Dean Harrison just set a new lap record for the Isle of Man TT, and what’s almost impossible to fathom is that he did it from a standing start! Unfortunately, his good luck did not hold as he had to retire during later in the race with a mechanical failure on his Silicon Engineering Kawasaki ZX10-RR. Still, he broke every …
Out of Office – The Iberian Peninsula
View Post596 Miles – 1971 Harley-Davidson Sprint SX350
By the time Harley-Davidson introduced the Aermacchi-built SX, it was already outdated from a performance standpoint. They took the SS street bike, gussied it up with a few parts to make it a street scrambler, and the SX was born. Like most of the street scramblers of the day, it had off-road pretensions without real off-road performance. Despite all that, …
Bexton Craft Motorcycles Build – 1994 Yamaha FZR1000 with Suzuki GT750 Engine
Post Listing Update: This Bexton build was relisted multiple times at lower BINs (eventually down to $7,750) but it never got any interest on eBay. This isn’t the first custom GT750 I’ve featured from Bexton Craft Motorcycles, but it is the first time he’s shoved old-school two-stroke power into a modern chassis. The styling is polarizing but the concept is …
Well-Modified – 1976 Honda CB400
This Honda was built by Todd Schuster (the former fabricator for the Butler & Smith BMW R90S racers as well as Freddie Spencer’s Honda Superbike, this CB400 has quite an extensive list of modifications – and an asking price to match.
1974 Suzuki TC185 Ranger
Post Sale Update: This TC185 sold for the BIN of $3,500 on eBay. In the 70s, Suzuki had a TS185 and a TC185 – the latter stood out with features like a 12V electrical system, ten-speed transmission (5 high, 5 low), and one of the first electric starters available on a dual-sport.
2,482 Miles – 1986 Honda XL600R
Post Listing Update: This XL was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. Honda’s XL600R was a popular dual-sport for a wide variety of riders in the 80s – Dirt Rider magazine said it was the best in the dirt of the open class dual purpose bikes (like the Kawasaki KL600 or Yamaha XT600). Most have been adorned in …
1976 Moto Morini 3 1/2 Sport
Post Sale Update: This 3 1/2 sold for $6,500 after 9 bids on eBay. In one of their reviews of the Moto Morini 3 1/2 Sport, Cycle World said, “For the lucky few, the Morini is worth what it costs.” Considering the fact that this bike (with a 39 horsepower, 344cc engine) cost as much as a Honda CB750, it …
1970 OSSA Plonker
Post Sale Update: This Plonker sold for $2,300 after 12 bids on eBay. The OSSA Plonker (“plonking” used to be a different term for trials riding, as you’d “plonk” around rugged terrain at low speeds) was built in conjunction with trials expert Mick Andrews. It was their first attempt at a true observed trials bike, and it was succeeded by …
Auction Preview – Mecum Las Vegas June 2018
This weekend, Mecum is coming back to Vegas to sell some motorcycles. There are 402 lots, so let’s see what’s in store. This time around, I’m just going to feature a few weird ones, and a few aren’t even really motorcycles:
Reader Ride – Baker Formula One Sidecar
5-30-2018 Update: Two years later, this interesting sidecar is now actually up for sale! “The electric motor has since been removed and a race-prepared Suzuki GSXR 1000 engine and 6-speed transmission will be included along with a bodywork mold, extra wheels, and a North Carolina bill of sale.” Find it with bidding up to $2,750 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina …
German Military – 1944 DKW NZ 350-1
In 1938, DKW released the NZ 350, and it was instantly a popular motorcycle. Almost immediately, the German Wehrmacht asked DKW to start prototyping a military version, which came to be known as the NZ 350-1 when it was released in the early 40s. 12,000 units were built between 1943 and 1945 – here’s one of the few examples that …
Two Owners – 1986 Suzuki GSX-R750
Though the model debuted in 1985, Suzuki’s legendary Gixxer line did not make its way to the US until 1986. The changes were minor – better headlights, a revised belly pan, and 25mm longer swingarm, but Americans were probably too busy drooling over the first true street-legal race replica to notice.
2001 BMW R1150GS
The GS has been a huge money maker for BMW, and it really took off in with the 1150. Many riders were inspired by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s Long Way Round, which ended up being quite an advertisement for BMW (and a decent-sized debacle for KTM).
1991 BMW K75S
Those of you that have read some of my older travel reports probably know that I have a soft spot for the BMW K75. It’s not a particularly exciting motorcycle but I’m biased because a K75C showed naive young me what motorcycle touring was all about after 4 years and 75,000 miles with only one issue (which was my fault). …