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, …
Abhi Races a Honda CB160, Part 1 – Introduction
View Post“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 …
1984 Tritan A2 Aero Car
No, it’s not really a motorcycle. But that’s how it was classified because of its three-wheeled nature, and we’re going to run with it. The Tritan A2 was notable for having an incredible drag coefficient – just 0.15. Compare that to a period Toyota MR2, which had a Cd of 0.35. Amusingly, the only commercial “success” the A2 had was …
Gift Intermission – LEGO Technic Yamaha MT-10 SP
Last year, LEGO created a Technic set of the BMW M1000RR and Vy and I had a wonderful time putting it together. Impressively, it featured a functional 3-speed transmission (with neutral). I actually was a bit bummed out that you couldn’t see the internal workings of the transmission (as well as the engine, which had a crankshaft/pistons and spun at …
Who’s Going To AHRMA at Laguna Seca?
I’m taking off this morning to Laguna Seca as I’ll be riding at the Aprilia Racers day event on Monday, but I’m going up a couple of days early because Laguna is hosting AHRMA racing and I want to see some cool vintage race bikes! Will any of you be there?
457 Miles – 1995 Bimota SB6
Post Sale Update: This SB6 sold for $14,980 (including the 7% buyer’s fee) on Iconic Motorbike Auctions. In the early years, Bimota’s formula was to take a powerful and reliable Japanese engine and then replace the adequate frame and suspension with a bespoke Italian chassis and quality components. Some reviewers argue that the SB6 is the last of the old-school …
Video Intermission – First Impressions of the 2023 Kawasaki ZX-4RR
Kawasaki recently had the press launch of their headline-grabbing ZX-4RR sportbike, and reviews are generally positive. The main complaints seem to be the price and the tune – Kawasaki had to neuter the bike above 11k rpms in the US for noise requirements. This is obviously easily fixed with an ECU flash, though that voids the warranty. With that said, …