750 Articles
The Story behind the 1985 Frog FZ750
Every few weeks I get a request for information about the classic Frog FZ750 concept designed by our founder Hartmut Esslinger in 1985. The Frog FZ was a bit of a superstar, appearing on the cover of various magazines including Cycle World in the US and Motorrad in Germany. In 1990 it appeared on the cover of Businessweek with Esslinger. Hartmut was the only living designer thus honored since Ra...
21 March 2012
Custom: Bandit9 Magnus
Magnus is the second custom Chang Jiang from Beijing-based builder Bandit9. A more raw, brutal take on the Chinese 750 than their first bike, Loki, Magnus adapts fine sculpture technics to achieve a burned finish, contrasting that with chrome for exposed mechanical components like the front fork springs. It’s a chopper, but thanks to plunger rear suspension and modern brakes, a functional one. ...
08 February 2012
Retro: Honda CBR750RR
Back in the late 1980s, the sportsbike market was very different than it is today. Sure, there were 600s and 1000s, but bikes like the GPZ600R were more budget all-rounders than the high-end race-replicas of 2011 while large-capacity bikes like the GSX-R1100 were incredibly fast, but heavy and erred towards stability over agility. The race replicas of the period were the 750s — GSX-R, OW-01, ZX...
05 January 2012
Retro: 1983 Honda XLV750R
We were reminded of the Honda XLV750R when we saw the red frame and forks of Cobra’s RS750 Scrambler concept last month and it's been sitting on our to-do list ever since. Now, with the Dakar rally reminding everyone that standing up is the best way to cover distance, we figured the time was right to take a look at Honda’s first, odd foray into adventure touring. Despite conventional wisdom th...
04 January 2011
Retro: Suzuki DR Big
Arriving after the adventure touring segment had been invented by the likes of the BMW R80GS and Yamaha Tenere and before it was popularized by two twats with support trucks, the little known Doctor Big can’t claim to have had much influence on motorcycling as a whole. It can claim to have had a huge impact on motorcycle styling. Released in 1988, this Suzuki represents the first known example o...
15 November 2010
2011 Suzuki GSX-R600 and 750: I can haz 1000 looks too?
We’ve already showed you a leaked sketch of the 2011 Suzuki GSX-R600 and 2011 Suzuki GSX-R750 that showed they’d receive facelifted looks more in line with those of the 2009 Suzuki GSX-R1000. These photos of that facelift have now leaked one day ahead of the official unveiling, scheduled for the Intermot bike show tomorrow. Details are still scarce but what do we see? Refinement, not revolutio...
04 October 2010
News
2011 Suzuki GSR750: yet another middleweight naked for Europe
Like the 2011 Suzuki GSX-R600 and 2011 Suzuki GSX-R750, the 2011 Suzuki GSR750 is being previewed by this official sketch ahead of October’s Intermot Cologne motorcycle show. Unlike the two GSX-Rs, this is an all-new bike. The Suzuki GSR750 joins bikes like the Kawasaki Z750R, Yamaha FZ8, Aprilia Shiver and Triumph Street Triple in the practical, affordable middleweight naked class. Bikes like...
21 September 2010
2011 Suzuki GSX-R600 and GSX-R750: minor changes only
Remember when we said Suzuki wasn’t bothering with 2011? Well, it turns out they are bothering, but just a little bit. This official sketch previews the 2011 Suzuki GSX-R600 and 2011 Suzuki GSX-R750 that will debut at Intermot Cologne on October 5. What we’re looking at is a relatively minor facelift. The biggest visual changes are the four new air intakes stacked to the sides of the now s...
21 September 2010
News
This is not a Chiangjiang 750 sidecar
To create his incredibly detailed and accurate wireframe versions of common objects, Chinese artist Shi Jindian crochets steel wire around them before destroying or removing the object once his sculpture is complete. The Chiangjiang 750 seen in wire ghost form here is similar to a Ural sidecar in that it's based on a 1937 BMW R71. We have no idea how such a substantial and intricate bike could hav...
21 July 2010
News
Moto Guzzi V7 Clubman Racer returns!?
I know, I know. We all got worked up last time only to get our hearts ripped out and stomped on, but don't worry. This news comes from somebody who's definitely not just an intern, and it happened like this. I was asking about a possible V7 aftermarket parts project and that "somebody" responded with: "No progress on the V7 project. With a potential launch of the V7 Racer from Milan we may let tha...
29 June 2010
News
Video: King Kenny returns to the Indy Mile
Kenny Roberts took his old TZ-750 for a spin on the Indy Mile -- the scene of his famous 1975 victory -- during this summer's Indianapolis GP. Considered unrideable by anyone but Roberts (and Ben Bostrom), this bike is powered by the 125bhp, 750cc two-stroke out of the Yamaha TZ-750 road racer. Like all trackers, it has no front brake, but unlike other machines, it can reach speeds of 150mph on Th...
17 December 2009
