First released in 1935, the Velocette MSS was a semi-stalwart that was built until 1968. The long production run is a little misleading, as the MSS was interrupted by World War II. The model was relaunched in 1954 with the same name but a complete redesign – it featured a MAC frame, optional bags, and sidecar mounting lugs on the …
Trackmaster Framed – 1960 BSA Rocket Gold Star
This gorgeous street tracker combines a Trackmaster 4130 chromoly frame with a BSA Rocket engine: at one point the seller calls it a Rocket Gold Star motor and at another point he calls it a Super Rocket, are you able to confirm?
1970 Triumph Trackmaster 750
Trackmaster frames can trace their roots back to the 1960s, when Triumph Motorcycles approached Ray Hensley and commissioned the famed race tuner and engineer to build a handful of bespoke chassis to be used in competition. Henley’s earliest frames were chromoly steel units with much more race-oriented geometry compared to the stock Bonneville chassis of the era. In the years …
1954 Royal Enfield Meteor
Nowadays, Royal Enfield offers up a parallel twin engine in their Continental GT and INT650 models, but back in the company’s heyday the p-twin of record was the Meteor (and its successor, the Super Meteor). It was introduced in the early 50s because the US market wanted bigger engines – RE responded with a 692cc OHV twin that was basically …
1938 Brough Superior SS80 Deluxe With Petrol Tube Sidecar
The SS80 was named because Brough Superior guaranteed that each model would be able to top 80 miles per hour. Motor Cycle magazine had a different name for it – they called it the “Rolls-Royce of Motor Cycles.” Some people just consider it to be the predecessor to the SS100 – but no matter what you call it, it’s an …
238 Miles – 2000 Harley-Davidson MT500
One of the rarest bikes ever built by Harley-Davidson, the MT500 was originally built by the British in the 80s. Rights to the design were sold by Armstrong-CCM to HD, who sold just 355 copies of the MT500 in 1999, and a few more the following year. Only select HD dealerships were allowed to sell these bikes.
1939 Vincent Series A Comet
In 1934, Phil Vincent debuted a new OHV motor that would go on to power multiple models built by the famous brand that bore his name. At first, the 499cc single was utilized in the Meteor and the Comet, though over the years the company would focus more on the famous Rapide and its V-Twin motor. here’s one of the …
Japanese Metisse – An XS650-Powered Rickman Mk3
Back in the 1950s, two English brothers named Don and Derek Rickman decided to jump into the motorcycle market by building frames of their own design. Both experienced dirt riders, they took experience racing motocross around Europe and materialized it in the form of the “Metisse.” Beyond its premium craftsmanship — it was machined from a lightweight chromoly, and there …
1974 Gus Kuhn Seeley Norton Commando 850
After a successful career in trials, scrambles, and TT racing, Gus Kuhn founded a dealership with his namesake in 1932. His wife fell ill in the 40s, and he took a back seat and let Vincent Davey start taking over the reins. When Norton released the Commando in ’68, Vincent thought it’d be a great model to start a race …
Gene Romero Tribute – 1972 Trackmaster Triumph T120R
Over on the auction site we’re mixing things up a bit with some great flat trackers and dirt bikes from a local collector. This one’s my favorite – a T120R engine (with a 750cc Routt big bore kit) stuffed inside a Trackmaster/Ray Hensley frame that’s been built as a tribute to Gene Romero’s 1972 National Championship-winning bike.
2000 Royal Enfield Taurus Diesel
I’ve featured a few diesel-powered motorcycles on Bike-urious, but they are typically gas-powered bikes that have had a diesel conversion. Here’s a rare example that was fitted with a diesel engine from the factory – an experiment that Royal Enfield tried between 1993 and 2000. They called it the Taurus.
1983 Triumph TSX
A last ditch effort from Triumph to boost sales of the Bonneville, the TSX was basically a T140 that had been restyled by Triumph’s American division. Just 371 were built, 200 of which were exported to the United States. About 1/3 of the production run was in Midnight Black, the rest were like this example – Gypsy Red.
Zero Miles – 2006 Triumph Daytona 675
Introduced in 2006 as the successor to the four-cylinder Daytona 650, the three-cylinder Daytona 675 has been a favorite of riders and the press ever since it debuted. MCN summed it up with: “Silky, compact handling, allied to kick-ass engine power and a howling exhaust note, make the Triumph Daytona 675 a real winner on the road, or track.” Here’s …
Built by Dick Mann – 1960 BSA DBD34 Gold Star
In 1956, BSA released an updated version of the Gold Star. Known as the DBB34, it featured a new head, 38mm Amal carb, swept-back exhaust, and clip-on handlebars. That year, BSA won both the Clubmans Senior TT and Clubmans Junior TT races at the Isle of Man – but the Gold Star wasn’t just successful on pavement. BSA also created …
1995 Triumph Daytona Super III
In the early 1990s, famed engine experts Cosworth assisted Triumph in their quest to build a faster version of the Daytona 900. It was a rare bird, as just 805 examples of the “Super III” were sold, 179 of which made it to the United States. Cosworth’s primary contribution was a new method of pressure sandcasting for the engine cases. …