10-31-17 Update: Reader Frank S notes that this bike is back up for sale with a $1,500 discount – you can now find it here on Craigslist for $8,000. Based out of Valencia, Spain, BeOn Automotive has developed a “450 GP” kit to turn common 450 MX bikes into road racers. Here’s a kit-equipped Aprilia SXV550 that’s been raced by …
2004 Moto Guzzi V11 LeMans Nero Corsa
Post Sale Update: After 25 bids on eBay, this Nero Corsa sold for $7,000. The last of the spine frame Guzzis, the Nero Corsa was a beautiful limited edition of the V11 LeMans. I’ve seen rumors that just 200 were built (50 of which made it to the US), but I have not been able to confirm that with an …
1984 Moto Morini 350 K2
Moto Morini’s heyday with production bikes was in the 70s with the legendary 3 1/2, but they weren’t able to retain the magic and after a decline in the 80s the company was sold to Cagiva. During that slide, they released a spiritual successor with top notch components and a dry weight of just 330 pounds. It was called the …
Cafe Rebuild – 1966 Harley-Davidson 250 Sprint H
The Harley-Davidson Aermacchi Sprint 250 was a solid little runner with agile handling. It was generally a fun little bike that the Italians thought made for a great commuter (at a claimed 45-55 mpg). When the Sprint first made its way to US shores, it supposedly made 18 hp at 6,750rpm with an 8.5:1 compression ratio. Multiple versions of the …
New in Crate in the UK – 1989 Benelli 304
Back in January, I featured a ’87 304 that had never been started. In that post, I mentioned that “the seller also has another 304 that’s still in the crate. That one’s available for $6,911.” 9 months later, the new in crate bike is still available.
1959 Moto Morini Settebello 175 Aste Corte Racer
Despite a few pesky World Wars creating massive roadblocks for him, the Italian Count Alfonso Morini and the company he founded in 1937 would go on to produce a few of the finest small-cylinder racers ever built. Born in 1898, Morini developed an interest in motorcycles early on and was operating his own repair shop by the time he was …
AMS Ducati Restoration – 1973 Ducati 750 Sport
Post Listing Update: Despite 35 bids up to $36,300, this 750 Sport did not meet reserve. Restored by Jeff Nash of AMS Ducati, this beautiful example of one of Ducati’s most famous models has been on display for the last four years – will the next owner keep it in a similar state or put some fluids in it and …
1992 Bimota YB8
Post Listing Update: This YB8 was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. YB8 = the 8th Bimota with a Yamaha engine, in this case a 1000cc EXUP, 20-valve engine which yielded 149 horsepower. I find it very weird to see the “EXUP” logo on an Italian bike, but there is something to be said for Japanese reliability with …
1981 Vespa P200E with Globe Sidecar
The most popular of the classic Vespas in the US, the “P-series” debuted in 1977 with 125, 150, and 200cc variants. The frames were the same – all that different was the motor and the model name. For the American market, Vespa equipped all of the options (turn signals, 12V electrics, auto oil injection). In the early 80s, Vespa introduced …
2006 Ducati 999R Xerox
Built between 2003-2006, the Ducati 999 (and the regular 999 it was based on) was initially met with mixed reviews with regards to the styling. But no one can deny the success that Ducati had in WSBK and AMA racing with the top-of-the-line 999R. To comply with AMA homologation rules, the States got 300 examples of the most powerful production …
1982 Moto Guzzi V50 Monza
Post Listing Update: Despite 21 bids on eBay up to $3,150, this Monza did not meet reserve. When Moto Guzzi first released the V50 in the late 70s, they were met with a tepid response from an American market that preferred bigger bikes and expected smaller bikes to be cheaper. To help the model stand out, Guzzi released a sportier …
Custom Paint – 1985 Cagiva Alazzurra 650
Post Listing Update: This Cagiva was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. In the early 80s, Cagiva was producing some quality small-displacement bikes but they needed some help cracking into the big bike market. They bought Ducati in 1985, used the design for the Pantah, and created the Alazzurra. If you don’t mind a bike that’s been repainted, …
Italian Two-Stroke – 1968 Cimatti C100
Though Cimatti Motorcycles was founded in 1937, it would be well over a decade before it produced its first motorized two-wheeler. The marque was started by Marco Cimatti, who won a Gold Medal in cycling at the 1932 Olympics. Despite the company starting up in a turbulent period economically, the bicycle manufacturer managed to beat the odds and remain profitable. …
1977 Laverda 1000 V6 Prototype
The 1977 Laverda 1000 V6 Prototype is quite possibly the most interesting bike I’ve ever featured on Bike-urious. Despite the concept for the bike stemming from the questionable idea that was to bring an automotive engineer onboard to design a V6 race engine, it’s still a genuinely awesome machine. This bike doesn’t appear to have the same kind of notoriety …
NCR Leggera 1200 Special Tribute – 2008 Ducati Hypermotard
NCR is unobtanium for most of us, but it doesn’t cost anything to simply lust after their wares – and lusting is all I can do with this exotic called the Leggera 1200. It started as a Ducati Hypermotard but thanks to extreme fettling it produced 30 more horsepower and 16 more pound-feet of torque. More impressively? It weighs 295 …