The Bultaco Mercurio (Mercury) debuted in 1960 as a 125cc, though by ’64 it had grown to a 175 for the Model 13, a motorcycle that was exclusively sold as an export to the US.
Made by Benelli – 1965 Wards Riverside 250-D
In the 60s, Montgomery Ward’s sold a Benelli-built moped in two variants – the 150-D and 250-D. The latter got all kinds of fancy upgrades, including a speedometer!
Original Tires – 1999 Yamaha R7 OW-O2
The Yamaha YZF-R7 was a ready to race World Super Bike (WSB) racer with the trimmings (lights/signals/plate) necessary to make it street legal. Also known as the OW-O2, it was staggeringly expensive: with an MSRP of approximately $32,000, it was twice as expensive as Honda’s RC51 SP-1, but it was worth every penny. I also happen to think it’s one …
Restored – 1973 Honda CB750 K3
As prices for the sandcast and other early CB’s start to get out of control, it’s starting to make more financial sense to look into later (but still pre-’75) models. Honda made approximately 38,000 examples of the K3, and this lovely Flake Sunrise Orange example is claimed to have been restored to “as produced at the factory”.
Restored – 1965 BMW R69S
This bike has just 30 miles on it since a 2010 restoration by Bench Mark Works, so it looks like it’ll be on you to change that number.
Rare Project – 1978 Laverda Montjuic
The seller of this Montjuch took it apart “to make improvements” but some health issues got in the way and after “several years of no progress” he’s letting it go so that someone else can finish the work.
3 Miles – 1976 Yamaha DT100
Yamaha’s DT100 was never a world-beater, but after 40+ years of existence it’s hard to find one that’s been ridden as little as this one!
Restored – 1969 BSA Rocket 3
From the seller of Monday’s Gold Star comes another classic BSA – the Rocket 3. The motor was a 750cc triple that was designed to extend the model line beyond 650 twins and 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 …
Rare in the US – 1962 Ariel Arrow Super Sport
Bike-urious reader Dan Dutra (I’ve featured one of his beautiful Ariel’s in the past) has spent the last 6 months restoring an Ariel Arrow Super Sport (also known as the Golden Arrow). They were not designed for export to the US, so very few have made the journey across the Atlantic Ocean. It’s not perfect (there’s still a couple of …
Sitting for 18 Months – 2008 Ducati Desmosedici RR
In their attempt to create the ultimate sportbike, Ducati created 1,500 examples of the Desmosedici D16RR. The RR stands for Racing Replica, and it was a limited production version of the Desmo racebike piloted by Casey Stoner in MotoGP.
1974 Norton Commando 850
1974 was a tough time for Norton Villiers Triumph – England’s government withdrew a subsidy early in the year, and that was just the beginning of their problems. The biggest issue was a sit in at Meriden, and it was one of the major reasons why by the end of the year the company had lost over 3 million pounds. …
1957 BSA Gold Star DBD34
Introduced in 1956, the DBD34 variant of the Gold Star is probably the most famous BSA ever built – MCN called it one of the 60 greatest bikes from 1955-2015. The “34” signified a 500cc motor (compared to the 350cc motor of other “32” Goldies), and the DBD was the ultimate expression of the name. This example further stands out …
AHRMA Race Winner – 1973 Honda CB350
This AHRMA racer was acquired by the seller as a Sportsman 350 competitor in 2013 – he then rebuilt it “with the intention of creating a championship winning bike”. After campaigns in 2014 and 2015 with multiple podiums and race wins at courses like Road America, Barber, and Daytona in the Sportsman 350 and 500 classes, he’s now letting it …
9 Miles – 1989 Honda CB-1
View PostRestored – 1974 Yamaha DT250
In 1968, Yamaha introduced one of their most important motorcycles of all time – the DT-1. They sold 50,000 units in the first year, which is a mind blowing number when you consider that last year, the FZ/MT-07 was Yamaha’s best seller in the US with 3,981 units sold.