The V-Due is one of the most interesting things that ever came out of Bimota. It came out to tremendous fan-fare as the first two-stroke with fuel injection – yielding a greater power to weight ratio than anything else available on the market. But the fuel injection was awful, and the bikes were incredibly difficult to ride. Combine that with …
1958 Mondial Sprint 175
The (FB) Mondial Sprint 175 was one of the few street bikes developed by the niche Italian manufacturer. Specializing in high performance, small displacement bikes, FB Mondial hand built most of their motorcycles, resulting in production numbers between just 1-2 thousand a year.
1979 Benelli Quattro
The Benelli Quattro – named for its four-cylinder engine, was built under Alejandro de Tomaso’s leadership in an attempt to revitalize Benelli and to directly take on the Japanese (particularly Honda’s CB500 Four). In fact, de Tomaso bought a CB500 for his engineers and told them to ‘get inspiration’ from the bike, though the styling was handled by Paul Martin …
None Faster – 2008 MV Agusta F4 R 312
A special edition of the MV Agusta F4, the R 312 was named after its’ immense top speed – 312 km/h, or 194 miles per hour. This was due to a 9 horsepower bump in output up to 183 (plus 85 pound feet of torque). In reality, the bike hit 193.24 mph. According to Wikipedia (which is always correct, right?), …
1973 Benelli Tornado 650S
Post Listing Update: This Tornado was relisted a couple of times, but bidding never got higher than $3,975 and the reserve was not met. Benelli is one of the very few motorcycle companies that has been around for over 100 years. An Italian firm (though it’s got more of a Chinese flavor nowadays) that has a great history in small …
1998 Ducati 996RS Factory Racer
One of the 24 RS bikes built by Ducati in 1998, this is claimed to be the rarest as it still has a analog dashboard and the 916 frame color. I apologize in advance – I don’t know enough about the RS bikes to verify if that’s true or not. The story is that this bike was sold to Dolomiti …
0 Miles – 1979 Benelli Sei
The first production motorcycle to utilize six cylinders, the Benelli 750 Sei was the result of Alejandro De Tomaso (of sports car company fame), who had just purchased Benelli and wanted them to build a flagship.
1975 Aermacchi Harley 350 Custom
Here’s a bike that will probably be polarizing. The tank is a custom unit by Evan Wilcox, and the engine was recently done by Chris Kerber. All that plus some Akront rims came together as a package that was on display at the Northwest Vintage Car and Motorcycle Museum. Find this Italian Harley for sale here on Craigslist for $5,000 …
2013 Aprilia RSV4 Factory APX
Post Listing Update: This APX did not meet reserve despite 18 bids up to $43,100. Want a factory Superbike racer? Got a gigantic wallet? Come on down!
2002 Ducati ST4S
There’s plenty of good reasons to feature a Ducati ST4S – but the reason I’m featuring this specific one (VIN: ZDM1TB5T12B006170) is because the listing makes me laugh. Check out the mannequin!
2014 Ducati 1199 Superleggera
The ultra-exclusive (500 produced), even-better version of the Panigale R, the Ducati 1199 Superleggera was claimed by the Italian company to have the best power-to-weight ratio of any production motorcycle ever. With the fuel tank full, this bike weighs just 393 pounds, and you’re looking at about 186 horsepower. Unfortunately, I only found out about this auction with 6 hours …
1955 Gilera 150 Sport
1-10-2015 Update: This beauty is back up for sale with bidding up to $1,750 and the reserve not yet met here on eBay. Post-Listing Update: This Gilera 150 Sport got up to $3,650 but did not meet reserve. One of the prettiest bikes I’ve ever seen, the Gilera 150 Sport was a tiny Italian from back in the days when …
2006 Ducati Paul Smart
Post-Sale Update: This Ducati Paul Smart sold for a best offer under $25,800, exact price unknown. I simply cannot help myself whenever I see a Paul Smart. Here’s another example of the instant classic which was built as a tribute to the Green Frame 750SS – I think it’s one of the most beautiful motorcycles made in the last 25 …
Lucky Explorer – Cagiva Elefant
The Cagiva Elefant is already a cool bike. But add the Lucky Explorer livery and you’re on an different level of desire. The only problem? This bike is in Italy.
1987 Cagiva 650 Alazzurra
Produced for just three years, the Cagiva 650 Alazzurra was a rebadged Ducati street bike. Cagiva purchased Ducati in 1985, and was looking to grow their market share in larger-displacement bikes. Instead of building one from scratch, they used a 650cc version of the Pantah engine for both the Alazzurra and the Elefant. MSRP was $3,893, putting it slightly above …