Post Listing Update: This Guzzi did not meet reserve with 42 bids up to $9,701 on eBay in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Dr. John Wittner made a name for himself in the late 80’s thanks to his ability to modify the hell out of MG’s – his bikes won consecutive US Endurance Championships, among other racers. Due to his success, the …
Factory Racer – 1968 Harley-Davidson Sprint 250CRS
Post Sale Update: This Sprint CRS sold for $20,100 after 53 bids on eBay in Los Gatos, California. The seller of this bike says that Harley built 120 examples of the CRS factory flat track racers in 1968, and he’s got one for you here that’s in “show quality.”
The First Ducati – 1949 Ducati Cucciolo
The first motorcycle model ever released by the Italian firm, the Ducati Cucciolo was introduced in March 1946 out of the Borgo Panigale factory. One year later they were winning races with Glauco Zitelli at the helm, and a year after that the Cucciolo was being imported into the US.
1992 Ducati 851
Post Sale Update: This 851 sold for $8,350 after 22 bids on eBay in Miami, Florida. Introduced in 1987, the 851 made Ducati relevant in motorcycle racing again. It featured fuel injection, liquid cooling, and desmo 4V heads. 1992 as the last year of production – the next year Ducati would unveil the 888.
2002 Ducati Foggy Monster S4
If you’re looking at the number of championships and individual race wins, Carl “Foggy” Fogarty is the most successful racer to ever rule in World Superbike. In 2002, Italy’s most famous motorcycling firm released the Ducati Monster S4 Fogarty Edition, to honor Foggy himself with a limited run of 300 bikes.
1978 Moto Guzzi Le Mans Mk1
Post Listing Update: This Guzzi did not meet reserve with 27 bids up to $11,200 on eBay in Miami Beach, Florida. Arguably the successor to the V7 Sport, the Moto Guzzi 850 LeMans was named after the famous race in France. Guzzi took a modified version of the 850T engine and wrapped it in interesting styling that has led to …
1984 Moto Guzzi Le Mans III
Post Listing Update: This Guzzi did not meet reserve with 20 bids up to $6,600 on eBay in Indio, California. In 1983, the Moto Guzzi Le Mans III was brought back after MG was able to get the smaller engine certified under US emissions – for a few years the US was stuck with a 949cc engine. With the arrival …
1998 Ducati 900SS Final Edition
The Ducati Supersport is back, but nearly two decades ago the iconic air-cooled SS line came to a halt with a one-year run of 800 bikes. Ducati called it the FE, for Final Edition. All of the bikes got silver paint as well as a couple of treats like an Ohlins rear shock. 300 of the 800 examples were sold …
1993 Aprilia RS125 Extrema
When Aprilia replaced the AF1 125 pocket rocket, they did so with a model name that continues on today: RS. I briefly mentioned the significance of those two letters in my recent First Ride review of the RS660, but the RS125 was never officially sold in the US so the history is not well known here. The first generation (1992-1995) …
Track Trim Super Freni Competizione – 1974 Laverda 750 SFC
10-30-2020 Update: Two years later, this Laverda racer is back up for sale with a much lower asking price – but is it low enough? Find it with a BIN of $65,000 in Canton, Georgia here on eBay. Post Listing Update: this Laverda did not get any interest at the opening bid of $150k or BIN of $195k. Upon its …
1959 Ducati Elite 200
Post Listing Update: did not get any bids at the opening ask of $17,000. The Ducati 200 Elite was the Italian firm’s largest-displacement bike when it was introduced – a whopping 204cc when they bored out the popular 175cc engine.
Still New In England – 2003 Bimota V-Due Edizione Finale
Much has been written about the V-Due and how it ruined Bimota when it was introduced in 1997. By 1999, Bimota was bankrupt after having to allow owners to return their poorly-running bikes (it was the first production fuel injected two-stroke). The Italian firm made some fixes (like ditching the fuel injection) but it was too little, too late. After …
2020 Ducati Panigale V4R
Ducati says the V4 R “is the maximum expression of Ducati’s racing DNA, more similar to a racing prototype than any other bike.” Last year, it was the most expensive machine they offered at $40,000 – though it’s since been blown out of the water by the $112,370 V4 Superleggera. Still, 221 horsepower and the latest/greatest from Ohlins and Brembo …
Rare Project – 1989 Cagiva Elefant 750 Bifaro Lucky Explorer
Post Listing Update: This Cagiva was pulled off of eBay due to “an error in the listing”. The Elefant is a rare bike in the US, though we only saw it officially imported in 900 guise. Much harder to find in America is the 750cc version, which was introduced in 1987. The following year, Cagiva gave the 750 a double …