Founded by Bert Greeves, the Greeves motorcycle company started when Bert was mowing his lawn and thought of mounting a lawnmower engine to the wheelchair of his disabled cousin to help with mobility. That led to a government contract, and Bert was inspired by his success to start building motorcycles as well. The company was quite successful with exports – …
1947 Norton Manx
The Norton Manx was a racing bike built for a whopping 15 years built in long stroke and short stroke variants. The Manx has a long, complicated history, but in recent times there has been a resurgence in its popularity for classic motorcycle racing, leading to aftermarket firms specializing in service and parts supply for these classics. If you know …
1938 Triumph Tiger T90
Post-Listing Update: Despite 33 bids up to $16,100, this Triumph Tiger T90 did not meet reserve on eBay. Triumph has been around in various forms since 1885, but it really started to enjoy some success after being acquired in 1936 by the same man who owned Ariel. That year, the company was restructured, it started exporting bikes to the US, …
Best of Both Worlds – 1964 Triton
The term Triton came about as many private builders (and even some dealerships in London) started to take the best features of Triumphs and Nortons – the engine from the former and the frame from the latter – to make a bike that had the best of both worlds. Triton combines the two names (and is also the name of …
1954 BSA A10 Road Rocket 650
Post Sale Update: This Road Rocket sold for $5,700 after 12 bids on eBay. Marketed as “undoubtedly the worlds greatest motorcycle” when it was released to the world in 1954, the BSA A10 Road Rocket was developed from the Golden Flash, but enhanced to compete with Triumphs and Nortons of its time. It was BSA’s top of the line bike, …
Video Intermission – How Triumph Builds the Rocket III
Someone on r/motorcycles posted this in a comment thread, and I had to share. Enjoy this 100% accurate documentary on how the Triumph Rocket III is built. Choice quote? “Argument juice is added from the argument lobe of the female brain allowing the finished bike to change direction in an instant, improving handling.”
2003 Triumph Bonneville Golden Jubilee
I’ve previously featured a Silver Jubilee edition of the Bonnie, but let’s fast forward 25 years to the Triumph Bonneville Golden Jubilee. Built to mark the Golden Jubilee (50th Anniversary) of the Queen’s reign – not the existence of the Bonneville – this was a limited edition of just cosmetic work that will probably only interest die-hard Triumph buffs.
1968 Vincent Egli Godet
After 28 bids on eBay, this Vincent Egli Godet sold for $51,300. Some of you may be familiar with what MAX BMW did just a few months ago – they built a R90S just from parts acquired out of BMW Motorrad’s OEM supply! It should be noted that the total of parts was about $46,000. In a similar story, Patrick …
1973 Triumph TR5T Trophy Trail 500
Post-Sale Update: After 6 bids on eBay, this Triumph TR5T Trophy Trail sold for $5,400. The Triumph TR5T Trophy Trail 500 was based on a trials machine designed for off-road use. For just two years (’73-’74), Triumph built the Trophy Trail, also known as the Adventurer, which was successful in competition – particularly the ISDT.
1935 Rudge Ulster
Built for 10 years (1929-1939), the Rudge Ulster was a British bike originally built as a racing prototype – so the production bike was pretty much a race replica. Advertised as “probably the fastest 500cc motorcycle in production”, the Ulster was one of the best bikes you could buy at the time.
1970 BSA Victor 441
Post-Sale Update: This BSA Victor 441 sold for $7,300 after 14 bids on eBay. In the early 60’s, BSA’s race team was developing a large single in the hopes of winning the 500cc world motocross championship. A 441cc engine ended up being the ticket, which helped BSA capture the 500cc championship in ’64 and ’65. The following year, the company …
Two Vincent Black Shadows
Post-Listing Update: Despite 27 bids up to $85,100, the ’54 Vincent Black Shadow did not meet reserve! And the ’53 did not meet reserve either, getting up to “only” $80,001. Alright, I’m back from the weekend (more on that later) and it’s time for more great bikes for sale! So we’ll start off strong with two examples of the greatest …
1974 Gus Kuhn Norton 850 Commando
Post-Sale Update: After 11 bids on eBay, this Gus Kuhn Norton 850 Commando sold for $10,600. 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 …
1965 Velocette MSS
Post-Sale Update: After 29 bids on eBay, this Velocette MSS sold for $8,200. A tiny British manufacturer, Velocette was a family-owned firmed that was well-known for creating high quality bikes. With 3 decades of successful international racing experience, and (still-standing) record for a single-cylinder bike running 24 hours at 100 miles per hour, they brought many technical innovations to the …
Red Rocket – 1950 Vincent Comet Racer
Post-Listing Update: After being relisted a few times, the highest bidding ever got on this Vincent Comet Racer was $25,100, but that was not enough to meet reserve. After sitting out in the elements for 27 years, this Vincent Comet Racer was brought back to life over a two year period by Al Mark, who added some personal touches like …