Thanks to a combination of light weight and a torquey, simple motor, Yamaha SR500s are popular fodder for custom builders. The 499cc single is a call back to the legendary thumpers from BSA, Matchless, Velocette, Norton, and Triumph, and the bike’s svelte curb weight makes for big fun factor despite its humble top speed. (We’ve actually featured quite a few …
2000 Honda Superhawk Track Bike
Honda first introduced the VTR1000F (known as the Superhawk in the US, and as the Firestorm around the rest of the world) in 1997 in an effort to challenge Ducati’s sportbike dominance. The model was intended to combine the soulful performance of a big V-twin with the trusted reliability of Japanese manufacturing.
1990 Honda NX125
The Honda NX125 was the smallest of the NX’s, which were only imported for a few years. The combination of XR-roots with a slightly more street friendly composition made it an excellent all-rounder. Offered in the states in 125, 250, and 650cc versions, the NX650 was by far the most popular in the US.
Japanese Metisse – An XS650-Powered Rickman Mk3
Back in the 1950s, two English brothers named Don and Derek Rickman decided to jump into the motorcycle market by building frames of their own design. Both experienced dirt riders, they took experience racing motocross around Europe and materialized it in the form of the “Metisse.” Beyond its premium craftsmanship — it was machined from a lightweight chromoly, and there …
1978 Kawasaki KX250
In 1978, Kawasaki debuted a “works replica” called the KX250 A-4. PulpMX called it “a works bike for the chosen few,” and it was a limited production (~1,500, ~600 of which came to the US) notice to the rest of the industry that Team Green was getting serious about MX after a few years of dismal sales.
379 Miles – 1989 Yamaha DT50
Introduced in 1981, the Yamaha DT50 (also known as the DT50MX) was barely updated throughout its 15-year production run.
No Reserve – 2000 Honda RC51
Sold between in 2000 and 2006 in two different versions, the RC51 has gone down as one of the most legendary motorcycles to ever come out of Honda, well-deserving of the “RC” designation that’s graced other famous Hondas like the RC30, RC40, and RC45. It was Honda’s take on the V-Twin replica racer, beating Ducati at it’s own game with …
1975 Suzuki RE5
Along with some options from Norton and the Hercules W2000, the Suzuki RE5 was one of the rare rotary-engine bikes that actually made it to market. The Suzuki was the most ‘popular’ of the rotary bikes, with slightly over 6,000 examples built. Nowadays, mention of a rotary engine usually makes gearheads think of the Mazda RX-7 and RX-8, but in …
1989 Suzuki RGV250 SP VJ21
Last week I shared a fun VJ22 SP that we had over on the auction site, and I think this predecessor from the same seller is visually even better. I guess I like soda over cigarettes?
ELR Tribute – 1981 Kawasaki GPz550
Kawasaki’s Eddie Lawson Replica is a memorable motorcycle of the 80s, which also means it’s become a pricey collectible nowadays. Here’s a fun way to get some ELR style on a budget.
1962 Honda 240 Port Cub
The Honda Cub is fairly ubiquitous, but this variant is hard to find nowadays. Built for just a couple of years, it was designed to be cheaper and thus have a wider market appeal than the Super Cub. It had a slightly different pressed steel step thru frame and the plastic leg shield was removed.
“Team Suzuki” – 1991 Suzuki RGV250 VJ22 Lucky Strike
Tobacco advertising has led to some of the greatest liveries in motorsports, but some countries were quick than others to ban advertising from cigarette companies. One such country was Australia, which stopped allowing such advertising in the early 90s. In response, race teams and advertisers often came up with alternatives that swapped out certain words but tried to keep the …
1995 Kawasaki GPz1100
Post Sale Update: This GPz sold for $4,250 after 19 bids on eBay. In 1995, Kawasaki brought back the GPz moniker for something that MCN called “more sporty tourer than sports tourer.” This was partially because it was built to a price, and partially because the motor was a detuned unit from the Ninja ZX-11 that was dominating American highways …
1991 Honda EZ90 Cub
The Honda EZ90, also known as a Cub, was produced from 1991 until 1996. Designed for off-road use only, lots of Cubs were used as pit bikes (even by Honda’s ChampCar and IRL teams) as well as runabouts strapped on the back of RVs and campers.
1975 Kawasaki Z1
The Z1 was Kawasaki’s “bigger is better” counter to the Honda CB750, and it was a legendary motorcycle that Team Green has recently tried to recapture the magic of. The 903cc motor was so big that Kawasaki couldn’t even sell it in their home country of Japan, which had a 750cc displacement cap at the time.