easy call to head up a day early and check out some classics!
Picture Intermission – An Original-Owner ’65 Bonnie
While I was out for a ride this Sunday, I met a local gentleman named Gordon who was on a beautiful Bonneville. I asked him what year the bike was, to which he responded “1965” and then shocked me by saying he was the original owner! Serious kudos to Gordon for keeping a bike like this on the road for …
2005 MV Agusta F4 1000
The F4 is special because of the performance (which other bikes have surpassed) and the beauty (which I’d say other bikes have not). In 2005, MV Agusta updated the F4 series with a 998cc engine, which bumped power up to 166 horses and top speed up to 184 miles per hour. The upgraded engine was surrounded by quality components such …
No Reserve – 1958 Yamaha YE-1 Project
Yamaha’s first motorcycle was the 1955 YA-1, and there’s plenty of information about that model out in the digital world. But I’ve been hard-pressed to find any real information on the YE-1, another motorcycle from Yamaha’s early history. Do you know anything about it?
2002 Ducati ST4S
The seller of this bike calls it the “Best ST4S in the US!” I have no idea if he’s right, but it sure is a nice one! A sportbike with practicality, the ST4s was introduced in 2001 as Ducati’s top-of-the-line touring bike, distinguishing itself with the 4-valve 996cc superbike motor and Ohlins rear shock. That was paired with fully adjustable …
Picture Intermission – 7/30 Iconic Sunday Ride
I had a bit of a surreal day this past weekend – within the span of a few hours I got to ride my personal Bimota Tesi 3D, our shop’s Bimota Tesi H2, and something I never thought I’d be able to ride…a Honda RC213V-S belonging to a very trusting client!
Aprilia Racers Days – Circuit of the Americas
Aprilia not only makes some of the best sportbikes in the business, they also have a wonderful program that they call “Racers Days” where they host track days all around the country so that you can sample their line-up while enjoying some of the coolest courses in the United States (plus one in Canada). I’ve done two of their events …