Back when stock superbikes had stonking engines and shitty frames, Bimota created a neat little business for itself, housing those engines in good frames. But, when bikes started including handling as stock, the tiny Italian company fell on hard times. … Continued
Remember the old F800ST? Of course you don’t. It was something of a VFR rival based around BMW’s 800cc parallel-twin platform that never sold terribly well. Blame mild performance, high price and the wrong (pre-recession) timing. Now that nobody’s got … Continued
After WWII, starting from a blank slate Vespa basically defined the idea of personal transportation in Italy. Going back to their original prototype for inspiration, they now hope this Vespa 946 can do the same thing for the 21st century. … Continued
After two disappointing years at Ducati, here’s the very first photos of Valentino Rossi back on a Yamaha M1. Can he win again? Today’s test at Valencia was beset by heavy rain, so it’s too soon to tell.
Sales have collapsed in the 600cc supersport market worldwide, virtually halting development. The R6 is now seven years old, this year’s new ZX-6R might have TC and 636cc, but is otherwise just a facelift of the old version and the … Continued
Ducati’s just taken the wraps of the “R” version of its flagship superbike in Milan. There’s no claimed power increase, but Ti con-rods, DLC-coated rocker arms and a lighter flywheel boost max revs from 11,500 to 12,000rpm, ridiculously high for … Continued
It used to be, here in the West, that motorcycling was about buying the biggest, badest, mostest motorcycle out there. Nevermind your skill level, everyone knew your Viagra was working because your ‘Busa could go 200mph. But that all changed … Continued