The main reason I post less frequently on Bike-urious nowadays is because I’m a bit swamped over at Iconic Motorbikes. So I figure the least I can do is occasionally show you guys what we’re up to at the hangar!
Story Intermission – JB’s Piece of Yoshimura History!
Several years ago, I shared an interesting eBay listing for a Honda CB72 Yoshimura Endurance Racer and titled it “Please Be Real” because it sure was hard to tell from the listing. Long story short – it was real! It sold to a Bike-urious reader named John Barrett, and today RevZilla shared a story about what’s happened with the bike …
No Reserve – 1983 Kawasaki KZ1000R Eddie Lawson Replica
A limited edition tribute to Eddie Lawson, just 750 examples of the Kawasaki KZ1000R ELR (Eddie Lawson Replica) were built between 1982 and 1983. With the exception of subpar rear shocks, the press and the public loved this bike and how aggressively it was set up.
All The Extras – 1984 Honda Nighthawk CB700SC
Also known as the CB700SC, the Nighthawk S was an interesting bike designed to avoid the 45% tax imposed on imported bikes of 700cc or bigger. Despite the ‘smaller’ engine, this bike was faster than many of its 750cc competitors, and the press loved it. Honda killed this bike after only a couple of years, leaving it to become a …
2016 Suzuki GSX-R1000
Troy Siahaan (Road Test Editor for Motorcycle.com) is one of my favorite people in the motorcycle industry, and he’s letting go of his Gixxer track bike because he’s too busy racing the Lightfighter.
Picture Intermission – Italians Do Them Better
A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending an event called Italians Do Them Better for “a day of Italian machines, good food, music and good vibes!” Here’s some of my highlights.
497 Miles – 1986 Honda Gyro S
Introduced in 1982, the Gyro series of scoots are three-wheelers (one in the front, two in the back) where the body is able to lean up to 40 degrees compared to the rear axle! GYRO is actually an acronym, which stands for “Great Your Recreation Original”. Well, the translation’s not great, but you get the idea. The initial designs were …
2003 Ghezzi-Brian Folgore Supertwin
Ghezzi-Brian was founded in 1995 by Giuseppe Ghezzi and Bruno Saturno. Within a year they won the Italian SuperTwin championship, thanks to first place finishes in 9 of the 32 races. They took their SuperTwin and built a small run of road-legal replicas with the drivetrain from a Moto Guzzi Sport 1100i. Most of the production run stayed in Italy, …
Zero Miles – 2006 Triumph Daytona 675
Introduced in 2006 as the successor to the four-cylinder Daytona 650, the three-cylinder Daytona 675 has been a favorite of riders and the press ever since it debuted. MCN summed it up with: “Silky, compact handling, allied to kick-ass engine power and a howling exhaust note, make the Triumph Daytona 675 a real winner on the road, or track.” Here’s …
2002 Ducati 998S Troy Bayliss #393
2002 was the first year of the 998, which featured an all new Testastretta motor that produced 123 horsepower (up 11 from the 996). Ducati offered the base 998, the 998S, and the 998R. The middle-of-the-road “S” model got an Ohlins shock and steering damper, carbon fiber belly pan, revised brake calipers, and color-matched mirrors.
1986 Honda VF1000R Restomod
When it was released, the VF1000R was a bit of a revelation: it was Honda’s flagship, designed to showcase what the Japanese firm was capable of. It was also a huge tease to US riders, because it was initially only released in Europe only – America got the VF1000F instead, which was designed to be more of a touring bike. …
1972 Honda CB500 Custom
This CB was built by Alchemy Motorcycles in San Diego, California, who say that the bike came to them as a runner but it “needed work on the aesthetics side.”
1999 Suzuki Hayabusa
In the 1990s, motorcycle manufacturers competed in a technological arms race, with each brand vying for a leg up in what became known as the “speed wars”. This prompted a slew of new models with ever-increasing top speeds in a bid to earn the title of world’s fastest production motorcycle. Kawasaki’s ZX-11 reigned supreme for a period, until Honda stepped …
1972 Yamaha G7S
I think this little scrambler is absolutely beautiful, though I’ve struggled to find good information on it. The simple story is that it’s an evolution of Yamaha’s popular FS1 with a 80cc engine and a scrambler pipe.
Picture Intermission – 8/7 Sunday Ride
Every Sunday, my colleagues at Iconic Motorbikes go for a morning ride out to the Rock Store. Sometimes I join along – here’s a few highlights from today’s excursion!