Somehow, someone in Southern California has got his/her hands on a few Indonesian market bikes that are nearly impossible to find in the US. 6 are currently on offer on eBay – here are my 3 favorites.
1935 Rudge Tourist 250
Founded in 1894 through the merger of two bicycle makers, Rudge-Whitworth moved into motorcycle production in 1911. They made a name for themselves with some technological innovations (such as the Multi gear system which allowed for 21 speeds) and some racing success.
1989 Yamaha SDR 200
Here’s a bike I’ve never heard of before – the Yamaha SDR 200. Originally built solely for as a JDM bike, a small amount of SDRs turned into grey-market motorcycles and were imported into Europe and the United States.
1 of 3 – Custom Monocycle
View PostPipeburn Feature – 1982 Honda CB750 Custom
View Post“Our Long Way Round”
Barber has come and gone, which is why I thought it was time to share a tale from reader David Sumner about a previous ride out to the historic show.
1974 Harley-Davidson X-90
View PostNeeds Some Work – 1969 BSA Rocket 3
Sharing its roots with the Triumph Trident, the BSA Rocket 3 was a 750cc triple that was designed to extend the model line beyond 650 twins. 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 of the Trident/Rocket 3’s were produced between …
1978 Laverda Jota America
Despite the name, the Laverda Jota America was a 3-cylinder superbike that was rarely seen in the United States. With an odd crankshaft design (180 degree flat crank), the Jota produces a very unique sound that owners enjoy.
85 Horsepower – 2007 Triumph Bonneville Custom
In the seller’s words, this is “the Bonneville Triumph should have built.” His/her opinion is that Triumph did a great job with the design (though I’d argue their effort paled in comparison to Kawasaki’s W series) but they were too conservative with performance (now that I agree with). So, this custom was designed to upgrade performance – now it’s putting …
Video Intermission – Balancing Act
View Post11 Miles – 1993 Moto Guzzi Daytona
Dr. John Wittner made a name for himself in the late 80’s thanks to his ability to modify the hell out of MG’s – his bikes won consecutive US Endurance Championships, among other racers. Due to his success, the Guzzi factory asked him to come to Italy and help develop a superbike unlike anything the Italian firm had produced before. …
2006 BMW HP2 Enduro
The slimmer brother of the R1200GS, the BMW HP2 Enduro kept the GS engine and CANBUS electronics but instead utilized a trellis frame and normal forks to save a whopping 53 pounds – this was BMW’s true large displacement enduro.
Fully Restored – 1974 Kawasaki Z1
View PostIn Greece – 1964 Alta 50S
In business between 1962 and 1978, Alta was a manufacturer of motorcycles, cars, and trucks based out of Athens, Greece. When they started, they built vehicles around a Sachs 50cc engine – one of the most notable was the Alta 50S.