Do you like beautiful things? Of course you do. Do you like beautiful things that are temperamental and may cause you to set fire to your garage? Then you’ll want this 60-year-old Ducati Diana Mark 3. First, though, let me save you the trouble of getting lost in a bunch of internet rabbit holes due to confusion caused by how …
First Ride Review – 2024 Royal Enfield Himalayan 450
View PostPower Cup Parts – 2008 BMW K1200R
In the past, BMW has offered a few one-make races such as the BoxerCup with the R1100S. The successor was the Power Cup for the K1200R, and non-racers could get a kit of hop-up parts from certain dealerships in the US. As you guys and gals probably know, I own a BMW K1200R with 89k miles on it and I …
In England – 1957 Dayton Albatross
From Abbotsford to Zapp, at some point in history there’s been at least one British motorcycle manufacturer for every letter of the alphabet. One of the more obscure of those was London-based Dayton Motorcycle Co., which operated sporadically: from 1913 to 1922, then again for one year in 1939 (when it was almost certainly derailed by the start of the …
First Ride Review – 2024 Yamaha MT-09 SP
View Post2002 Yamaha WR250F
Featured here is one of the cleanest 20+ year old dirt bikes I’ve seen in a while, thanks to the fact that it’s only been ridden once since a frame-up “overhaul” in 2023.
Moto Motivo Custom – 1975 Moto Guzzi 850T
Built by Johann Keyser of Moto Motivo, this custom (and gorgeous) Guzzi “was an exercise in creating a “period correct” cafe racer.“
2007 BMW R1200S
“Born in heaven, raised in hell.” That was one of the slogans BMW used when they introduced the R1200S, an evolution of the R1100S that fell much more on the ‘sport’ side of the sport-touring equation. It was the sportiest boxer twin BMW had ever built, and they emphasized the point by initially omitting factory luggage. A year later the …
Video Intermission – Condor A580 at SoloMoto
This week I shared a behind-the-scenes look at a wonderful shop in Connecticut called SoloMoto. In addition to that video, I also filmed a feature of a very interesting bike that they had up on a lift – a Condor A580 that was getting a 12V conversion, among other work.
Ex-Military – 2016 Christini 450
You’ve seen two wheel drive bikes before thanks to companies like Rokon. But thanks to a fancy mechanical system enclosed within the head tub and frame, Christini has been the most successful manufacturer of two wheel drive bikes that can go anywhere and do it quickly. They’re also the only one who had any success (though limited) with selling bikes …
Video Intermission – SoloMoto
I’m flying back home to LA after some time on the East Coast to check out a couple of collections and then check in with my wonderful mother, so I wanted to share some stuff from my trip. Here’s a look at a shop I’m a big fan of: SoloMoto in Greenwich, Connecticut – run by Carlos Escudero.
1986 Yamaha TZR250 1KT
Loosely based on Yamaha’s TZ250 racer, the TZR was a 2 stroke sportbike built between ’86 and ’99 – in 1986 it was the first production 250cc motorcycle to lap Isle of Man’s TT course at over 100 miles per hour.
Great Extras – 1982 Honda CX500 Turbo
Depending on how you define “production”, Kawasaki was the first motorcycle manufacturer to roll out a turbocharged motorcycle. But as this excellent article on OddBike points out, Kawasaki’s effort was more of a quasi-aftermarket creation, and it wasn’t well-thought out either. Honda’s CX500 Turbo is more deserving of the ‘first production turbo bike’ title, as it truly started the forced …
1998 Muzzy Raptor
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.