Before European and Japanese motocross machines reshaped the sport in the 1970s, a handful of British manufacturers were still pushing hard to stay competitive. One of the most interesting — and often overlooked — examples […]
Custom Motorcycles
Evolution of an Icon: Yamaha “670XTE” Restomod
Big Bore Retro: Motorieep turns the XT600E into a 60-hp monster… In 1990, Yamaha introduced the XT600E, an electric-start version of their fabled 595cc air-cooled single-cylinder dual-purpose machine. The original XT500 was a legend in […]
The First 300-MPH Motorcycle: Silver Bird Streamliner
Don Vesco’s 300-mph Silver Bird / Lightning Bolt Streamliner Heads to Auction… The Bonneville Salt Flats have long been a proving ground for engineering audacity. Over the years, riders have chased timed-mile milestones the way […]
Gravel Express: Suzuki XF650 Freewind Adventure Rally
Hessler Motorsport’s Suzuki Freewind ADV Rally… Available from 1997 to 2002, the Suzuki XF650 Freewind was a European-style all-rounder built around the proven air-cooled lump from the DR650 dual-sport. Though a single cylinder, the Freewind […]
Desert Boxer: BMW R900RR Dakar Rally Bike
Dakar Legends: Last Roar of the Desert Bombers… In the late 1990s and early 2000s, BMW found itself at a turning point in rally-raid racing. The boxer twin had already written one of the most […]
Double Double: Twin-Engine Yamaha XS650 Land Speeder
Double-Engine XS650 Land Speed Racer from Japan’s Rocket Motorcycle… There’s an old joke that the Yamaha XS650 is the best British twin ever (or never) built. It’s a tongue-in-cheek nod to the parallel-twin XS resembling […]
Rev Falcon: Twin-Cam Harley-Davidson Breakout Bobber
Fangster’s Drag-Style Twin-Cam Breakout Bobber… In 2012, Harley-Davidson CVO (Custom Vehicle Operations) division launched the original Softail Breakout. “Pictures do not convey the beauty of this new model. Harley’s CVO group prides itself on creating […]
Faber Beezer: 1968 BSA B44 Victor Competition Scrambler
500cc Pre-68 Scrambles Bike from Chopping Paint & Body… In 1966, BSA released the B44 series, which featured a new 441cc four-stroke engine developed by the company’s Competition Department. They’d taken the 343cc B40, which […]
The Honda EXP-2: The Two-Stroke Desert Racer
Honda’s 400cc “Experimental 2-Stroke” Baja 1000 / Dakar Rally Bike… In the mid-1990s, as emissions regulations tightened worldwide and the future of two-stroke off-road bikes looked increasingly uncertain, Honda did something nobody expected: it built […]
The Daredevil’s Stuntman: The Motorcycle Collection of AMA Hall-of-Famer Gary Davis
AMA Hall-of-Famer Gary Davis has been called the “Daredevil’s Stuntman” for serving as Evel Knievel’s stunt double in the 1977 film “Viva Knievel!” But that’s just a small slice of this two-wheeled legend’s resume. Gary’s racing […]
