An Italian manufacturer that you probably have never heard of before, Testi was founded in Bologna in 1951. They built some interesting vehicles using engines from Sachs, DEMM, and FB Minarelli – usually 49cc two-stroke powerplants. As a quick example of their quirkiness, on one of their 50cc trail bikes they built in thermometers into the rear view mirrors! One …
1993 Ducati 888 SPO
Post Sale Update: This 888 SPO sold for $9,600 after 25 bids on eBay. The 888SPO gets less attention than the average limited edition Ducati, but values are starting to go up as riders are appreciating the wonder of a bike that won both the World Superbike and AMA Superbike championships in 1993. Just 390 were built between 1993 and …
Pantah Project – 1980 Ducati Pantah 500SL
My least favorite phrase when perusing motorcycle listings has to be “ran when parked.” It’s often a dealbreaker but occasionally a bike is still interesting enough that I’ll just look past it and move on…like the case with this Pantah 500SL.
1979 Moto Guzzi 1000SP
Post Listing Update: This SP was relisted several times but never met reserve – the last listing got up to $2,750 on eBay. When Moto Guzzi released the SP Spada, they debuted it with a fairing designed in their wind tunnel. I find it to be a bit goofy looking, but it results in excellent weather and wind protection. So …
1979 Moto Morini 500
Moto Morini is a brand steeped in bike-building history. Features before their time, plenty of racing success, and one of the best names for an Italian brand (Moto Morini sounds good in almost any language, trust me, I tried), they had it all. But like a lot of great marques, they shuttered for reasons outside of their control, were revived …
A Roman Holiday Lives! – 1952 Vespa
In 1952 Audrey Hepburn was certainly one of the most beautiful women on earth, and when she rode on Gregory Peck’s Vespa in the movie A Roman Holiday the scooter’s success was assured. First introduced as a 1947 model they sold 2,500, by 1950 the numbers were up to a very respectable 60,000 units, but 1952 and Roman Holiday and …
Restored SD900 – 1977 Ducati Darmah 900
After the 860GT flopped, Ducati released the sport touring Darmah SD900 – and it was much more successful from a commercial standpoint. Plus it just looks much better, even if that’s a subjective observation. Here’s an example that’s been restored to the impressive standards of Austin Vintage Cycle.
1971 Aermacchi Harley-Davidson Rapido
Post Listing Update: Despite 24 bids on eBay, this Rapido did not meet reserve at $2,325.01. However, it was relisted and the seller must have lowered the reserve because it sold for $3,100. In 1965 Harley Davidson bought a 50% stake in the Italian manufacturer Aermacchi. For over 10 years they sold the small Italian bikes in HD dealerships under …
Dustbin Fairing – 1956 Moto Guzzi 175 Corsa
A couple of weeks ago, I featured a seller that was selling off a collection of over 40 bikes. The prices were quite high so barely anything has sold, but I have to make special mention of this Moto Guzzi because I’m a huge sucker for dustbin fairings.
Still New – 2000 MV Agusta F4 Serie Oro
The seller calls this a 2003, but the limited edition F4 Serie Oro was only offered in 2000 – so that’s what I’m going to call this. Either way, this is already a rare model, but this is on a whole another level as it has never been started or registered. Heck, the battery and mirrors have apparently never been …
1974 Laverda 750 SFC
Laverda’s most famous motorcycle, the 750 SFC was basically a street-legal race bike – the C stood for “Competizione”. Here’s a restored example that was originally sold in the US market.
Austrian Engineering, Italian Style: 2002 Aprilia RSV Mille
Aprilia has a long history of racing with small displacement bikes. They made their first foray into the Superbike ranks with the RSV 1000 in 1998. The engine was built by Austrian firm Rotax, who have built engines for several other bike companies, including BMW, Buell, and KTM. The RSV engine was a 60 degree V-twin, 998cc, putting out a …
One Owner – 1980 Ducati 900SS
Post Listing Update: This 900SS did not meet reserve despite 45 bids up to $24,200. After the angular design of the 860GT, Ducati went back to the classic lines of the 750SS when they styled the 900 Super Sport. Despite fewer-than-expected sales when it was first released, the 900SS has been steadily gaining value in recent years – and this …
1965 Ducati Diana MK3
What makes a motorcycle? Is it the look? Is it the motor? Is it the frame? What actually constitutes how you identify a bike? Take this one for instance. Listed on eBay as a 1965 Ducati Diana MK3 it may have started life as a GT. It was restored as a Diana MK3, but it has a Sebring motor in …
Vee Two Ducati Alchemy SV-1
Last week I featured one of the rare distinct models from Brook Henry’s famed Australian Ducati tuning house, Vee Two. Here’s the other one, a bevel head-based exotic called the Alchemy SV-1.