The Yamaha SRX600 is a cult classic, but it started as a commercial flop. In the US, it sold for just one year, and it was during a time when American riders valued power above everything else. A relatively light weight bike with a 41 horsepower motor just didn’t cut it – but for riders who can appreciate the styling, …
First Year – 1981 Yamaha PW50
Yamaha’s PW50 has been the first motorcycle for generations of dirt bikers over the years, so it’s cool to see a nice example from the first full year of production that started it all.
1986 Honda VFR750F
Piggybacking off the success of the race-oriented VF750, the VFR750 Interceptor was Honda’s decision to appeal to the masses with a more approachable roadster. As named on the fairings, the VFR offered gear driven cams.
1981 Honda CX500 Custom
We go from a turbocharged CX to a custom naturally-aspirated model with this 500 built by Bexton Craft Motorcycles.
110 Miles – 1982 Honda CX500 Turbo
Depending on how you define “production”, Kawasaki was the first motorcycle manufacturer to roll out a turbocharged motorcycle. But as this excellent article on OddBike points out, Kawasaki’s effort was more of a quasi-aftermarket creation, and it wasn’t well-thought out either. Honda’s CX500 Turbo is more deserving of the ‘first production turbo bike’ title, as it truly started the forced …
Restored – 1991 Yamaha YZ250
Yamaha’s YZ250 is one of the most important MX bikes in history – and it happens to be the longest-running production dirt bike in the world, as you can still buy a new one from Yamaha today. Here we’ve got a restored example of the 1991 model, in which Yamaha debuted all-new rear bodywork, “bold new graphics” (not in the …
Race Bike in France – Nico Bakker Barracuda
3-4-26 Update: 18 months later, this bike is still up for sale (though it’s moved back to its home in the Netherlands and the asking price has gone up a surprising amount). I’m resharing it as Kickstart magazine did a story on it with a video since the last posting and I thought it was worth watching for those of …
Power-Dyne Vehicles – 1974 PDV Gringo 360
Power-Dyne Vehicles (also known as PDV) produced several motorcycles in the early 70s, nearly all of which were copies of something else on the market. The PDV Gringo was a knock-off of Yamaha motocross engines and Champion frames – the story is that PDV was put out of business because Champion sued for infringement.
Restomod – 1979 Suzuki GS1000
Suzuki’s GS1000S “Wes Cooley Replica” has always been a popular machine thanks to its rarity and connection to racing – over on Iconic we recently sold one on behalf of Nick Ienatsch that got a fair bit of attention, so it’s cool to me to see this non-S model that’s been done up as a restomodded tribute!
In England – 1982 Moto Martin Honda CB1100
Created in France by Georges Martin in the 1970s, Moto Martin quickly made a name for themselves by developing high-spec frames to be used with production motors of the time – similar to what the folks at Bimota were doing in Italy. Most of his work was designed around Japanese motors, starting with a Honda CB750 and including other famous …
602 Miles – 1973 Honda CB750
As prices for the sandcast and other early CB’s start to get out of control, it’s starting to make more financial sense to look into later (but still pre-’75) models. Honda made approximately 38,000 examples of the K3, and this lovely example in Candy Bacchus Olive stands out as it’s only covered 602 miles in its long life.
1987 Yamaha FZ700
Over on the auction site we’ve got one of the nicest examples of Yamaha’s tariff-beating sportbike that I’ve seen in a while – the FZ700!
1989 Suzuki GSX-R250R
Let’s take a look at another rare Suzuki – this time a 250cc sportbike that was never officially sold in the US!
1,100 Miles – 1980 Suzuki GS450S
When Suzuki initially marketed the “S” variant of the GS450, they did so as a “cafe racer” even though the only real difference between the S and the standard was the addition of a headlight cowl. Regardless, it’s a fun mid-sized classic and this example has barely been ridden.
Deus Ex Machina “The Mono” – 1978 Yamaha SR500 Custom
An early build from Deus Ex Machina, “The Mono” started as a 1978 Yamaha SR500 that was built at their HQ in Australia and owned by actor Orlando Bloom before being shipped over to their Los Angeles building in Venice, California.