Previous Road Bikes

Kawasaki KE125 learner bike

A brilliant learner bike!

Yamaha 1983 XV750 SE

Sold 18 years ago, now being restored to original condition

Suzuki TS50-XK

My first go at restoration - stolen, recovered, sold.

Yamaha XV1100 Virago

My first almost new dealer sold bike

Kawasaki ZZR1100 C3

De-restricted 150bhp monster - my first brand new bike

Ducati 851

My first Ducati and I’ve never looked back. I remember the test ride like it was yesterday

Ducati 1995 888 SP5 # 395.

Last heard of sat in someone’s living room covered in carbon bling

Kawasaki ZXR400

Japanese import - lithe, nimble, great fun

1997 Honda Fierblade-CBR900RRW

The perfect handling sportsbike? No character though...

 2001 Harley Davidson Fatboy

A brief (400 miles) time away from sportbikes - never again!

2002 MV Agusta 750-F2

2nd in the country, 2 years waiting, total disappointment.

Ducati 998 Bostrom Replica

Sold and exported to Spain

2004 Ducati 749 Dark

Sold to a friend who didn’t use it now sold on to a lucky new owner

Yamaha FZR400RR

left

right

1995 Bimota SB6

Sold to a guy who works as a bodygaurd to the stars. My 1990’s dream bike - complete with 1990s reliability

2006 Skyteam 110 Gorilla replica

A Monkey Bike replica with added Over Racing Japan full titanium exhaust system. Now sold.

1994 Ducati 888 SP4

I bought this for one reason only, to  back to back with my SP5 to see for myself which was the best 888 SP version. It was silky smooth having been tuned by JHP Ducati Coventry, beautiful to ride but it was definitely not the fire breathing rewarding demanding ride that the SP5 gives. Back to back, the SP4 left me wanting more and the SP5 delivered where the 4 could not. I sold it after a summer of fun doing the comparisons.

1989 Yamaha OW01

Another 80’s/90’s itch I needed to scratch. I found a sad OW01 in need of a lot of TLC. It was complete although had been mistreated with red nail varnish on bolt caps and amateur paint everywhere. It didn’t run and the seller’s “sticky throttle cable” turned out to be a siezed carb. A year of restoring it brought it back to standard beauty and a Practical Sportsbikes photoshoot. Sold on to a really nice Japanese sportsbike collector who will appreciate her for all she is.

1988 Ducati 851 KIT Tricolore

Not to be confused with the 851 Tricolore Strada, this was No. 206 of 207 KIT superbikes built to homologate the 851 for racing. It had a large number of upgrades, some visible like the braced swingarm, many hidden in the engine and was a Ducati Corse built motorcycle, not a production line job. I took it in part exchange but regretted it quickly. It is rare, fragile, parts are not available. Sold to a collector who has the time to spare.

2001 Ducati MH900 evolution #0836

A beautiful bike to work on and own, this was s sub 2000 mile version and I managed to buy all the extras like the rare Termignoni exhausts, carbon dream bodywork, everything. I was seduced by a D16RR though and part exchanged it. I regretted it the moment I first rode the D16RR. The MH900e is a tall bike, not powerful but it is a smooth experience full of great crackling sound to add to the drama. A design classic? Lovely to own and maintain, one I seriously regret selling.

Ducati D16RR Desmosedici Team Version

A once in a lifetime opportunity to own a true GP racer for the road, I planned on a year of ownership to experience it and sell on as it’s a king’s ransom to own and maintain. It started badly with a reg/rec breakdown on my first run. The bike was hot and hard to ride unless you were seriously ‘on it’. It is a missile, capable beyond 99.999% of normal riders. loud, beautiful Italian perfection. I took the 851 KIT in part exchange to move it on. An experience for sure, not the best ownership experience though but one unlikley to be repeated by any manufacturer. If you can afford it, try it, nothing compares!

1964 Ducati 48TS

1964 Ducati 48TS bought to chop up into a cafe racer for a bit of a fun project. However, the bike turned out to be older, rarer and more complete than anticipated so it would have been a crying shame to have cut her up. I kept it for a while contemplating a restore but it was too good even for that and needed a wipe down and MoT. Sold to a VJMC dealer so hopefully has a new caring home now,