Kenny Dreer, the man who almost brought Norton back from the grave several years ago, got his start restoring motorcycles from the British marque at his shop called Vintage Rebuilds (VR) near Portland, Oregon. As the 1990s came to an end, he started building his own variant of the Commando, which he called the Norton VR880.
1975 Rupp Centaur
Founded in 1959, Rupp Manufacturing started out as a kart manufacturer in Mansfeld, Ohio. Within 10 years, they had grown to a 400-employee shop pumping out mini-bikes, go-karts, snowmobiles, and a 3-wheeler appropriately named the Rupp Centaur.
1973 Hodaka Combat Wombat
Featuring one of the greatest model names ever, the Hodaka Combat Wombat was part of a series of fantastically-named bikes like the Road Toad and the Dirt Squirt. Here’s a cherry example that has just 300 miles on it, and it’s claimed to look great and run great. Based on the photos, I’d say the former is true – hopefully …
1945 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead with Sidecar
Here’s a lovely Knucklehead rig with a ’45 bike and a ’40 sidecar. It was restored 15 years ago and has given the seller over 20,000 miles of trouble free service. It’s been converted to 12 volts and has some repro parts including the rear fender, tail light, speedo, and more. It has a four speed transmission and the bike …
1947 Indian Chief
This Indian Chief is offered for sale with less than 1,000 miles since a full restoration by noted Indian shop Yellow Spear Restorations – restorers of fantastic bikes like this Big Base Racer. It’s been given a larger transmission sprocket for better highway manners, and it’s claimed to be ready to go. It’s a numbers matching bike that looks lovely …
1946 Harley-Davidson FL Knucklehead Bobber
Here’s a Knucklehead Bobber (VIN: 46FL 4547) that has original Flanders bars and a Bates seat. There are plenty of aftermarket pieces including the coil, horn, front pipe, push rod covers, headlight, taillight, dash cover, and more. As you’d expect, it’s a bit of a mashup – the frame is from a ’40 or early ’41 bike, and it has …
Half Price Press Bike – 2014 Brammo Empulse R
For those of you on the fence about getting into electric motorcycle ownership, here’s a Brammo Empulse R at half price that might be just what you’re looking for.
1997 Harley-Davidson Velo Glide Ultra
I was really on the fence about featuring this because I obviously try to keep my posts limited to motorcycles. I’m going to pretend this is close enough, and maybe one of my Harley-loving readers will want to snap up this very expensive bicycle.
1968 Penton Six Days 125 ISDT
Post-Sale Update: This Penton Six Days 125 ISDT sold for $1,895 on eBay after 23 bids. The seller says this is “ugly but runs fantastic.” I actually love the way it looks, as long as it all stays together! The Penton Six Days 125 (actually called the “Six Day”) was a very important motorcycle – it was the start of …
“Earache” – 1968 BSA A65 Custom
While writing up a Triumph Salt Flat Racer a few days ago, I stumbled upon Factory Metal Works. On their site I discovered a beautiful custom built around a BSA A65 motor – they’ve named it “Earache”, and I’m a fan.
1974 Rokon RT340
The Rokon RT340 was a rare ‘one-wheel’ drive bike featuring an automatic transmission from the company best known for making the go-anywhere Trailbreaker. Because of the transmission, you might suspect it was geared (no pun intended) towards beginners who wanted to learn in the dirt without worrying about shifting, but Rokon built this to compete. It even took 3rd place …
927 Miles – 1983 Harley-Davidson XR1000
Post-Sale Update: This Harley-Davidson XR1000 sold for $14,909 after 25 bids on eBay. The Harley-Davidson XR1000 was a street-oriented evolution of the legendary XR750. Here’s a nice example of the sportiest street bike H-D made at the time with just 927 miles.
It’s Here – 2015 Polaris Slingshot
I haven’t had a chance to try one of these (yet), and I’m not convinced the Polaris Slingshot has a place in the market, but I’m all for more options for the consumer so I figured I’d let you know they’re finally out.
1967 Van Tech Honda S90
11-5 Update: Looks like this Van Tech Honda S90 is back up for sale. It’s unclear what has changed with the bike during the new owner’s care, but it’s now available in Upland, California with bidding up to $2,850 and the reserve not yet met here on eBay. Post-Sale Update: This Van Tech Honda S90 sold for $2,250 on eBay. …
Euro Model – 1977 Harley-Davidson XLCR
I’ve featured plenty of examples of the XLCR before – I find it quite an interesting milestone in Harley’s history. Here’s an example that stands out even further as it’s a euro model, complete with gauges in kilometers: This specific model has just 5,771 miles and is being offered from a private collection. It runs “as it should”, and it …