The Buell Blast was a foray into beginner bikes by Buell/Harley – as such they were often used in motorcycle instruction programs like the MSF. It seems that one school has moved on from their fleet of Blasts, so now you can snag a 30 rack of Buells and…start your own MSF?
Auction Recap – Bonhams Grand Palais Paris
About a month ago, I previewed my favorite motos that were going up on the block during the Bonhams auction in Paris. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in a position to see the auction in person and update you with results, which is why I’m glad that the always-fantastic site The Vintagent covered some of the bikes that sold.
Auction Preview – Estate Sale in Michigan
Reader David N. has just tipped me off to an estate sale that will be happening in a couple of weeks in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It’s an impressive one owner lot that features over 50 vintage motorcycles. Here are my 5 favorites:
1988 BMW R80GS Paris-Dakar
Two reasons for featuring this bike. One: I adore the GSPD bikes from BMW and this looks like a solid example. Two: it gives me an excuse to share this fantastic article from Road & Track.
No Reserve – 1971 Hodaka Super Rat
This Hodaka Super Rat is one of the many dirt-oriented trailies Hodaka created in the 60s and 70s, featuring some of the best names in the business, like Dirt Squirt, Road Toad, and my absolute favorite – the Combat Wombat. I was going to say that the last option would be a great band name, but it seems an “Australian …
818 Miles – 1996 KTM Duke 620e
Considered by many to be the birth of the supermoto, the KTM Duke 620 was a revelation when it was introduced as a concept. Riders loved it enough that KTM eased into limited production. These bikes are a silly amount of fun, but I’m going to defer to Cycle World’s review of the bike in 1995 to give you an …
Video Intermission – Rossi v Lorenzo, Catalunya 2009
One of the greatest MotoGP finishes in history, these final 2 laps at Catalunya in 2009 are a joy to watch. Let’s travel back in time 6 years.
1960 Honda CB92 Benly Super Sport
Post Sale Update: This Benly sold for $15,000. The Honda CB92 Benly Super Sport was built between 1959 and 1962, and was considered by many to be the best small-displacement sport bike of the time. American Honda says that just 599 examples made it into the US, this feature was 1 of the 288 of which were imported in 1960.
Ugly Duckling – 1975 Ducati 860GT
Post Sale Update: This 860GT sold for $7,650 after 27 bids on eBay. Sold for just two years, the Ducati 860GT was a relatively angular bike that didn’t end up being as popular as Ducati might have hoped. It ended up evolving into the much-more loved Darmah. The 864cc twin yielded 60 horsepower, and it was capable of hitting 109 …
1979 Puch Magnum MKII Moped
Moped Army considers the Puch Magnum to be one of the most sought-after mopeds of all time. Here’s your chance to snap up a near-mint condition example.
2007 MV Agusta F4 Senna
A special edition of the already wonderful F4 1000R, the MV Agusta F4 1000 Senna was built to honor the late Ayrton Senna. The MSRP of $29,995 bought you one of just 300 bikes in the production run.
1973 Penton Six Day
Post-Sale Update: After 30 bids on eBay, this Penton sold for $3,176. The Penton Six Day was a very important motorcycle – it was the start of the commercial relationship between John Penton and KTM.
1928 Cotton “Super” OHV
2-18 Update: This Cotton is back up for sale with some better photos and bidding at the opening bid of $9,000 with the reserve not yet met here on eBay.
Video Intermission – Gregor Halenda
The more I learn about photography as I worry about shots for Bike-urious, the more I realize I have no idea what I’m doing. But that’s made it all the more impressive when I discover people like Gregor Halenda. I first heard about him through a fantastic article he wrote for BikeEXIF about motorcycle photography. Let me just sum up …
1978 Yamaha XT500 Custom
Post-Listing Update: This beautiful XT did not meet reserve with bidding up to $7,450. A brand new build by Rob Phillips of Husky Restorations, this is a lowered and stretched custom based on the XT500. It has plenty of new parts, highlights of which include the custom exhaust, Excel rims, shortened forks from a Yamaha YZ, and Hammer Head shocks. …