Depending on who you ask, the Indian Arrow was either a terrible idea or a necessary pivot in a changing post-war market. Either way, it was a failure that unfortunately contributed to the company’s bankruptcy in 1953. In 1945, Ralph Rogers and some backers bought a controlling interest in Indian, and they stopped production of the legendary Scout because they …
Two-Wheeled Threesome – 1948 Whizzers
In contrast to the heavy-weight, large displacement American motorcycles of the mid-twentieth-century, Whizzer bicycles were as lightweight and small displacement as two wheelers get, being nothing more than small power plants mounted to your average bicycle of the era. Most were sold as kits that customers would fix to a bicycle themselves but as time went on several companies started …
First Ride – 2017 Vanderhall Venice
View Post225 of 250 – 1999 Buell X1 Lightning Carbon Fiber Extreme
In 1999, Buell decided to offer two limited editions of the X1, both utilizing a Nuclear Blue frame. The Carbon Fiber Extreme was named for the distinctive carbon fiber that was utilized – it was weaved in with a blue-tinted Dupont Kevlar fiber by deBotech. It was the more exclusive option of the two, with a production run of just …
Westwind – 1990 Buell RS1200
Post Listing Update: This RS1200 did not get any interest at the BIN of $8,895. Was yesterday’s Battletwin a little too exotic for you? Looking for a classic Buell that’s a bit more street appropriate? Say hello to the RS1200 Westwood. While the Battletwin was technically Buell’s first street legal road bike, the Westwind was much easier to ride on …
Battletwin – 1989 Buell RR 1200
Post Sale Update: After 36 bids on eBay, this Battletwin sold for $19,601.50. Buell’s first streetbike was the RR 1000 Battletwin, an evolution of the Road Warrior RW750 race bike that was abruptly killed off when AMA racing ended the Formula One class. 50 RR 1000’s thanks to Buell’s relationship with Harley-Davidson – he snagged 50 XR1000 motors and threw …
American Pushrod Sport Tourer: 2016 Motus MSTR
While Alabama-based Motus Motorcycles don’t have the same name recognition that bigger manufacturers possess, this small American moco founded in ’08 nonetheless makes some impressive top-shelf bikes. Their first bikes so far are the MST and MSTR, and luckily enough the example for sale today is the R-spec which is the elite version of an already stunning Sport-Tourer powered by …
Winning History – 1941 Indian Chief Flat Track Racer
Post Sale Update: After just 2 bids on eBay, this Chief sold for $15,100. Flat Tracker builds are popular nowadays – we’ve featured several in the last few weeks – but very few of them have a history like this fantastic purpose-built Chief. It most recently scored a victory at the 1/2 mile in Wauseon, Ohio last year, but it’s …
Harley or Indian? Early 1900’s American Board Track Racer “Replicas”
From the 1910’s to the 1920’s board track racing in the US was thriving. The races were exciting as the wooden tracks were wide enough to allow for ample overtaking and banked to enable high speeds while stadium-style seating was easily placed around the ovals (or sometimes circles) so audiences could enjoy all of the action. Unfortunately the Great Depression …
Built for Shaq – 2001 West Coast Choppers El Diablo
Post Listing Update: Despite 73 bids on eBay up to $44,100, this Shaq-sized chopper did not meet reserve. Wild custom choppers like this aren’t usually my cup of tea, however this one stands out because it’s big…it was designed to fit Shaquille O’Neal – both his 7’3″ frame and his size 26 shoes! The build process was shown in Motorcycle …
Servicustom – 1967 Harley-Davidson Servicar
With the rise of the automobile, motorcycle companies were forced to respond in the way of producing utilitarian scoot-based machines with the most common example being the Harley-Davidson Servicar. These machines were manufactured from 1932 to 1975 and saw dozens of changes and updates in its 43 years of production with some models having a car-like rear differential. While this …
Kosman Framed and S&S Powered – 2005 Harley-Davidson Street Tracker
Pretty much anything with an S&S engine powering it is going to be pretty impressive. Most bikes lucky enough to house one saw their builder(s) go all out in an effort for the rest of the machine to be on par with the excellence of its powerplant. According to the seller, this professionally-built tracker was the sister bike to the …
Mostly Correct – 1947 Indian Chief
Post Sale Update: After being relisted, this Chief sold for $22,000 with 42 bids. One of the best looking cruisers in history is the ’47 Chief, which is part of the reason why they aren’t cheap. This matching-numbers example was given a full mechanical restoration. You can tell what the seller was going for when he says “the paint came …
Hammarhead Woodsman – 2009 Royal Enfield Bullet G5 Classic
Post Listing Update: Lowering the asking price to $7,300 wasn’t good enough to get any interest. 6-11-2017 Update: Nearly a year later, this bike is back up for sale on eBay. The asking price is a pinch lower – find it still in Brooklyn with a BIN of $7,300 or best offer here on eBay. Anyone who’s perused Bike-urious before …
NHRA Pro V-Twin Drag Racer
Drag racers are particularly interesting motorcycles engineered to perform an extremely specific task, nonetheless these ridiculously powerful two-wheelers do have a place in the professional racing scene. While riding a bike in a straight line may seem like a fairly simple proposition, there are a myriad of elements that making this activity far more difficult than most realize. Few people …