#rare

Remember when Lamborghini tried to make motorcycles? No, we’re not talking about Ducati, which is technically owned by Audi through its subsidiary Lamborghini (with Volkswagen hovering over the entire family tree). Through most of the ’80s, Lamborghini was under the ownership of French businessman (and later, contemporary artist) Patrick Mimran. Under Mimran’s guidance, Lamborghini saw a period of resurgence including a brief expansion into non-automotive products.

For the well-heeled motorcyclist, this past weekend was the time to reach down into the couch cushions, gather up all that spare change, and head to Chicago for the 2016 Mecum Motorcycle Auction. With a claimed 350 motorcycles hitting the auction block and projected prices of some lots reaching up into the six figure range, perhaps one would need to check the couch cushions at the main house, the beach house, and the ski lodge to gather the necessary funds. Still, for those who love rare motorcycles and have the means to support them in the lifestyle to which they are accustomed, the Mecum Motorcycle Auction provides a great opportunity to own a bit of two-wheeled history.

In honor of it being 30 years since Suzuki’s first GSX-R750 came to America, we hereby present what I’m pretty sure is the rarest of them all, the bike that proudly wore two “R”s before others had even one, the super-rare race-homologation special 1989 GSX-R750RR – also reverentially known as “RK” among the few collectors who know this bike exists.

Beauty on two wheels is obviously a subjective issue, but I defy anyone to claim the 2008 Bimota DB7 1098 is not a gorgeous motorcycle. So for this week’s Church feature, we turn to our European correspondent, Tor Sagen, for his take on one of the world’s most exclusive motorcycles.