“Bridgestone’s 350 GTR was undoubtedly the finest of the 1960s mid-sized two-stroke motorcycles in both quality and innovation and as a testament it created one of motor-cycling’s greatest myths – that the big four Japanese motorcycle companies forced Bridgestone to stop manufacturing motorcycles.” That’s how Old Bike Australasia opens up their description of the 350 GTR, a bike that all …
GSX-R1100 Paint Job – 2000 Suzuki Hayabusa
Also known as the GSX1300R, the Hayabusa was an instant legend when it was introduced in 1999 thanks to a top speed between 188-194 miles per hour. That made it the fastest production motorcycle in the world, and thanks to a gentleman’s agreement among manufacturers to keep top speeds under 186mph in 2000, it held that title until 2007 when …
1983 Honda XLV750R Limited Edition
Before the Transalp and the Africa Twin, there was the XLV750R – Honda’s first attempt at a touring bike that could get a little dirty. Honda originally planned to sell this bike only in Europe (not including England), though they eventually offered it to Australia and New Zealand. 500 of the first bikes were also put away for the Japanese …
Video Intermission – Wouter Jan Van Dijk at the Baja 1000
If you weren’t following the Baja 1000 this year, there’s one person you have to hear about: Wouter Jan Van Dijk. He’s a Dutchman living in Australia (with extensive off-road experience) that flew to California, bought a 2015 KTM 500 in San Diego, rode the bike down to La Paz, and then raced the Baja 1000 in the Ironman Class …
#132 of 300 – 2015 MV Agusta F3 800 Ago
New for 2014, the F3 800 was more than just an evolution of the F3 675 – Cycle World said, “the 800 simply feels like a completely different animal.” Some of this was due to refinements to the engine management software, but the bigger motor was less peaky and made more power (148 hp at the crank compared to 126).
Unexpected Quad – 1987 Honda Hurricane 600
’87 was the first year of the first generation of the CBR600 – it was quick enough to compete in 600cc racing, but user friendly to still enjoy on the street during the week. When it first came out, it was quite an improvement on the competition – Kawasasaki’s GPZ600 (arguably the class leader at the time) was 28 pounds …
No Reserve Project – 1966 Fuji Rabbit Superflow S601
I don’t feature scooters much, but the Fuji Rabbit Superflow is definitely worth a look. An impressive 75,000 units left the Fuji Heavy Industries factory, but it’s very hard to find any now. Why is this scoot so interesting? Well, at the time, it was as luxurious as you could get with a scooter.
2002 Ghezzi-Brian Furia
Today’s become an unofficial “Guzzi Day” on Bike-urious, though this one did not come directly from Mandello del Lario. Ghezzi-Brian is an interesting shop that produces Guzzi-powered specials. Their debut model was the SuperTwin, a production version of the racer they won the 1996 Italian SuperTwin championship with. Their second model was what you see in front of you, a …
2004 Moto Guzzi V11 Coppa Italia
One of the rarest versions of the V11, the Coppa Italia was built to commemorate Guzzi’s challenge for the National Naked Bike Championship of the Roadster Cup in their home country of Italy in 2003. To properly pay tribute to a racer, this Coppa Italia was adorned with top of the line components like Brembo Gold Line brakes, Ohlins forks, …
1991 Moto Guzzi 1000S
Post Listing Update: This 1000S did not meet reserve with 65 bids up to $25,400 on eBay. In 1990, Moto Guzzi released the 1000S, styled to look like an update of the ’75 750 S3. It sold poorly but the classic styling has held up over the years and unlike the average Guzzi, the resale values for this model are …
2002 BMW C1 200
Post Listing Update: This C1 did not meet reserve with 24 bids up to $6,124 on eBay. At the turn of the century, BMW thought they could get more people on scooters by eliminating some of the weather and safety concerns. Their idea was the C1, a scooter with a roof and seat belts. With sufficient crash testing, BMW was …
1983 Kawasaki GPz1100
In 1983, Kawasaki gave the GPZ1100 a serious redesign with new bodywork, anti-dive forks, and the Uni-Trak rear suspension. Power output was also bumped to 120 horsepower (104 at the rear wheel), though this was gained at the expense of low-end torque.
Out of Office – Riding in Baja!
Back when I was a much younger and better man, I used to ride Baja at least twice a year. Life has gotten in the way and the last time I was down there was six years ago with my buddy Spurgeon Dunbar from RevZilla – we rode a couple of BMW R1200GSes from Los Angeles down to Cabo on …
What Do You Want To Know? 2023 Suzuki GSX-S1000GT+
The Suzuki GSX-S1000GT+ has been on the market for almost a year now, but I haven’t had a reason to borrow one for a test until now. Vy and I are off to San Diego for the weekend and we’re heading down on Suzuki’s newest sport-tourer. You’ve likely already seen some reviews on this bike, but if there’s anything you’ve …
Story Intermission – Riding the Honda NSF250R
I’ve mentioned the NSF250R several times recently on Bike-urious, most recently because we’re selling some over at Iconic and I was considering picking one up as a track bike before I went with a Kramer instead. I got the chance to put a couple of laps on a 250R at CotA but I’m just a bit too big for the …