Post Listing Update: This custom Kruiser did not meet reserve with 15 bids up to $8,000. Jesse Rooke released his first custom bike in 2002, and since then he’s built a series of wild hardtail designs. This is apparently one of 11 examples of his Kali Kruiser II design.
1978 AMF Roadmaster Moped 3-fer
American Machine and Foundry was founded in 1900 by Rufus L. Patterson, inventor of the first automated cigarette rolling machine. In the course of time AMF bought many companies and manufactured many items, including Harley Davidson, Roadmaster Bikes, Alcort Sailboats, and AMF Atomics. Yes. AMF made small atomic reactors for the US Military. Fast forward to 1976. The gas crisis …
1 of 1 – 1913 Harley-Davidson Forecar
How much would the last of something be worth? In a world that is dominated by scarcity, real or imagined, what is the value of ‘the only one known to exist’? This Harley Davidson Forecar is the only one, and it’s for sale. The Forecar was introduced in 1913 in response to a perceived need for delivery vehicles in the …
Ending Soon – 1917 Colson Bicycle with Smith Motor Wheel
The Colson Corporation sold bicycles between 1917 and 1953, typically through retailers like Goodyear and Firestone. So why are you seeing one on a page about motorcycles? Because this first year Colson bicycle is equipped with a Smith Motor Wheel! Around 1910, Arthur William Wall developed a direct drive motor wheel to power a bicycle – it was the first …
1973 Penton Jackpiner 175
John Penton had a huge impact on two legendary motorcycle manufacturers at roughly the same time. Husqvarna and KTM both owe some of their success to the Ohio farmer. When Penton’s wife died in 1958 he took a year off to ride motorcycles. In the course of that year he won the Jack Pine and the Corduroy off road on …
One Owner – 1969 Rokon Trailbreaker
Rokon was founded in the early 60s with the intent of developing a “moto-tractor” that featured two wheel drive. This task was achieved with a combination of shaft, chain, and belt drives, and it enabled riders to go nearly anywhere – as long as they weren’t in a rush!
1951 Indian Brave
Did you know that you have 11 choices to describe your personal relationship on Facebook? And that one of them is “It’s complicated”? I’d really like to give you a background and lineage on this Indian Brave but, well, it’s complicated. If anybody has a definitive history of the Indian Brave, I’d love to know. I’ll tell you what I …
1972 Harley Davidson Shortster
Post Sale Update: This Shortster sold for $1,750. In 1972 Harley (Aermacchi) introduced the 65 CC Shortster minibike. It was an apparent attempt by Harley to get kids on a HD and get them dreaming of the big bike. One advertisement showed a youngster standing with his minibike by a pond. The reflection in the water was a Sportster. The …
1976 TriVette
During the 1970s, America was suffering through an oil embargo. Lots of small companies tried to enter the automotive market by focusing on gas mileage. Bob Keyes of Ventura, California looked at a study that found “93% of the vehicles on the freeways in Southern California were being driven with only a single occupant, the driver.” His thought that having …
Yamaha Engine – 1949 Harley-Davidson Hummer Racer
I’d love to know what the builder was thinking when he put this together. Starting with a ’49 Harley-Davidson Hummer, he added a ’53 Teleglide front end and…the motor from a ’87 Yamaha YZ125!
Custom Thunderbolt – 1996 Buell ST2
Motorcycle.com called the Buell ST2 Thunderbolt a touring sport bike (rather than the usual sport-touring nomenclature) because they felt Buell gave you a sport bike that had some touring features. This custom build keeps the ST2 name and motor…but not much else. What do you think about it?
1953 Harley-Davidson ST165
Part of the immediate aftermath of WWII was the Allies seizing and using certain German patents to boost their own civilian production. Among these was the DKW 125 that was copied in England by BSA (Bantam), in Russia (Mockba M1A), in Japan (Yamaha YA1) and Harley Davidson’s S125. Harley brought out the S125 in 1948 with it’s two stroke 125CC …
1947 Cushman Ice Cream Vendor
It was a softer, gentler time. People were mostly polite to one another, and life moved at a slower pace. Even the ice cream man didn’t have a shrieking PA sound system to announce his proximity. The vendor had a polite and pleasant bell system to alert customers. Based on the 50 series scooter, Cushman made a front box three …
Entry Level Harley? 1967 Harley-Davidson M65 Sport
In the 1960’s Harley Davidson realized it had nothing to compete with the small, entry level motorcycles that were flooding into the US from the Far East. As a result, it teamed with Aermacchi in Italy to produce Harley-badged models for the US market. The first to appear in the US was the Sprint 250, and later this model, labelled …
1936 Indian Dispatch Tow
Post Listing Update: Unfortunately this listing was quickly pulled off of eBay, the seller says “there was an error in the listing.” I’m assuming that’s a lie, but it doesn’t matter at this point.