The Red Bull Romaniacs Extreme Enduro Rally was founded in 2004, and they claim that over the years it’s become the world’s toughest Hard Enduro Rally. It’s a five-day event over 375 miles in the Carpathian Mountains, and it attracts some of the best off-road riders in the world. Until this year, every competitor was on a single-cylinder dirt bike, …
Auction Preview – Mecum Monterey 2017
Next weekend, Mecum is auctioning off 55 motorcycles (and a whole bunch of cars) in Monterey, California. Let’s see what they’ve got in store!
2 Miles – 2002 Ducati 998S Ben Bostrom Replica – 6/155
Post Sale Update: This Bostrom rep sold for $18,299 after 16 bids on eBay. Ben Bostrom was represented by #155 when he competed in AMA Superbike with Ducati’s 998S. So Ducati used that as the number of copies that should be built when they created a limited edition replica. 155 were built for the US and UK markets, making a …
Restored – 1987 Yamaha YSR50
This YSR is in impressive shape thanks to a recent restoration to what the seller calls “show quality” in a bit of exaggeration. Since the work was done it’s had a few miles put on it, but this is still one of the nicer YSR’s I’ve seen in a long time. Most examples spend their lives getting beat up and …
July 2017 Result Highlights
View Post1986 Moto Morini 350 K2
Post Listing Update: Despite 24 bids on eBay up to $3,555, this K2 did not meet reserve. Built between 1984 and 1986, the K2 was the eventual successor to the legendary 3 1/2, and it’s a rare find in the US. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of the styling – it’s very clearly a child of the 80s, and …
Auction Preview – The Pacific Grove Auction
On Thursday, August 17th in Monterey, the Pacific Grove Auction will be offering 10 incredible classic bikes from “The Allen Smith Collection of Significant Motorcycles.” 8 of the 10 are pre-1922, and the newest bike is from 1954. But the most amazing thing about this auction is that every bike is being offered at no reserve. This should be interesting.
Made in China – 2017 Benelli TNT 300
Benelli has been absent from the US for a while, but thanks to a partnership deal with SSR Motorsport in 2014 they’re starting to come back. McCoy Motorsports in Kentucky has a new TNT 300 for those of you that are looking for something different and aren’t averse to a bike made in China.
Ending Soon – 1986 BMW R80GS
If you enjoy an adventure motorcycle nowadays, you probably enjoy it to the existence of this bike – the BMW R80GS. This example stands out thanks to a Paris-Dakar tank and a motor/transmission rebuild about 35,000 miles ago.
Ending Soon with No Reserve – 1986 Yamaha SRX600
Post Sale Update: This SRX sold for $4,350 after 23 bids on eBay. In the US, Yamaha sold the SRX600 for just one year. It sold poorly in 1986 because US riders preferred power, power, and more power. But for riders who can appreciate the styling, handling, and the nostalgia of having to kick over the 595cc single motor, the …
1957 Moto Guzzi Cardellino
Built between 1954 and 1962, the Cardellino (Italian for Goldfinch) was the successor to the Guzzino. Initially, it had a 65cc motor but in 1957 Guzzi bored out the motor to 73cc. Other changes in ’57 included a change from hand shifter to foot shifter and the inclusion of a horn.
1981 Harley-Davidson FLH
Post Listing Update: After being relisted, this FLH still did not get any interest at $6,995. I don’t want to call this FLH restored, but it’s clearly had a lot of work done recently. The seller (Classic Motorcycle Consignments) notes that the seller has invested over $24,000 as part of a 6 year ‘renovation’ after the bike was found in …
1969 Honda 305 Dream
When Vy and I took a little tour of the Western US last year, we had the pleasure of meeting Rick Van Vooren. He’s the man behind a Honda restoration shop called Rickstoration, and from what I saw when we visited, I’d have no concerns about buying a bike from him. I bring all of this up because he’s letting …
Video Intermission – “Britten – Return to The Island”
A couple of weeks ago I let you know that two Brittens will be running in the Retro Parade at the Isle of Man Classic TT Festival. I shared the start of a video series being done around the black/yellow CRS bike, but today we’ve got a video that should whet your appetite about the blue/pink bike. It’s a quick …
XRV750 – 1990 Honda Africa Twin
If that lead photo doesn’t make you want to buy this bike and travel, something might be wrong with you. The seller is a bit of an Africa Twin nut – I featured another one of his ATs for sale a couple of weeks ago. It’s been modified to better suit taller riders, it has relatively low mileage for this …