Post Sale Update: This Hornet sold for $7,499 after 10 bids on eBay. In the 60s, the US was clamoring for desert racers, and fans of the BSA Lightning were hoping for a stripped down version from the British firm. Enter the BSA Hornet, a 650cc stripper-spec without lighting.
Bad News – 1969 Triumph TR6R Custom
Post-Sale Update: After 30 bids on eBay, “Bad News” sold for $9,000. This lovely Triumph TR6R Custom, named “Bad News”, was built by Jeremy Hoyer and shown at Chopperfest. Now that it’s been previously featured on websites like BikeEXIF, this beauty is up for grabs to the highest bidder.
1955 AJS 18S
The twin of the Matchless G80, this AJS 18S was a big, beautiful 500 single that was a great choice for riders who do their own work. Parts were designed to be rebuilt instead of replaced, and of the classic singles, this bike is probably the best supported of them all.
Wedge Tank – 1927 BSA S27
In the late 20’s, Britain’s motorcycle industry was rapidly expanding. This was partly due to price cutting started by Triumph’s Model P, which sold for less than 43 pounds in 1925. The BSA S27 was built to help compete at low prices, thanks to a MSRP of 45 pounds. However, the fact that they were ‘basic’ means that many were …
450 Miles – 1972 Rickman Zundapp 125
Established in 1960, Rickman motorcycles initially supplied frame kits built for many British bikes, as companies would not sell engines to them. At the start of the 70s, Rickman got access to engines from all around the world, and started exporting several small-displacement motocross bikes, many to the United States. Ranging from 100cc to 250cc in displacement, today we look …
1963 Norton Atlas 750
Named after the ICBM, the Norton Atlas was released in 1962, earning a so-so reputation before being replaced by the classic Commando. Built to appeal to American aesthetic preferences, it was initially only produced for export. The Atlas produced 55 horsepower, with plenty of torque available low in the rev range. Utilizing Norton’s famous Featherbed frame, the bike weighed about …
1960 Royal Enfield Constellation
A higher peformance bike from Royal Enfield, the Constellation was a 700cc with an engine based on the Super Meteor powerplant. Affectionately known as the Connie, this bike produced 51 horsepower thanks to a TT carb and siameze exhaust. The bike also got a new frame to handle the 700cc engine and its new-fangled power. Find this Royal Enfield Constellation …
1970 Norton Commando Production Racer
Post-Sale Update: After 23 bids on eBay, this Norton Commando Production Racer sold for $14,100 Arguably the most collectable of Commandos, the Norton Commando Production Racer (affectionately known as the Yellow Peril) was a street-legal factory racer made available to privateers for a princely sum. At a time when you could buy an Austin Mini for less than $1,500, the …
48 Miles – 1967 Triumph Bonneville
Post-Sale Update: After 38 bids on eBay, this Triumph Bonneville sold for $14,805 – or $308/mile! The Triumph Bonneville is a legend in the motorcycling world, so I won’t bother you with an introduction to this post. But this one stands out because it has just 48 miles on it – and the seller is including 650 spares!
1947 Velocette KSS
Known for being the last “cammy” Velocette, the KSS was produced in varying forms from 1927 all the way through 1948. A toned down variant of their production racers (which were replicas of the Works racers), the KSS is usually translated as “Kamshaft Super Sports” – though as Paul D’Orleans notes in the comments, the Kamshaft is a ‘nonsense word.’ …
1956 BSA Catalina Scrambler
In the 1956 Catalina Grand Prix, nearly 1,000 riders came together to earn the title of champion. The guy who succeeded was Chuck Minert, who won on a BSA Gold Star. BSA’s West Coast distributor asked for a replica of the winning bike, and the result was the BSA Catalina Scrambler. For more information, check out this feature on Chuck …
1951 Sunbeam S8
After WWII, as part of reparations, BMW gave up its designs of the BMW R75. Bikes like Chang Jiang and Ural used these designs, but England’s take was the Sunbeam S7. You can see the BMW influence when you look at a side profile, but Sunbeam wanted to differentiate themselves by utilizing a inline vertical twin instead of the German …
1953 Rickman Metisse Mk III
Post-Sale Update: This Rickman Metisse Mk III sold for $12,200 on eBay. More classic British bike goodness, though this auction expires soon. The Rickman Metisse Mk III was an enormous success that provided many riders a base for either street-based roadsters or dual-sport scramblers. This is one of the latter, powered by a Triumph 500cc twin engine.
Chrome Classic – 2012 Royal Enfield C5
The other bikes featured today are classic Brits, but here’s a modern bike from India with classic British looks. Close enough? Royal Enfield has had some success with the C5 since bringing it back to the states, thanks to updates including a unite construction engine, fuel injection, and other modern features that belie its classic good looks. This example stands …
1936 Ariel Colt
In honor of the BSAOCSC All British Run this Sunday, today I’m going to feature a few classic British motorcycles. Here we’ve got an Ariel Colt, a simple 250cc OHV single.