To commemorate Danny Eslick’s victory of the 2014 Daytona 200 on the #69 Riders Discount Racing team, Triumph created a limited edition of their excellent Daytona 675R. 47 examples were produced, as it had been 47 years since they previously won the Daytona 200 (Gary Nixon, 1967).
Bodywork Only – 1955 Vincent Black Knight
Yesterday’s Vincent Black Knight post turned out to be exceedingly popular, so let’s have some fun with just the bodywork…
1955 Vincent Black Knight
Designer Phil Vincent called this “a two-wheeled Bentley“, but when Shane A submitted this to me just now he said that “it’s kinda like if Darth Vader had a head-on with a 50’s motorcycle.” That’s an amusing summation of the Vincent Black Knight, which was built to be the ultimate sports tourer – a Black Rapide with ample bodywork to …
1964 Triumph T100SC Jack Pine
While desert racers of the 60s flocked to Triumph’s 650 twins, enduro riders were typically found on the British firm’s nimbler 500s. The T100SC was a popular mount for competitors and Triumph embraced that, even referring it to the “Jack Pine” model in brochures – the Jack Pine was a well-known enduro in the forests of Michigan where the T100 …
The Yamando
Called the Yamando, this hybrid features a Yamaha XS650 motor (bored out to 750) in a Norton Commando frame and it’s a multiple-time winner in the Canadian vintage road racing P2 Heavyweight class.
Needs Some Work – 1935 Triumph Model 3
After a “nut and bolt” restoration in 2012, this bike has been sitting – the seller uses my favorite phrase, “ran great when parked” and notes that it will now need the “usual recommissioning and put oil, gas, battery, test the brakes, adjust the primary, adjust the clutch, etc.” But in this case, it should be worth it!
1951 Norton ES2
Post Sale Update: This ES2 sold for $10,200 after 24 bids on eBay in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The ES2 was introduced in 1927 and was originally sold as a sports bike, though by the time production stopped in 1964, it wasn’t particularly competitive in the world of fast motorcycles. Still, an almost 40 year long production run is damned impressive, and …
1972 Saracen Trials 125
Saracen bikes were built from ’67 to ’75 – the latter years were under the care of David Brand, who bought the brand and attempted to put bigger engines in the frames (though these ended up being less useful for trials competition).
1974 Tyran 125 MX
Marketed as a British bike, the Tyran was actually built by Mitsubishi with designs from Ted Wassell, a name that may ring a bell if you were a MX nut in the 70s.
Rare Project – 1972 Cotton Cavalier
After Villiers went out of business, the motorcycle manufacturers that depended on their engines were forced to look elsewhere. The British firm of Cotton (out of Gloucester, England) decided to go with a Minarelli-built 170cc to power their trails bike for 1968.
Impressive Extras – 1964 BSA Starlite
3/4/21 Update: Six months later, it appears that this bike did not sell as the same photos are being used and the seller now notes that he’ll let it go with a slight discount but the extras won’t be included at that price. Find it for $1,500 just east of Colorado Springs, Colorado here on Facebook Marketplace. Post Sale Update: …
Mule Motorcycles Scrambler – 2006 Triumph Thruxton Custom
Post Listing Update: The seller lowered the BIN to $15,000 but that wasn’t enough to get any action. Built by Richard Pollock of Mule Motorcycles, this “one-off Triumph Scrambler special started life as a low-mileage Bonneville Thruxton with stock motor.” How do you think it ended up?
Rare Project – 1977 Greeves Griffon 250 MX
Post Sale Update: This Griffon sold for the opening bid of $2,500 in Missoula, Montana. Greeves introduced the Griffon MX bike in 1971…and it was greeted with a lot of excellent competition from excellent bikes like the Yamaha DT1, Bultaco Pursang, and Husky 250CR. Two years later, Honda would release the 250 Elsinore and blow everyone else away. But the …
1954 Vincent Rapide Series C
The baby brother to the legendary Black Shadow, the Vincent Rapide was sold from 1936-55 in 3 distinct ‘Series’. The final run was the Series C, which commenced in 1949. It offered the Rapide as a base model and the Black Shadow as the higher state of tune. The Rapide’s 998cc V-twin was good for 45 horsepower – the Black …
Custom Flat Tracker – 1947 AJS Model 18
Producing just 28 horsepower, the Model 18 was never designed to be quick, but it was easy to ride, comfortable up to about 60 miles per hour, and returned excellent gas mileage. Here’s one that sacrifices a little bit of comfort for a whole lot of style.