After World War II, Velocette sold the LE (Little Engine), a completely new design that was all about cheap, efficient transportation who wanted individual transportation. An evolution of the LE, this Velocette Valiant was supposed to be a sportier version, with more power, better styling, an extra gear on the transmission, and more.
Modern Homologation – 2014 Honda CBR1000RR SP
I realize that it’s very rare when I feature a bike built in the last couple of years. But after being inspired by yesterday’s RC45, it’s nice to see a modern homologation bike from Big Red – today’s example is the 2014 Honda CBR1000RR SP.
To the Top of Alaska, Day 10
June 13th, 2014 – Juneau, AK to Tok, AK ~530 miles Finally, a day where we’d spend more than an hour on our motorcycles!
1994 Honda RVF750 RC45
The Honda RVF750, also known as the RC45, was a legendary homologation bike and successor to the popular RC30. Though it was sold between ’94 and ’99, the US only got the ’94 model.
Baby Darmah – 1978 Ducati 350 GTV
Looking like a baby version of the early Darmah, the Ducati 350 GTV was an evolution of the unpopular GTL. Unfortunately, nearly all the Ducati parallel twins suffered from reliability issues, but this one seems to be in good shape…for now.
Ending Soon – 2006 Bimota DB6 Delirio
Post-Listing Update – As expected, this Bimota DB6 Delirio did not sell at the ask of $20,000. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to find this bike sooner – regular readers who wait for the email won’t see this bike until after the listing has expired, but I doubt it will sell and I’m sure you can always contact the seller …
1980 BMW R100 Vintage Cafe Racer
Post Sale Update: After being relisted, this R100 sold for $6,000 after 26 bids on eBay. Is it weird that I’m featuring a bike solely because of the fairing? Well, we’re already familiar with the R100, but this bike looks great in Ivory White with black pinstripes, Supertrapp exhaust, and a custom fairing with Zero Gravity windscreen that bolts onto …
Eddie Lawson Rep – 1983 Kawasaki KZ1000R ELR
Post-Listing Update – Despite 26 bids on eBay, this Kawasaki KZ1000R ELR did not meet reserve at $15,200. One of 750 ever built, the Kawasaki KZ1000R ELR (Eddie Lawson Replica) was a limited edition homage to the mount of Eddie Lawson, 4x winner of the World Championship (among many other titles). It was aggressively set up, and with the exception …
To the Top of Alaska, Day 9
June 12th, 2014 – Juneau, AK – 0 road miles Again, I have to stress something that I didn’t know until I started planning this trip: there’s no road out of Juneau. It blows my mind that the capital of a state can only be accessed by sea or by air, but I guess it’s part of the charm? We …
Brand New – 1978 Harley-Davidson MX250
7-27 Update: The seller did not get any offers close to his $18,000 asking price the last time around, so this Harley-Davidson MX250 is back up for sale with bidding up to $14,000 here on eBay. In the late 70s, Harley was in a phase of small-displacement bikes while under the control of AMF. They decided to dabble in the …
1967 Triumph Rickman Metisse
After Thursday’s street-based Rickman Velocette, reader Steve F. shares what most people associate with the company- a Rickman Metisse. These popular bikes utilized a Rickman frame with (in this case), a Triumph engine. Just like a dog with no discernible breed, this bike was a mongrel of sorts – so they used the french translation (Metisse) to name it.
A Question for Los Angeles readers…
A good friend of mine has a ’70s Kawasaki KZ650 that’s been sitting in his garage for way too long. He’s about to bring it back to life, and neither him nor I are capable of doing that ourselves. The list of mechanics I trust in the area is pretty much limited to BMW guys, so I’m hoping one of …
1951 Sunbeam S8
After WWII, as part of reparations, BMW gave up its designs of the BMW R75. Bikes like Chang Jiang and Ural used these designs, but England’s take was the Sunbeam S7. You can see the BMW influence when you look at a side profile, but Sunbeam wanted to differentiate themselves by utilizing a inline vertical twin instead of the German …
1965 BMW R27 with Trailer
The last shaft-driven single that BMW made, the R27 produced 18 horsepower. 15,364 were sold, and who knows how many remain. All I know is that most R27s definitely do not come with this sweet trailer! Unfortunately, the seller seems to be selling two R27s and confused his descriptions, so we get no details on the trailer (and I can’t …
Unexpected – 1974 BMW R90 Enduro
Post Listing Update: Despite 25 bids on eBay up to $7,250, this R90 Enduro did not meet reserve. BMW has obviously made quite the name for themselves with the enduro GS line – but that wasn’t born until the ’81 R80GS. So what are you to do if you want an older BMW that can still have fun in the …