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1983 Benelli 900 Sei

In Italy, Standard by AbhiLeave a Comment

When the Sei was introduced (as a 750), it was the first production motorcycle featuring a six cylinder engine. By ’78, the Sei got a bump up to 900 and a redesign that included many parts from Moto Guzzi (De Tomaso owned both companies at the time). You had to pay to play – MSRP was $5,406 in ’83 – …

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1991 Moto Guzzi 1000S

In Italy, Standard by AbhiLeave a Comment

Post Listing Update: This 1000S did not meet reserve with 65 bids up to $25,400 on eBay. In 1990, Moto Guzzi released the 1000S, styled to look like an update of the ’75 750 S3. It sold poorly but the classic styling has held up over the years and unlike the average Guzzi, the resale values for this model are …

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1953 AJS Model 20

In England, Standard by AbhiLeave a Comment

When Triumph introduced the Speed Twin in 1938, every other English manufacturer knew they had to offer two-cylinder motors of their own. AJS was the last of the major Brit builders to join the party (that pesky World War got in the way) when they released the Model 20 (and its Matchless twin, the G9) ten years later. Designed by …

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664 Miles – 2002 Kawasaki ZRX1200R

In Japan, Standard by AbhiLeave a Comment

I’m a big fan of the ZRX and I think it’s a great example of a modern classic that you can enjoy every day. Here’s an example that’s barely been enjoyed (at least in terms of riding) as it has just 664 miles on the odometer. I’ll be curious to know if the next owner rides it or keeps the …

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1960 NSU Super Max

In Germany, Standard by AbhiLeave a Comment

After World War II, NSU found themselves with factories that had been destroyed. But they were able to persevere and in 1952 they released the Max, one of the most popular quarter-liter bikes of the 50s – 97,120 bikes were sold. Fast forward four years and NSU introduced the Supermax, which featured a 18 horsepower single good for a top …

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1954 Royal Enfield Meteor

In England, Standard by AbhiLeave a Comment

Nowadays, Royal Enfield offers up a parallel twin engine in their Continental GT and INT650 models, but back in the company’s heyday the p-twin of record was the Meteor (and its successor, the Super Meteor). It was introduced in the early 50s because the US market wanted bigger engines – RE responded with a 692cc OHV twin that was basically …

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1980 Moto Guzzi V50 II

In Italy, Standard by AbhiLeave a Comment

When Moto Guzzi first released the V50 in the late 70s, they were met with a tepid response from an American market that preferred bigger bikes and expected smaller bikes to be cheaper. Guzzi updated the V50 to the “II” generation in 1979, giving it dual-point ignition, a larger sump, and Nikasil coating on the cylinder bores.

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1975 Suzuki RE5

In Japan, Standard by AbhiLeave a Comment

Along with some options from Norton and the Hercules W2000, the Suzuki RE5 was one of the rare rotary-engine bikes that actually made it to market. The Suzuki was the most ‘popular’ of the rotary bikes, with slightly over 6,000 examples built. Nowadays, mention of a rotary engine usually makes gearheads think of the Mazda RX-7 and RX-8, but in …

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2000 Royal Enfield Taurus Diesel

In England, Standard by AbhiLeave a Comment

I’ve featured a few diesel-powered motorcycles on Bike-urious, but they are typically gas-powered bikes that have had a diesel conversion. Here’s a rare example that was fitted with a diesel engine from the factory – an experiment that Royal Enfield tried between 1993 and 2000. They called it the Taurus.