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1981 Moto Guzzi CX100 LeMans

In Italy, Sport by Abhi2 Comments

Post Sale Update: After 18 bids on eBay, this CX100 sold for $5,202.61. The successor to the legendary 850cc Le Mans, the Moto Guzzi LeMans II CX100 was created to satisfy the American mantra of “no replacement for displacement” and as competition to the BMW R100RS. Guzzi took the engine and lower fairings from the 1000SP sport tourer, and threw …

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A pair of Moto Guzzi 1100 Sports

In Italy, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

One of my favorite Guzzis, the 1100 Sport was a beautiful deviation from what people expect from the Italian firm. This is one of the earlier models, which comes with gigantic 40mm Dell’Orto’s instead of electronic injection (denoted as the 1100i). The engine produced 90 horsepower and the 5-speed transmission was geared very tall, so you could hit nearly 140. …

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The First Ducati – 1951 Ducati 60

In Italy, Small Displacement by AbhiLeave a Comment

I’m sure I’ll get someone who wants to say that the Cucciolo was actually Ducati’s first motorcycle – but that was really just a bicycle with a mounted engine. The evolution of the Cucciolo (which translated to “little puppy”) was the Ducati 60, what the firm considered to be a “light motorcycle”. The next development of the Cucciolo was the …

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1986 Ducati 750 F1

In Italy, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

Post Listing Update: This F1 did not meet reserve despite 5 bids up to $10,655. Ducati’s last stand before being sold to the Castiglioni brothers, the 750F1A featured hand made aluminum tanks, floating rotors, and other features designed to make it a race bike for the street. Raw and uncompromising, it was slightly down on power but an excellent handler …

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1979 Ducati 900 Super Sport Darmah

In Italy, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

Post-Listing Update: Despite bidding up to $15,200 on eBay, this Ducati 900 Super Sport Darmah did not meet reserve. After the classic 750 GT of the 70s, Ducati looked to evolve with a simpler engine, and they ended up with the first ‘square case’ bevel twin – the 860 GT. It was a commercial flop, so just a few years …

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Tenni Green – 2012 Moto Guzzi Griso SE

In Cruiser, Italy, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

The Moto Guzzi Griso SE is a special edition of the venerable Griso, that is set off by beautiful Tenni paint reminiscient of Guzzi’s racebikes of the 1950s. The SE got several extras, including spoked wheels, the beautiful paint (and brown leather seat), and blacked out parts all over the place. Mechanically, you also got adjustable suspension, and giant Brembo …

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984 Miles – 1998 Ducati 916 SPS

In Italy, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

Post Sale Update: This SPS sold for $19,100 after 46 bids on eBay. A limited edition of one of the prettiest motorcycles ever made, the Ducati 916 SPS (Sport Production Special) was an uprated version that featured a modified engine and chassis. Nearly all the specifications were improved like Ohlins rear shocks and Showa front forks, it was designed to …

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2001 Aprilia Falco SL1000

In Italy, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

Take a Rotax V-Twin and envelope it in beautiful Italian bodywork…and say hi to the Aprilia Falco, a 996cc road bike that was split between the sport touring Futura and the supersport Mille. Think of it as a sexier Superhawk. Unfortunately for Aprilia, buyers didn’t seem to care as much for this tweener model, and it only lasted between ’99 …

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Gulf Racing Livery – 2008 Ducati 1098

In Italy, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

One of my favorite liveries of all time is easily the Gulf scheme on the original Ford GT40. I’m clearly not the only one who enjoys it, as it’s a paint scheme that has been oft-imitated…to varying degrees of success: This Gulf livery tangent comes up because today we’ve got a Ducati 1098 rocking the classic scheme. Surprisingly, I’m not …

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Not Red – 2001 Ducati MH900E Custom

In Italy, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

Post-Listing Update: Despite being relisted, this Ducati MH900E Custom did not meet reserve at $13,600. I’ve covered plenty of examples of the MH900E before, but this is an absolute knockout thanks to the customizer’s decision to eschew the usual red and go with battleship gray. Originally a sketch from the legendary Pierre Terblanche, Ducati got plenty of positive feedback and …

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Rally Raid – 2002 Aprilia Caponord

In Dual-Sport, Italy by AbhiLeave a Comment

Did you know (I sure as hell didn’t) that in 2003, Aprilia released a limited edition of its Caponord dual-sport called the Rally Raid, which was a surprisingly different bike. Between 350-380 were sold – none in the US, so the seller of this bike took it upon himself to acquire Rally Raid specific parts and modify his US model …