The Bultaco Mercurio (Mercury) debuted in 1960 as a 125cc, though by ’64 it had grown to a 175 for the Model 13, a motorcycle that was exclusively sold as an export to the US.
Made by Benelli – 1965 Wards Riverside 250-D
In the 60s, Montgomery Ward’s sold a Benelli-built moped in two variants – the 150-D and 250-D. The latter got all kinds of fancy upgrades, including a speedometer!
Original Tires – 1999 Yamaha R7 OW-O2
The Yamaha YZF-R7 was a ready to race World Super Bike (WSB) racer with the trimmings (lights/signals/plate) necessary to make it street legal. Also known as the OW-O2, it was staggeringly expensive: with an MSRP of approximately $32,000, it was twice as expensive as Honda’s RC51 SP-1, but it was worth every penny. I also happen to think it’s one …
Guess That Bike – Rear Hub Edition
Here’s a question for you – what bike is this?
Video Intermission – Sidecar Soccer
Ural’s got a cute little video to tap into World Cup fever with some sidecar-based soccer action. There’s less sidecar-on-sidecar action than I expected, but it’s still worth a minute of your time.
Restored – 1973 Honda CB750 K3
As prices for the sandcast and other early CB’s start to get out of control, it’s starting to make more financial sense to look into later (but still pre-’75) models. Honda made approximately 38,000 examples of the K3, and this lovely Flake Sunrise Orange example is claimed to have been restored to “as produced at the factory”.
Picture Intermission – Unboxing a 1977 Triumph Bonneville Silver Jubilee
Last month I featured a Silver Jubilee Bonnie that was still “new in crate”. Well, that status has since changed as the owner (who acquired it after 15 bids on eBay up to $24,100) has taken it out of the crate. According to this post on Reddit, “the plans are to ride it around the US randomly“. Consider me surprised!
Restored – 1965 BMW R69S
This bike has just 30 miles on it since a 2010 restoration by Bench Mark Works, so it looks like it’ll be on you to change that number.
Rare Project – 1978 Laverda Montjuic
The seller of this Montjuch took it apart “to make improvements” but some health issues got in the way and after “several years of no progress” he’s letting it go so that someone else can finish the work.
3 Miles – 1976 Yamaha DT100
Yamaha’s DT100 was never a world-beater, but after 40+ years of existence it’s hard to find one that’s been ridden as little as this one!
Guest Ride Report – “A Visit To Commando Valhalla”
It’s been a while since we last heard from Bike-urious reader David Sumner, but he’s just completed a 3+ week trip across the USA. One of his stops was a visit to Colorado Norton Works, or as David calls it: Commando Valhalla. Let’s see what he has to say!
Future Video Intermission – 2018 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Live Stream
This Sunday, Pikes Peak will be conquered by a bunch of machines as part of the legendary International Hill Climb. Those of you that can’t make it out the event in person can check it out live online.
Restored – 1969 BSA Rocket 3
From the seller of Monday’s Gold Star comes another classic BSA – the Rocket 3. The motor was a 750cc triple that was designed to extend the model line beyond 650 twins and it was specifically built for the US market (which wanted larger displacements and less vibrations). BSA’s financials suffered with the production of this bike, but nearly 27,500 …
Film Platform – 1991 Honda Gold Wing GL1500
This Gold Wing was built as a camera vehicle – there’s not much that the average rider is going to do with this, I just think it’s cool!
Rare in the US – 1962 Ariel Arrow Super Sport
Bike-urious reader Dan Dutra (I’ve featured one of his beautiful Ariel’s in the past) has spent the last 6 months restoring an Ariel Arrow Super Sport (also known as the Golden Arrow). They were not designed for export to the US, so very few have made the journey across the Atlantic Ocean. It’s not perfect (there’s still a couple of …