Over on the auction site we’ve got a lovely take on one of Moto Guzzi’s ugly ducklings – the CX100. In the states, however, not even that was enough. To satisfy the American mantra of “no replacement for displacement” and to compete with the BMW R100RS, Guzzi took the 1000cc engine and lower fairings from the 1000SP sport tourer and …
2004 Moto Guzzi Breva
Originally available as a 750, the Breva was given a bigger engine just as Moto Guzzi got an infusion of cash from Piaggio. The Breva was designed to be a modern naked tourer, and with the 1100 engine you could expect 72 horsepower at the rear wheel and 56 pound feet of torque.
Guess That Bike – Fuel Tank Edition
As the youths say, it’s “been a minute” since we’ve done a Guess That Bike post. Let’s fix that!
1970 MV Agusta 250B
The “B” stands for “Bicylindrico”, as this MV Agusta utilizes a 250cc four-stroke twin cylinder motor.
2x Honda VTR250s
Sold in the US for three years, the Honda VTR250 has become a cult classic for riders that love small bikes. The liquid cooled 250cc engine was paired with a six-speed transmission, and interestingly, an inboard front disc – though by 1990 the front brake would change to the industry standard. Someone in Wisconsin is selling a pair of them …
1979 Dunstall/Suzuki GS1000 Competition Special
Paul Dunstall is a legend in the classic motorcycling world. Originally a motorcycle racer, he set up a workshop where he turned Nortons into world-beaters with engine and cosmetic modifications. Fast forward to the 1970s, Dunstall’s business had expanded to a point where he was shipping complete bikes directly to dealers in the US. At this point, he was splitting …
1987 Moto Morini Camel 501
The Moto Morini Camel was an incredibly rare dual sport built to capitalize on the dual sport craze that flared up as the Paris-Dakar rally got popular. The Camel featured a 500cc V-Twin – its little brother, the Kanguro, got a 350cc engine.
2020 Bandit9 Arthur
Based out of Southeast Asia, Bandit9 is run by Daryl Villanueva. He offers a series of customs – all of which are built in production runs of 9. The “Arthur” was built as a collaboration with Royal Enfield – the British firm asked them to create something special based off their Continental GT 535.
Picture Intermission – Razee’s Motorcycle Center
A couple of days after Adam and I checked out the Newport Car Museum, we also had the chance to meet Gordon Razee (the son of Ralph Razee) and the man behind Razee’s Motorcycle Center.
2024 MotoGP Austin – Preview
Tomorrow I fly out to Austin for one of my favorite weekends of the year – MotoGP at Circuit of the Americas! There’ll also be some quality time at the Handbuilt Show and I’ll be riding the track the day after the GP race with Aprilia Racers Days. Let’s take a look at what to expect:
2023 Bimota KB4
Bimota’s latest model is the KB4 – it features the 1,043cc inline-four (good for 142hp and 82lb-ft of torque) pulled from a Kawasaki Ninja 1000 SX. Bimota calls the KB4 a sport-tourer, though it only has one seat and no luggage.
1994 Yamaha TZ125 with Yamaha WR250 Engine
Yamaha’s TZ125 production road racer was offered between 1980 and 2010 – Yoshiaki Kato won the All Japan 125cc Championship on one in 1993. It utilized a 2-stroke 124cc single cylinder engine paired with a 6-speed transmission, but that doesn’t matter in this case as today’s example utilizes the 4-stroke 250 out of a Yamaha WR250X supermoto!
No Reserve – 1983 Suzuki XN85 Turbo Project
On the market for less than a year, Suzuki XN85 was the first factory bike to feature a 16-inch front wheel – previously reserved for race bikes. That wheel, combined with low clip-ons and a Suzuki Full Floater rear suspension made it a nearly peerless handler for the time. It also featured a low pressure turbo that helped boost power …
Kawasaki 175 Racebike by Highwayman
I’ve been spamming you guys with updates on my CB160 race bike, so here’s something related – a lovely 175 2-stroke road racer built and campaigned by Highwayman Bikes which is well set up for AHRMA GP200 and GP250!
485cc – 1984 Yamaha RZ350 Custom
The last street-legal two-stroke sportbike officially imported into the US, the RZ350 is very much a sought-after collectors bike in the US. Only sold in the states from 84-85, these bikes were incredibly fast for 350cc, and absolutely look the part. As you can tell from the headline, this one’s been the recipient from quite a bit of custom work.