It was 1980 and two-stroke fans in Europe were eagerly awaiting the release of the Yamaha RD350LC. It had been delayed due to disruption with production and the smaller RD250LC had actually already been released earlier in the year. The bike was a huge hit and is looked upon as one of the most influential … Read more
The Yamaha RD250LC is considered to be an absolute hooligan machine and its reputation particularly in the UK in the 80’s is partly why it had such a short lifespan. It was released in 1980, an extension of the earlier RD250 and it was very quickly deemed a two-stroke icon; it is highly collectable today. … Read more
The Honda Shadow 750 has been synonymous with the Cruiser motorcycle scene since 1983 when it was first introduced as a means to compete in the American market where Harley Davidson V-twins were dominating. Since then Shadows have come in the form of 125cc bikes all the way up to the big 1100cc. The motorcycle … Read more
While the first Honda NSR250 was introduced in 1985 it can be traced further back to the MVX250 in 1983. It took all the best bits from the MVX and then went further in its quest to become the leading design for a two-cylinder, 2-stroke motorcycle. There were five distinct generations of the Honda NSR250 … Read more
A few years ago Suzuki quietly dropped the Suzuki Boulevard S40 from its lineup but that is not to say there are no 2019 models left in dealers or indeed a healthy used market to dip into. We are going to have a look at the Boulevard S40 and see whether we think it makes … Read more
In 1984 Yamaha released a road legal version of their factory YZR500 which at the time was leading the world championship with Kenny Roberts aboard. The Yamaha RD500LC was born and all the crazy kids formed an orderly queue. Intro There was a very short lived period of time in the 1980’s when a small … Read more
2020 marked the 35th anniversary of the launch of the Suzuki GSX-R750 Slabside, and within that celebration there was more than just one bike to commemorate, there is the whole Gixxer line that followed and a whole new race-replica genre of sports bikes. Some people to date when considering sports bikes draw the line with … Read more
In 1986, a year after a thankful few got their hands on the fantastic GSX-R750, it was topped by the bigger and faster Suzuki GSXR 1100. More power from the larger 1052cc engine but like the GSX-R 750 it had the aluminium cradle frame, fairing, full floater rear swing arm and an air cooled four … Read more
It is 1989 in Germany, the Berlin Wall has crashed down to the ground and BMW decided to produce the craziest motorcycle they had designed to date, the K1. It was a bold, futuristic design that reminded everyone why BMW was such a giant in the motorcycle industry. Without further ado, let’s take a look … Read more
The BMW K100, aka as the Flying Brick, is making a comeback as the go to bike for Cafe Racer custom builders. There’s more to this great Sports Tourer though and it deserves to be remembered for the ground breaking 1980s motorcycle it was. The K100 was the German marquees first shot at creating a … Read more
Kawasaki had a point to prove with the GPZ900R. Having been beaten to the punch by Honda in releasing the world’s first four-cylinder 750cc “superbike”, the CB750, they needed to raise the bar with the successor to their own popular 900cc superbike, the iconic Kawasaki Z1. Spending several years in secret creating the perfect successor, … Read more
The Yamaha FZR600 Genesis when introduced in 1989 was considered the best 600cc Sportsbike on the market. It’s reign wouldn’t last forever as Kawasaki and Honda each were to soon supersede the bike’s specs with their own offerings. However, it still retains a certain hold over riders today, with several generations spanning it’s 10 years … Read more