2-8 Update: I featured this bike only a month ago, but it’s back up for sale and with bidding just $350 shy of the BIN price, I expect this Guzzino will be selling in the next day or two. Thanks to Rob B for bringing it back to my attention. Find this little Guzzi for sale with bidding up to …
Who Needs a Budget? 1998 Bimota SB6-R
The SB6 was Bimota’s best selling bike – the R was even cooler thanks to upgraded specifications. The seller says this bike has had $65,000 invested into it, $35,000 of which was presumably the crazy-expensive original MSRP of this motorcycle when it was sold.
Factory Racer – 2001 Aprilia RSW 250
Post Listing Update: This RSW is incredibly cool, but apparently not $65,000 cool. It did not get any action at that BIN number. Plenty of riders are familiar with the Aprilia RS250, what some consider to be the best 250 street bike you can get. But Aprilia also offered the RSV/RSW250, the true factory race bike designed to compete in …
“Monster Killer” – 2004 Benelli TnT 1130
TnT stands for Tornado Nuda Tre, which should give you a few ideas about this bike. It’s naked, it’s fast, and it’s powered by an awesome triple engine. If you’re a patient rider, you’ll be rewarded by what MCN called “one of the best ever incarnations of the naked motorcycle.”
In England – 1990 Moto Morini Dart
When the Dart was introduced, Moto Morini was owned by Cagiva – at the time the latter had no mid-sized bike in their model range. They decided to remedy that by taking the frame of their Freccia 125, and then shoving in a Morini 350cc V-Twin. It’s odd to see an air-cooled engine surrounded in plastic, but hey, this was …
Not a Jota – 1977 Laverda Jarama 1000 3CL
In America, Laverda offered the 3CL (and the up-spec Jota), but they renamed the former the Jarama in 1978 after the racetrack in Spain. It didn’t sell particularly well in the United States, so some dealers converted the base Jaramas to Jotas (and some people call these “Jarotas!) With all that said, here’s a decent example of this hard to …
1977 Ducati 500 Sport Desmo
Ducati introduced the 500cc parallel twin in 1975, and it was a commercial failure. To try and shake things up, the Italian company asked Fabio Taglioni to give the engine desmodromic valves. The result was the Sport Desmo, which had a significant jump in power but didn’t do much to shake the engine’s reputation for reliability issues.
23 Miles – 2008 Aprilia Bol D’Or RSV1000R
The Aprilia Bol D’Or was a very limited production bike built to commemorate Aprilia’s participation in the Bol D’Or, a 24 hour endurance race that occurs every spring at Le Mans. Normally we get special edition to honor a victory as opposed to just participating, but I’ll take the excuse for a bike that combine performance, exclusivity, and a dash …
1964 Piaggio Ape
Introduced in 1948, the Piaggio Ape is a three wheeler designed for light commercial purposes. What you may not expect to hear is that the Ape is still in production! Ape translates to “bee” in Italian, and it was named to evoke the productiveness you think of with ‘busy as a bee’.
Gilera 124 5V
1-26-16 Update: 7 months later, this Gilera is back up for sale with a thousand dollar discount. Find it for sale with a BIN of $2,500 or best offer here on eBay. Acquired 10 years ago in non-running condition, this Gilera 124 apparently had an electrical short which started a fire in the headlight bucket. In addition, the engine was …
2007 Aprilia Tuono Factory 1000 R
Post-Listing Update: This Tuono Factory got nowhere at the asking price of $7,500. The Aprilia Tuono Factory was an uprated version of one of the world’s greatest naked bikes, the Aprilia Tuono.
Needs Some Work – 1970 Moto Beta Premier Bebe 50
Moto Beta was almost 50 years old when they expanded from bicycles into motorcycles. They’re probably best known for their trials bikes of the 90s – Dougie Lampkin won the World Championship in ’97, ’98, and ’99 with the marque. In the 70s, some Moto Betas were imported to the US under the Premier name, like the little off-roader you …
A Good Start – 1975 Moto Guzzi 850T/V7 Project
What started as a running 850T is now almost a replica of a V7 Sport. Of course, the problem is in the word ‘almost’. It’s time for a new owner, so hopefully you can finish the job.
2003 Moto Guzzi V11 LeMans Rosso Corsa
Post Sale Update: This Rosso Corsa sold for $6,700 after 32 bids on eBay. For the second straight day, we’ve got a 1-in-50 Guzzi. But this time it’s featuring red bodywork instead of a red frame. Based on the previous generation of the venerable LeMans, this bike was the pinnacle of a model known for classic Italian cafe racer lines …
Verde Legnano Special Edition – 2015 Moto Guzzi V7 Racer
In 1971, Guzzi introduced the instant-classic V7 Sport, and they made the first 150 models extra special with green bodywork and red frame. The initial bikes were known as Telaio Rosso (red frames), and some people consider them to be the prettiest Guzzis ever built. You may not agree, but you can’t deny that they were special. To commemorate that …