Restored by Owen Bishop of Moto41 Restorations, this is one of the nicest XT500s I’ve ever seen. I first saw it in person at this year’s Quail Motorcycle Gathering where it won 1st Place in the Japanese category (beating out an awesome Honda CB750 Police Bike that I thought was more interesting), and it’s also won 1st Place at the …
Video Intermission – 1973 24 Hour Speed Record by the Kawasaki Z1
Titled “So Far. So Fast.”, this is a documentary about Kawasaki’s successful attempt to beat the 24 hour speed endurance record at Daytona International Speedway. Spoiler alert – they did it.
Bonneville Record Breaker in the UK – 1957 Manx Norton JAP 1150cc Custom
When it was originally sold in July of 1957, this was a Norton Manx 30M. But the story gets much more interesting almost 5 decades later, when a racer named Eric Patterson swapped in a 1,150cc JAP Mk2 motor and took it to the Bonneville Salt Flats to set some speed records.
2007 KTM 950 SM
Post Listing Update: This 950 SM was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. For many supermoto riders, the KTM 950 SM made no sense – how could a bike that weighs approximately 450 pounds be called a supermoto. But if you were willing to give this KTM a shot, you would be rewarded with one of the greatest …
1989 Honda GB500 Tourist Trophy
Post Listing Update: This GB got no interest at the opening ask of $3,000. Honda’s GB500 was an homage to classic British singles but there was a twist – it was reliable! The average American rider shopping for a Japanese bike at the time was more interested in the bigger supersport replicas, but the Tourist Trophy has become a cult …
ISDT Tribute – 1965 BSA B40 Enduro Star
Post Listing Update: Despite 48 bids up to $3,049, this BSA did not meet reserve. In the 1965 ISDT, BSA’s factory efforts with 350s and 441s had ground to a halt by day four thanks to the Prince of Darkness, Joseph Lucas. That’s obviously a bit of a stretch, but every works bike was knocked out due to electrical problems. …
Triumph and Tribulations – Exploring the UK, Day 8
View Post1991 BMW K1
While this example of BMW’s famous K1 has a few miles on it (45k), it’s in one of the best paint schemes and it comes with the rare factory luggage. Think of it as the great-grandfather of the S1000RR, and an incredible styling experiment. Still, less than 7,000 models were sold, and it wasn’t a sales success.
Restored – 1972 Honda CT70H
Post Listing Update: This CT70H did not meet reserve despite 39 bids up to $3,950. For many CT70 enthusiasts, the “H” models were desirable as they came with 4-speed transmissions and a manual clutch. So this should be an interesting auction to follow as this specific example was recently restored and it’s just about like new.
Out of Office – LA-Barstow-Vegas
View PostJoin Me – Dust 2 Glory Viewing
On December 6th, a few movie theaters are going to be showing Dust 2 Glory, the follow-up to the fantastic documentary Dust to Glory from back in 2005. I’m going to check it out in Los Angeles – if you’re around, come join me! Or use the link below to find out where it’s showing near you!
Still New – 2007 Aprilia SXV450
On paper, Aprilia’s SXV450 was destined to be an all-time great in the world of production supermotos. 60 horsepower at the crank was about 10 more than other 450s were making at a time, and the twin cylinder layout rewarded riders who were willing to play near the 13,000 rpm redline. Unfortunately, it was Aprilia’s first attempt at building an …
1986 Honda Z50RD “Christmas Special”
Post Sale Update: After 22 bids on eBay, this little Honda sold for $4,850. Considered by some as the ultimate Honda Z50, the “Christmas Special” was a limited edition that officially had the model name of “Z50RD” – the D was for “Dealer”. Honda gave two examples to each of their top dealers, though some called it the “Chrome Edition” …
Video Intermission – 58 Riders on 1 Bike
The Indian Army Service Corps has a motorcycling team called the Tornadoes that currently holds 19 world and national records. They just broke another record this week by getting 58 people on a 500cc Royal Enfield and then riding it 1,200 meters.
2015 Norton Commando 961 Cafe Racer
It’s been a few years since the new Norton Commando was made available in the US. Known as the 961, it was offered in 4 variants – the SF, Sport, Cafe Racer, and a limited production Special Edition. Here’s one of the first Cafe Racers that made it to the US with just 511 miles. The new bikes are sold …