The Yamaha YZF1000R, known outside of the US as the Thunderace, was a bit of a parts-bin bike bridged the legendary FZR1000 and even more legendary R1. It’s a bit forgotten nowadays especially as it only sold in the US for just one year, but here’s an interesting one that’s been imported from Europe.
1991 Honda VFR750 RC36
“For many, bike journalists included, the Honda VFR 750 is the best road bike ever built.” That’s how MCN starts their review of the RC36 generation of Honda’s iconic VFR. It’s legendarily reliable, is a great bike for the money, and gives you a little taste of what it’s like to ride a RC30 in the process. Here’s one that’s …
1966 Bultaco Campera
The Campera was a dual sport (complete with a cool scrambler-style exhaust) offered in varying displacements – this is a 175cc example of the first generation.
Abhi Races a Honda CB160, Part 2 – The Shakedown Run
I needed to establish a baseline of what my little future racebike was going to need, so I figured I should take it out for the usual Iconic Sunday Ride out to the Rock Store (roughly 60 miles). The morning started off wonderfully and things were glorious…until they weren’t.
1985 WetBike
Originally introduced in 1978 by a suburb of Arctic Cat called Spirit Marine, the “WetBike” was a jetski that rode like a motorcycle. It was released a bit after Kawasaki had debuted their original jet ski, and the WetBike differed as steering was done via the handlebars rotating the front ski, as opposed to rotating the hydrojet. Owners say these …
2001 Aprilia Falco SL1000
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 …