In the early 70s, Suzuki made headlines for bringing a rotary-powered bike to market, but DKW did it first. Outside of the UK, it was sold as the Hercules Wankel 2000 (W2000), and while the engine was unconventional, everything else was as you’d expect. Bike magazine called it “an outstanding machine in its own right”, even ignoring the novel powerplant. …
40 Years Later – Commando vs R90S
As I put together a sequel to the “Best Motorcycle Books” post from a week ago, Peter Egan’s name obviously keeps coming up. I was pleased to noticed that Cycle World has just published another excellent Peter Egan article – a comparison between the Norton Commando and BMW R90S in modern times. Egan’s words paired with some beautiful photos combine …
Quick and Dirty – 1974 Rickman Montesa VR 250
This nifty Rickman Montesa 250 is perfect for getting dirty, as long as you’ll be quick and don’t need much fuel! It apparently ran several hill climbs in the 70s but it then spent decades in dry storage. The seller has brought it back to life – and you’ll get most of the original parts to convert it back to …
Bike-urious does the Baja 1000 – Part 4
View PostEnding Soon – 1954 Vincent Black Shadow Series C
Post-Listing Update: This Black Shadow was pulled off of eBay with bidding up to $112,100, final sale price unknown. I just featured a Black Shadow that sold for $75,000, but this one is already up to 6 figures and it hasn’t met the reserve yet. That’s steep, but this has just 1,008 miles and is claimed to run as new …
Limited Edition – 2015 Ural Dark Force
Yesterday’s post about the Jawa clearly went overboard with the Star Wars references. Ural has also gone overboard, thanks to a limited edition model called the Dark Force. Just 25 units are on offer, though it doesn’t look to be much more than a standard Ural hack with fancy paint…and a lightsaber.
New Year’s Resolution – Ride with Josh Herrin!
Live in Georgia? Want to ring in the New Year the right way? Then you need to attend Herrin Compound’s season opener, which will be free to everyone!
Wookiee Approved – 1954 Jawa Perak
Warning: My girlfriend is a giant Star Wars fan (she took me to see the new one this weekend), and she was delighted to learn that there used to be a motorcycle manufacturer called Jawa. She then started ripping off Star Wars/Motorcycling wordplay off so fast I couldn’t keep up…so I just wrote up some basics and had her edit …
90th Anniversary – 2012 Moto Guzzi California 90
After a long production run, the California 1100 was given a final send off by Moto Guzzi – a limited edition called the California 90, named for the 90th anniversary of MG (and coincidentally the 40th anniversary of the California model). This one has 6 miles and is claimed to basically be brand new.
Picture Intermission – British National Motorcycle Museum
Motorcycle-USA just featured a fun little photo album of the Brit bikes exhibited at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham, England. Come check it out!
12 Miles Barn Find – 1974 MZ TS150
View PostHalf-Price Demo Bike – 2014 EBR 1190RX
Obviously, EBR has come and gone (though hopefully Bruce Belfer will be bringing it back, yet again). Before EBR went out of business, they created an excellent superbike called the 1190RX, and here’s one that you can get for a song.
Auction Preview – Mecum Las Vegas 2016
View PostAerostich Holiday Gift Guides
If you’re like me, you’ve waited until it’s way too late to buy some gifts for your loved ones/frenemies in this holiday season. If you’re scrambling for something for a motorcyclist, then you should take a look at what Aerostich is offering.
Pulsetjet Powered – 2015 Robert Maddox Custom
Post Listing Update: This bike was relisted multiple times on eBay with the BIN eventually dropping to $4,500, but that wasn’t enough to attract a buyer. A pulsejet engine is named for the fact that the combustion happens in pulses. They’re not a particularly popular powerplant (how’s that for alliteration), but Robert Maddox has established himself as a leader in …