Sport & Race Motorcycles

Review: 2022 LiveWire ONE

LiveWire, the one-time harbinger of Harley-Davidson’s electrified future, was relaunched last year as a standalone original equipment manufacturer (OEM) with the titular name of ONE gracing its only model offering. The financial repercussion of this seismic rebranding was an MSRP decrease of $7,800 from $29,799 to $21,

May/Jun '22

Review: 2022 Zero SR

Imagine you’re ready to upgrade your motorcycle to make it go faster or farther. Thoughts immediately go to aftermarket parts, or maybe just replacing it with the latest wunderbike. Now imagine simply picking up your phone, opening your motorcycle-specific app, and giving it a couple of swipes. You pay

2022 Suzuki Hayabusa | Motorcycle Review

Sep/Oct '21

Review: 2022 Suzuki Hayabusa

When the original Suzuki Hayabusa was introduced in 1999, it was the fastest kid on the block and wasn’t shy about it—remember those “Ultimate Predator” ads? But times have changed and we now have touring bikes making more than 150 hp, 1,000cc sportbikes pushing 200 hp, the

Mar/Apr '21

Review: 2021 Aprilia RS660

Middleweight sportbikes are phenomenally fun on a race track, but their sporty breeding makes them suffer in routine street duties and during longer-distance riding. All four of the Japanese four-cylinder 600s are thrilling rides, but none of them are as comfortable or as technologically advanced as the Aprilia RS660.This

May/Jun '20

Review: 2020 Yamaha MT-03

Revving for Your YouthOur senior readers (ahem—no offense) will recall the thrills Yamaha delivered in small displacement motorcycles through the late ’70s and into the ’80s. Lightweight twins were quickly tweaked, raced, and became a key part of our culture. In fact, the new 2020 Yamaha MT-03 harks back

Mar/Apr '20

Review: 2020 Suzuki Katana

Retro Literbike Wins on StyleI was predisposed to like this bike, as I fondly remember the edgy original Katana, a groundbreaking design that stunned the moto world in 1982. That first model is one of the most memorable motorcycles of the last four decades. There’s a reborn Katana for

Sep/Oct '19

Review: 2019 Ducati Multistrada 950 S

Ducati’s aptly named Multistrada (“many roads”) has significantly upped the definition of the word sport in sport touring. Imbued with the leading-edge performance and sensual styling that has always been the vanguard of the Italian manufacturer, the new 950 S is a highly consummate and sophisticated motorcycle married to

2019 Yamaha Tracer 900 GT: Triple-Powered Sport-Tourer

Jan/Feb '19

Review: 2019 Yamaha Tracer 900 GT

Triple-Powered Sport-TourerAhead of me, a runaway train of 2019 Yamaha Tracer 900 GTs barrels up the winding road. I’m wringing out second gear in between connecting corners to keep up, the screech of the bike’s inline triple reaching its highest register. Wind River Road is ideal testing ground

Mar/Apr '18

Review: 2018 Kawasaki H2SX/SE and Z900RS

You’ve gotta hand it to Kawasaki. In the midst of a lot of industry handwringing over declining sales and questions about how to draw new riders to the fold, Kawasaki used the IMS show in NYC to double down on their bread and butter: fast bikes. They had four

Mar/Apr '17

2017 Yamaha FZ-10: Activate Your Fazer

Yamaha’s FZ1 has had a good run since 2001, but it has been replaced by the FZ-10 this year. Still, with a YZF-R1-based engine at the center, the most notable change is a visual one. This doesn’t look like your dad’s FZ1. Welcome to the future, FZ-10.

May/Jun '16

2014 EBR 1190SX: The Superfighter

Mention Erik Buell’s name and it’s instant street cred. When Harley-Davidson shut down Buell’s line during the financial crisis, the entrepreneur found a backer in India’s Hero Motorcycles, and Erik Buell Racing (EBR) was born. But after declaring bankruptcy and restructuring, the company, now owned by

Mar/Apr '16

2016 Yamaha and Star Anniversary Lineup

In October of last year, Yamaha Motor Company unveiled more of its 2016 offerings at the Marconi Automotive Museum in Tustin, CA. Having already released a few models months prior—60th anniversary edition dirt bikes, the YZ250F, and YZ450F—it was high time to get the news out about the

Jul/Aug '15

2015 Yamaha YZF-R3: The Little Engine That Can

Major manufacturers build motorcycles for one reason—to sell them. Lots of market research goes into determining a manufacturer’s product portfolio, and Yamaha recognized their lineup had a hole in it. The sub-500cc motorcycle class has been growing of late. Prior to the introduction of the all-new R3, Yamaha

Nov/Dec '14

2015 Ducati Monster 821: Fast Fun in the Apennines!

Ducati has taken the recently introduced Monster 1200 chassis and slipped in an 821cc Testastretta 11º engine, sourced from the 2014 Hypermotard, to create this fun new model. At the world press launch, the mayor of Ducati’s home town of Bologna, Italy, welcomed us with a speech followed by

Jul/Aug '13

Comparison: 2012 Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Touring vs. 2012 Moto Guzzi Stelvio NTX

What we have here are birds of a feather, V-twins from the land of Chianti and chiaroscuro that represent two very different interpretations of the fastest growing segment in our little playground—adventure touring. Both marques have a strong touring heritage, so it’s no surprise that they’ve thrown

Mar/Apr '13

2013 Yamaha FJR1300A: A Sportbike for Grownups!

Yamaha has launched its FJR1300A model for 2013 with some notable improvements that dyed-in-the-ballistic-nylon aficionados of sport touring should appreciate.It’s been a whole decade since this Yamaha model first appeared on our shores, and the bike’s capabilities, reliability, and comfort have made it a popular choice among

Sep/Oct '12

2012 Honda CB1000R: Matte Black Belt

Martial arts competition, like sport motorcycle riding, stylishly blends power and finesse with razor-sharp wits and the ability to quickly and effectively compensate for any move the opposition, or the road, throws your way. While Honda’s CB1000R certainly delivers black belt performance on the open road, it also packs

May/Jun '11

2011 Yamaha FZ8

As the market changes and so-called "middleweight" sportbikes creep toward quadruple-digit CCs, Yamaha's latest addition joins the party already in progress. Having been released to the Euro market last year to great success, can it attract American riders?Snagging much of the technology developed for its supersport division, Yamaha continues

Mar/Apr '11

2011 Triumph Sprint GT

The Sprint, one of the most popular and enduring models in Triumph's lineup, got a successful makeover that will no doubt please most riders. Although still sporty, this touring king offers comfort for both rider and passenger, along with luggage capacity fit for royalty.What’s New?Compared to the

Jan/Feb '11

2011 Kawasaki Ninja 1000

Most young riders, and surely many seasoned riders as well, want the ultimate sportbike - they want to feel like a MotoGP racer. Of course, in reality, a motorcycle that's been specifically designed for the track isn't the most practical on the street. Kawasaki engineers took this into account and

Nov/Dec '10

2010 Honda VFR1200F

The V-4 engine was Soichiro Honda’s favorite engine, and he wasn’t alone. Since 1983, Honda has built V-4 motorcycles that have been hugely popular among riders around the world. In the late 80s, the VFR even outsold the English and Italian bikes in their respective countries. Now entering

Sept/Oct '10

2010 Moto Guzzi Stelvio 1200 4V ABS

At 9,045 feet, Stelvio is the second highest paved mountain pass in the Alps and the highest in the eastern Alps. I can say firsthand that with 60 tight switchbacks, Stelvio truly is a challenge! Moto Guzzi named its 1200cc Stelvio model after the legendary Stelvio Pass for good

Jul/Aug '10

Kawasaki's 2010 Lineup

Kawasaki recently invited RoadRUNNER to attend a two-day ride highlighting the light side of their model lineup. Austere times and higher gas prices have given pause to the gluttony of just a couple years ago, when all the attention was on huge, heavy models. For two great days we rode

May/Jun '10

2009 Honda VFR800 Interceptor - Long-term Evaluation

In 1983, performance-riding enthusiasts got their first look at Honda's radical new sportbike, the VF750F Interceptor. For most of them, it was love at first sight. The aggressive lines and racy paint scheme were truly infectious. And after nearly three decades of refinement, the VFR800 is still turning heads.While

Mar/Apr '10

2010 KTM 990 SM T

This past November, KTM invited the motorcycle press to sample their 2010 line of street machines in lovely Monterey, California. Plenty of hot (or in my case, lukewarm) laps were turned on the world famous Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca road course, aboard the impressive 1190 RC8 R superbike and the