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When it comes to Harley-Davidson design, the 1971 FX Super Glide is one of those bikes that people either love, or love to hate. It was Harley’s first attempt at a factory custom, mixing the sporty vibe of the XL series with the heavyweight punch of the FL models. But what really stole the show—for […]
Everybody loves an underdog story, and besides being one of the most influential motorcycles of its kind, this BMW-based sidecar racer is probably the most unlikely hero on three wheels. It was constructed and piloted by a German privateer named Helmut Fath, and spawned the next generation of sidecar racers known as ‘kneelers.’ A holy […]
An old saying in aviation says ‘If it looks right, it flies right,’ summarizing the idea that the most ideal mechanical designs are often the most visually pleasing. While beauty is decidedly in the eye of the beholder, there’s no debating the Rickman brothers’ performance chops, and not a single item out-of-place on this exceptional […]
The R27 showed up in the stable courtesy of our good friend and artist Christopher Myott. It’s a DeLorean, an underpowered time machine that couldn’t hit 88 mph if my life depended on it. And though the records may show a top speed of 81 mph, I managed to hit 70 and it was reaching. […]
The early 1970s were trying times at Harley-Davidson. The effects of AMF’s takeover in 1969 were trashing the company’s reputation and finances, and the flood of incoming Japanese standards provided reliable low-cost alternatives. To make matters worse, Harley’s grip on dirt track racing was in jeopardy after Brits had twisted the AMA’s arm for a […]
Some partnerships are just meant to be. Take Union Motorcycle Classics out of Nampa, Idaho, for instance, as the pairing of Mike Watanabe and Luke Ransom regularly brings about some of the highest-quality motorcycle restorations undertaken behind barn doors. Furthermore, Union has struck up the perfect relationship with a discerning client who regularly hauls in […]
A motorcycle like the 1974 Ducati 750SS simply couldn’t be manufactured and sold today, and it’s a small miracle that it even passed in the 1970s. A barely homologated version of Ducati’s Desmo L-twin road racer, the 750SS was finicky, raw and probably illegal for road use in most places with its fiberglass fuel tank, […]