The original Yamaha V-Max remains one of the most beastly two-wheeled production bikes ever conceived, a 145-hp V4 cruiser that could blast down the 1/4 mile in a shade under 11 seconds. Unlike a […]
Tag: Muscle Bikes
Urban Fighter: Yamaha V-Max by Motocrew
Old-school V4 muscle meets 21st-century style… Introduced in 1984, the original Yamaha V-Max was the ultimate muscle bike, a two-wheeled hot rod boasting an 1198cc liquid-cooled V4 that made a pavement-buckling 145 horsepower and 90 […]
American Streetfighter: Buell XB12S by ROD Motorcycles
American muscle meets Czech passion… The Buell XB12S Lightning has to be one of the most interesting modern motorcycles ever to come out of the USA, an American streetfighter developed by the two-wheeled visionary Eric […]
Samurai Style: Yamaha XJR1300 “Kintarō” by Sculpt Moto
A big bore café inspired by Japanese folklore… The Yamaha XJR1300 was a modern incarnation of the air/oil-cooled muscle bikes of the 70s and 80s, a 1251cc brute that boasted twin shocks, a braced swingarm, […]
The One: Yamaha MT-01 by Titan Motorcycles
“You don’t need a therapist if you ride a Titan…” Available from 2005-2012, the Yamaha MT-01 was a modern muscle bike, combining the stump-pulling power of the Warrior XV1700 V-twin with forks and brakes […]
Japanese Muscle: Yamaha XJR1300 “Geisha” by Unik Edition
The Yamaha XJR1300 was a fire-breathing brute of a machine, a two-wheeled muscle car whose air-cooled engine could be traced back to the 1980s. By the time the 1251cc powerplant found its way into the […]
Bandit Power: Honda “CB1157F” by Butchered Classics
Dave Solomon of Butchered Classics is our favorite mad Englishman, a shed-builder who’s earned an “evil reputation” for building high-powered Frankenbikes that send purists drooling and raving to the madhouse. In 2019 alone, we featured […]
Aquafresh: Kawasaki KZ1000 Cafe Racer
A big-bore Kawa from Mitsuaki Shinohara… The Kawasaki KZ1000 is one of the baddest air-cooled muscle bikes of the 1970s. Introduced in 1976, the bike won the 1977 and 1978 AMA Superbike Championship, and the […]
Street Sweeper: Kawasaki ZRX1100 by Motor League
A ZRX risen from the Philly streets… The Kawasaki ZRX1100 was a throwback to the muscle bikes of the 1980s, a retro-styled machine that recalled the Eddie Lawson superbikes of yore, sporting a retuned 1052cc […]
Flat-Six Brat: Honda Valkyrie by Basan Metalworks
The Honda Valkyrie, first introduced in 1996, was intended to be the world’s ultimate cruiser, a six-cylinder brute that was bigger, badder, and more powerful than traditional V-twins. Said one Honda VP: “The [flat-six] motor […]