In 1997, Rob Muzzy debuted the Raptor: aka what happened when Kawi gave him a Ninja ZX-7R and told him to go nuts. The Raptor immediately competed in Formula USA, and Muzzy decided to produce 50 to offer to the general public.
1988 Yamaha TZ250 With Honda XR600 Motor
Thanks to the motor from a Honda XR600, this Yamaha TZ250 is ready to compete in AHRMA Soudns of Singles 1…the same class I raced in with my Kramer. Nudge, nudge.
1975 Suzuki TS400 Apache
Built between 1972 and 1979, the TS400 was the largest of Suzuki’s two-stroke off-road family. Suzuki had a wide range of “T” bikes – TM was for motocross, TC, was for trail, TF was for farm, and TS was the enduro. The 400 produced 34 horsepower and 29.7 pound-feet of torque. Dry weight was 277 pounds, and Suzuki guaranteed their …
No Reserve – Team Cycle World/Attack Performance 1993 Yamaha YZF750SP
Before the new-fangled internet changed everything, motorcycle magazines had some serious budgets that allowed for fascinating stories and for expensive projects – like racing. Over at Iconic we’ve got a relic from the good old days. We’ve had it for over five years and it’s time for it to find a new custodian so we’re offering it up with no …
1965 Bridgestone Mountaineer 90
In 1964, Bridgestone introduced a series of 90cc motorcycles – there were 9 different models based around 4 primary designs. One of the designs was the Mountain, and you can probably guess by the name that this was built to go off-road.
AMA Autographs – 2003 Yamaha Zuma 50
Normally I wouldn’t bother featuring a Zuma (though they’re cool in their own way). But this one stands out as it was a former pit bike for Rob Treat, who raced vintage motorcycles with AMA – and he had it signed by a bunch of AMA legends.
Restomod – 1974 Honda Z50
I’ve been on quite the little bike kick since my time at Small Bore Fest and the Honda Grom Prix, so here’s a Z50 that’s been wildly modified.
Restored – 1976 Yamaha XT500
Yamaha’s XT500 was an instant sales success and it led to a full series of XT bikes. Thanks to the big thumper of an engine and the ample ground clearance, it was good for just about anything you could throw at it. This enduro bike was produced for 15 years, eventually leading to an entire range of “XT” bikes of …
Agricultural – 1974 Yamaha AG175
Built for Australia and New Zealand, the AG175 was Yamaha’s creation for the agricultural market – specifically designed for the needs of people like ranch hands.
Whitehouse Kit – 2014 Honda CB1100
In 2014, Honda updated the CB1100 with a new dash and a six-speed transmission. The styling remained the same – bodywork that was designed to evoke the classic lines of the CB750. But a company in Japan called Whitehouse enabled owners to make their bikes look even more like the CB750 with a bodywork kit that included the tank, fenders, …
1980 Kawasaki Z1-R
The Kawasaki Z1R was the brainchild of Wayne Moulton, known as the “Father of the Japanese Cruiser.” His belief was that a solid motorcycle could be moderately tweaked to form four versions, one of which is a sport-tourer. So he took the KZ1000 and turned it into this! The first year of production was 1978, and all the bikes were …
1991 Bimota YB10 Dieci
Bimota’s 10th model with a Yamaha engine, the appropriately-named Dieci was built between 1991 and 1994 with just 224 examples leaving the factory. An even smaller portion were equipped with a passenger seat and pegs. Bimota scooped up the engine from a FZR1000 and then tweaked it to yield nearly 150 horsepower.
1991 Yamaha Super Tenere XTZ750
Right now you can walk into a Honda or Yamaha dealership and get a modern Africa Twin or Super Tenere. But in the US, the same couldn’t have been said a couple of decades ago. You can occasionally find ’90s examples of the AT and ST thanks to grey market imports, but the latter is much harder to source.
Race Report – The Honda Grom Prix, Part 2
The teams were set, practice was done, the bikes were ready, and the air horn had sounded: it was time for the three-hour endurance race that Honda was calling the Grom Prix! Time for you to guess how I finished…and then you can read on to see how accurate you were!