Post Sale Update: This Spitfire Scrambler sold for the BIN of $8,500 on eBay. Of the many BSA A10 models, one of the rarest would have to be the Spitfire Scrambler (aka the Rocket Gold Star Scrambler). Here’s a beautiful example that was acquired by the seller as a ‘rusted rubble of parts’ and rebuilt to ‘a quality standard.’ The …
Video Intermission – Recycled Bike
A quick history lesson: During WWII, the British Royal Navy commissioned an aircraft carrier called the HMS Hercules, but the war ended before the ship was completed. India bought it and officially made it part of their Navy in 1961, renaming it the INS Vikrant in the process – it was India’s first aircraft carrier. In 2014, the ship was …
Ending Soon – 2006 BMW HP2 Enduro
I know I haven’t written a lot of these, but I’ve already noticed a trend. I’ll see a bike online, and think to myself, “for the right person, this could be a hell of an opportunity”. I think this bike is certainly one of those cases. Who is that person? I think it’s someone who’s always wanted to use one …
1964 Piaggio Ape
Introduced in 1948, the Piaggio Ape is a three wheeler designed for light commercial purposes. What you may not expect to hear is that the Ape is still in production! Ape translates to “bee” in Italian, and it was named to evoke the productiveness you think of with ‘busy as a bee’.
Auction Preview – Bonhams Paris 2016
Bonhams follows up their impressive Vegas offerings with an auction in Paris on February 4th. Come check out what’s on the block – it’s chock full of little Italian jewels…and one of the coolest custom Honda’s I’ve ever seen!
Max Lambky’s Vincent Streamliner
I’m sad to share this, but it looks like the Vincent Streamliner (also known as the Black Lightning) is now up for sale, though it might need a name change because the engines aren’t coming with it.
25th Anniversary – 2007 Honda VFR800
In 2007, Honda celebrated the 25th Anniversary of their venerable sport tourer with a special red/white/blue paint job. I always thought this paint scheme looked amazing, though the stock black wheels were a mistake – they should have been white! This example is in great shape and comes with some modifications that every sixth gen viffer should have.
1994 BMW R100R Mystic
Available only in 1994 and 1995 in the US, the Mystic was a factory custom based on the BMW R100R. The changes were entirely cosmetic, but they were not insignificant. Nowadays a ‘special edition’ just means new paint – the Mystic had several restyled parts.
Cafe Prepped – 1975 Honda CB400F
Equipped with some of the prettiest exhaust headers of the 70s, the Honda CB400F was a fairly standard evolution of the 350, though it did get a sixth cog in the gearbox. Here’s an example that’s been given a new lease on life with just a few small cosmetic tweaks – I think it looks great!
1951 BMW R51/3
In a lot of my posts, I talk about the history of BMW motorcycles. Sometimes though, we can see actual history in these machines. One such bike is the R51/3.
The Prototype – 2012 Raven MotoCycle
Over several years, Jeff Gundlach made a name for himself designing magazine covers for motorcycle mags like Cycle News and Cycle Magazine. In 2009, he started building “something unique, powerful, light, functional, and a classic look.” A couple of years later, the Raven was born. At the time, Jeff created a 750cc prototype and was planning on offering displacement options …
The Scamp – Honda CL360 Brat Custom
The seller of this bike calls it a Scamp – though that name has been used by Honda before, it was what the N360 car was named in Australia. Seems appropriate then, as the N360 and this CL360 were motivated by similarly-sized engines.
Picture Intermission – The BMW R68
With less than 1,500 examples produced, the R68 is BMW’s rarest postwar motorcycle. Because of that, many riders don’t get the chance to enjoy one in person – so here’s the next best thing.
1922 Johnson Motorwheel
Based out of Terre Haute, Indiana, four bothers came together to form the Johnson Motor Company. Despite some initial trials and tribulations, they had set half-mile dirt track records and sold over 17,000 units by 1921. Unfortunately by that point Henry Ford was making vehicles like the Motorwheel obsolete with the Model T. A few years later and the Johnson …
1965 Honda CB450 Black Bomber
Post-Sale Update: After 36 bids on eBay, this Black Bomber sold for $4,550. One of the most influential Japanese motorcycles ever, the CB450 was Honda’s first big bike, and it was quite a shock to the Brits.