Not long after its biggest domestic competitor had gone belly up, Harley-Davidson was feeling many of the same financial pressures that had driven Indian to bankruptcy. Cheaper foreign imports, largely from Britain (the Japanese wouldn’t really hit the scene until the ’60s), were making things difficult. To its credit, Harley decided the answer to its problems was innovation. Among popular …
1947 Indian Chief
The Indian Chief doesn’t need much introduction. It’s one of the all-time icons of motorcycling. The model was first introduced in 1921, amid one of Indian’s many rough patches. With sales down 30 percent, the brand decided that luxury was the path to success. On Labor Day (kind of late in the season to be rolling out a new model, …
1971 Moto-Ski Moto-Skeeter 450
Founded in 1964, Moto-Ski was a Canadian snowmobile manufacturer that was acquired by Bombardier in 1971. In ’76, Bombardier moved production to a different facility, but before that happened, they dabbled in mini bike production with a bike called the Moto-Ski Moto-Skeeter.
Harley-Davidson Kit Bike – 1974 Magnacycle
5-22-2025 Update: Eight years later, this Magnacycle is back up for sale – and with a much lower asking price! Also, please note that it’s now being called a 1978 model. Find it (still in Carlisle, Pennsylvania) for $8,500 here on Facebook Marketplace.
80 Year-Old Racer – 1946 Harley-Davidson WR
The WR is an interesting bike in Harley’s storied history. Designed specifically for Class C competition, it featured a 738cc V-twin with several upgrades. Sold as a stripper-spec racing machine, it did not have lights or brakes, and was sold to assist privateer efforts to avoid putting money into a factory team. It was incredibly successful – by 1948, it …
2016 Victory Cross Country Tour
One might argue that Victory Motorcycles only ever had one good idea. Actually, no, that’s not true. It had a lot of good ideas, but most were either abandoned or – toward the end – gifted to Indian. The Cross Country offered a revvy engine, ridiculous levels of comfort, and a chassis that’s about as nimble as is possible for …
2012 Travertson V-REX 2
“Once rolling, the V-REX’s straight-line behavior is about what you’d expect from a 9-foot long, fat-tired cruiser…“
1944 Harley-Davidson E Model
There are a few questions to be asked about this particular bike, and considering its price tag I reckon they’re worth asking.
1977 Harley-Davidson FLH Electra Glide
Harley-Davidson motorcycles aren’t particularly unique, of course. But finding one that isn’t a victim of a previous owner’s questionable taste can be challenging. Perhaps only Suzuki’s Hayabusa falls victim to the bling stick more quickly than a Harley. So, that’s what makes this 48-year-old Electra Glide special: the machine you see here is pretty much the same one that AMF …
Lonesome Road Choppers – 2009 Harley-Davidson Custom
Well, this looks like a particularly interesting way to end up in the hospital. It’s effectively a bicycle with a knock-off Harley-Davidson panhead engine. If you’re looking at that V-twin and thinking,”That looks kinda like a Twin Cam,” you’re not wrong. The engine maker, Ultima, acknowledges as much on its website. Confusingly, the engine is from the company’s “Ultima Evo” …
1916 Cleveland 1-B
I have some questions about this bike, so proceed with caution. It was listed on eBay back in December and doesn’t appear to have been sold. Now, in addition to being listed on Auto Barn’s site, it can also be found on Facebook with a minimalist description: “All original complete running bike.”
Tilting Motor Works – 2014 Harley-Davidson Road King
Post Listing Update: This tilting Harley did not meet reserve with 27 bids up to $3,150 on eBay. There’s nothing particularly special about a 2014 Harley-Davidson Road King. Consistently one of the brand’s most popular models for more than 30 years, they’re enjoyable machines… but that in and of itself usually isn’t enough to merit attention on Bike-urious.
2017 Motus MST
So many things need to go right to succeed in the motorcycling world. Motus Motorcycles is an example of the truth that simply having a good idea is not enough. Motus was a Birmingham, Alabama, outfit that produced the unique MST and MSTR from 2016 to 2018. The (arguably) good idea that Motus had was putting a powerful and snarling …
1971 HPE Muskin El Tigre MX
Post Listing Update: This El Tigre did not get any action at the opening bid of $2,500. I had never heard of HPE Muskin until I saw this ad, but it turns out I’ve ridden one of their bikes. HPE Muskin was a California-based company that specialized in making swimming pools. But ─ because why not? ─ they also manufactured …
Tracker-Style Custom – 2016 Indian Scout
Almost as soon as Indian Motorcycle revealed its modern Scout cruiser back in 2014, riders were lamenting the fact the brand had chosen to put an enthusiastic, revvy V-twin in a platform that had the cornering ability of a refrigerator. (And, quite possibly some of the worst OEM tires imaginable). This feeling was exacerbated when Indian drafted in Roland Sands …