The Ariel Square 4 design goes all the way back to 1931, soon after Edward Turner designed an interesting new four-cylinder motorcycle engine formed from two OHC parallel twins. The design became known as the square four engine, and lent its name to this Ariel motorcycle.
1971 Norton 750 Commando Custom
Here’s a Norton 750 Commando Custom offered by a confident seller who’s made some quality upgrades to a non-numbers matching beauty.
Don’t Call It Pink – 2001 Triumph Speed Triple
Post Sale Update: This “Nuclear Red” Street Triple sold for $4,400 after 11 bids on eBay. If you ask Triumph, they’ll say they’ve never released a pink motorcycle before. Here’s Exhibit A in the counter-argument, a Triumph Speed Triple in a rare color that the English firm calls “Nuclear Red”. Doesn’t matter what it’s called, this is definitely pink – …
1970 Saracen Trials 125
Here’s one I’ve never heard of before – a Saracen Trials 125. Sold out of England, these are very difficult to find in the United States, assuming you’re one of the few people that’s even looking for them.
1960 BSA Thunderbolt
The BSA Thunderbolt, despite the aggressive, sporty name, was designed to be a touring bike from the Birmingham Small Arms company. Powered by the traditional 650cc air cooled twin with a single Amal carb, the Thunderbolt had evolved to minimize vibrations found from previous BSA Twins. This allowed for sustained 70 mph travel in comfort for the first time. In …
Ending Soon – 1970 AJS Stormer 250
The AJS Stormer was a bit of a flop, as it was a last ditch effort by Norton-Villiers to dump excess inventory of Starmaker engines. However, it was the first MX bike to feature shocks that had been moved up as well as leading axle forks, so the chassis was at least worthy of the venerable AJS name. Head on …
1996 Harley-Davidson MT350
I’ve featured several examples of the bigger brother to this bike (the MT500), but this is the first Harley-Davidson MT350 that I’ve seen in a very, very long time. To be frank, I don’t know if the 350 is inherently better or worse than the 500, but it’s definitely unique enough to be shared.
1963 Norton Atlas Cafe Racer
10-20 Update: This Atlas Cafe is back up for sale. This time find it on the ‘bay with bidding up to $4,050 (remember that the original asking price was $8k) and the reserve not yet met here on eBay. Named after the ICBM, the Norton Atlas was released in 1962, earning a so-so reputation before being replaced by the classic …
1969 Royal Enfield Interceptor
In addition to having the classiest name in motorcycling history, the Royal Enfield Interceptor featured a tuned version of RE’s biggest engine at the time. They were only sold in the US and Canada – as a ’69 model, this is a MkII model.
1970 BSA Lightning
The BSA Lightning was one of three bikes BSA was cranking out in late 1960s. These three bikes played different roles – the Thunderbird was a touring rig, the Spitfire was a supersport bike, and this lovely Lightning was the ‘tweener – more of an all-around sport bike.
1966 Triumph T120TT Special
Post-Listing Update: This Triumph T120TT Special did not meet reserve at $7,700 despite 25 bids on eBay. A race bike straight from the factory, the Triumph T120TT Special was stripped of weight and had an increase in performance. The model was the brainchild of Bill Johnson, the American west coast distributor – just 900 were built.
Bonham’s Autumn Stafford Auction Preview
Love classic British bikes? Then you’re about to lose a lot of your productivity at work today. I apologize in advance.
Cover Girl – 1975 Norton Commando 850 Mk. 3
Everyone knows (and pretty much loves) the Norton Commando 850 Mk. 3 – but here’s one that has a.) my favorite paint scheme and b.) a little bit of fame, thanks to the fact that it was the featured bike on the cover of the Clymer Commando repair guide:
1973 Triumph Hurricane
The Triumph Hurricane X-75 represented a paradigm shift in motorcycling manufacturing, as it was the world’s first factory custom motorcycle. The brainchild of Craig Vetter (well known as a motorcycle designer and manufacturer of custom motorcycle fairings) and Don Brown (General Manager of BSA), the Hurricane was created when Brown called Vetter up on a secret project to create a …
1,723 Miles – 1971 BSA Lightning A65
Personally, I prefer the looks of the older Lightning, but it’s hard to argue with the condition of this oil-in-frame BSA Lightning A65.