Flashback to 1971. Literally. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper had sprung “Easy Rider” on the unsuspecting public in 1969 and the drive in theaters were full of classic movies like “The Hard Ride”, “Chrome and Hot Leather” and “The Wild Riders”. All of which seemed to star motorcycles, and particularly choppers. Lots of chrome, lots of noise, little substance.
1965 Norton Atlas – Race Horse or Plow Horse?
After 20 years of dominating English motorcycling with their legendary singles it became obvious to Norton that they needed a twin to compete with Triumph and others. In 1948 Norton introduced the Model 7 which was essentially a twin mounted on a single frame. Not a good effort for Norton. They improved with the model 88, 99 and 650SS and …
2016 Venice Vintage Motorcycle Rally
View Post1974 Laverda 750 SFC
Laverda’s most famous motorcycle, the 750 SFC was basically a street-legal race bike – the C stood for “Competizione”. Here’s a restored example that was originally sold in the US market.
Freddie Spencer Tribute – 1985 Honda NS250R
Fast Freddie Spencer won the 1982 Belgian and San Marino Grand Prixs with Honda’s first liquid-cooled two-stroke three-cylinder engine. That iconic bike provided the inspiration for this NS250R – which is a little weird considering Freddie won a 250cc championship in ’85, and that might have been bike for source material.
The Oddball – 1969 Norton Commando S
Norton introduced the 750 Commando in 1968 known as the Fastback. In 1969 they introduced two more models, the R (Roadster) and the S (Street Scrambler). In the fullness of life, the Roadster would become the ‘standard’ Commando and the other two would go away. The 1969 Scrambler was produced for the American market and in direct response to the …
Please Be Real – 1962 Honda CB72 Yoshimura Endurance Racer
Post Sale Update: After 23 bids on eBay, this incredible Honda sold for $8,800 on eBay…to a Bike-urious reader! Well, this is quite a listing – and it ends soon, so hurry up! According to the seller, in the inaugural Suzuka 18 hour race of 1964, Hideo “Pops” Yoshimura campaigned two motorcycles: a Honda 305 that won the race, and …
Not For Purists – 1974 Norton Commando 850 Mk2
Post Listing Update: This custom Commando did not meet reserve despite 27 bids up to $8,100. It’s been relisted a few times but bidding has never ended up higher. Here’s a Mk2 Commando that’s been fettled into a moderate custom – purists won’t like it, but YOU might!
Mild Custom – 1958 Ariel Square Four
By 1958 the Ariel Square Four was considered one of the premier motorcycles on earth. A huge powerplant, incredibly smooth, fast. Edward Turner (who would go on to design the Triumph Speed Twin) designed the twin crank 4 cylinder single head motor in the late 1920’s and sold it to Ariel who successfully brought it to market in 1936. It …
Austrian Engineering, Italian Style: 2002 Aprilia RSV Mille
Aprilia has a long history of racing with small displacement bikes. They made their first foray into the Superbike ranks with the RSV 1000 in 1998. The engine was built by Austrian firm Rotax, who have built engines for several other bike companies, including BMW, Buell, and KTM. The RSV engine was a 60 degree V-twin, 998cc, putting out a …
Viktoria – 1978 BMW R100S Custom
Built by Brandon Wulf of Bavarian Cafe, this custom BMW started as a R100S. It received a ‘frame up restoration’ and gorgeous bodywork from Ritmo Sereno. This means we get to play another game of ‘how much is a custom bike worth?’
Rare in the US – 1996 Yamaha TRX850
As it was never officially sold in the US, Yamaha’s TRX850 is a bike that I’ve never heard of before. But with MCN calling it (in hindsight) “the best-kept secreting in motorcycling” and a “forgotten gem,” this bike is definitely worth a closer look. The oversimplified idea was that this was a “Ducati with Japanese reliability.“
1955 Triumph Tiger T110
The Triumph T110 was introduced in 1954 as a replacement to the T100 which was so named because it’s top speed was in excess of 100 MPH. The T110 was the world’s fastest production motorcycle in 1955 and aimed squarely at the American market. In September of 1956 Johnny Allen set the motorcycle land speed record of 214.17 MPH on …
Video Intermission – World’s Fastest Monowheel
I’ve featured a few monowheels in the past – including this McLean Monocycle that did not get any interest at a BIN of $5,500 – but today we’re not looking at a monowheel for sale. We’re looking at one that’s just set a world record.
Bikers Helping Bikers – 2016 Distinguished Gentlemans Ride
The Distinguished Gentlemans Ride (DGR) is an international event created to raise money and awareness for the men’s health programs of the Movember Foundation. On Sunday, September 25th, well-dressed riders all around the world will hop on their classic and vintage styled bikes and become part of the world’s largest motorcycling charity event. Want to help out?