Post Sale Update – This TX750 sold for the opening bid of $1,400 – not a bad deal! Made only for two years, the TX750 was Yamaha’s attempt of creating a parallel twin with the smoothness of an inline four engine. Using a pair of balancers (called Omni-Phase), it eliminated vibration to a level never seen before in a twin. …
The Rarest Turbo – 1983 Suzuki XN85
Post Sale Update: This XN85 sold for the BIN of $7,495. On the market for less than a year, Suzuki XN85 was the first factory bike to feature a 16-inch front wheel – previously reserved for race bikes. That wheel, combined with low clip-ons and a Suzuki Full Floater rear suspension made it a nearly peerless handler for the time. …
Benelli Dreaming – 1974 Yamaha RD250
Post-Sale Update: This RD250 sold for $5,700 on eBay. Produced from ’73 to ’79, the air-cooled Yamaha RD250 was always in the shadow of the famous RD350, but today it provides the base of an interesting Italian-influenced custom. The RD250 produced 30 horsepower and interestingly enough, had 6 gears in the transmission, but you could only access 5. Removing a …
Japanese Muscle – 1978 Kawasaki Z1-R
Post Sale Update: this Z1R sold for $7,400 after 19 bids on eBay. The Kawasaki Z1-R was the brainchild of Wayne Moulton, known as the “Father of the Japanese Cruiser.” His belief was that a solid motorcycle could be moderately tweaked to form four versions, one of which is a sport-tourer.
1990 Honda CB-1
Post-Listing Update: Apparently it’s not meant to be for this CB-1, which did not attract any bids at the opening $4,000 bid after being relisted. 12-6 Update: This CB-1 did not meet reserve, and it’s been re-listed on eBay here. In a time when Japan’s export portfolio to the US was dominated by repli-racers, the Honda CB-1 was a ‘standard’ …
Dirt Sports – 1989 Honda FTR250
Available only in Japan, the Honda FTR250 was a popular ‘flat-tracker’ 223cc alternative to Yamaha’s TW series, which we saw in the states. Styled after the RS750 (Honda’s second crack at making a competitive flat tracker, which absolutely dominated the AMA with four straight championships in the 80s), the FTR was an instant 80s classic that’s still being produced to …
Little Racer – 2004 Honda NSR50
Quite possibly the best minibike sold in the United States, the Honda NSR50 was sold here just in 2004. In the world of 50cc sportbikes (like the Yamaha YSR50 and Suzuki GSXR50), the NSR50 was dynamically in a world of its own. Though it’s not street legal like its competition, the Honda was peerless on the racetrack. Because of that, …
What a Story – 197x Tony Foale Honda CB750
6-28 Update: Year of bike in title changed to reflect Tony’s comment. Post-Listing Update: Unfortunately, this bike only got one bid and did not meet reserve at the opening bid of $10,000. I can’t believe there wasn’t more action on this bike. We love listings like this – a rare bike, an interesting back story, and great pictures. Just sit …
1973 Honda CB350
Produced from ’68 to ’73, the Honda CB350 was one of the world’s most popular motorcycles. At the time, it was Honda’s best-selling model, and in 1968 – its first year it was the best-selling motorcycle all over the world. Today we feature an excellent final year example which illustrates what made this bike so desirable. Constantly evolving, this bike …
1 Year Only – 1987 Yamaha SRX250
Post-Sale Update: This SRX250 sold for $1,875 after 4 bids on eBay. For decades, Kawasaki ruled the 250cc ‘sport’bike market – though Honda has recently taken a chunk of the market with their CBR250R. Honda also challenged the little Ninja in the 80s with the VTR250, though it did not have much commercial success. For one year in the States, …
2013 Honda Grom MSX125 Custom
11-9 Update: You guys seem to love the Grom so much that it got me curious. I borrowed one from Honda and took it for a spin, including a top speed run in the LA River. Post-Listing Update: This Honda Grom MSX125 Custom was pulled off eBay, final sale price unknown. But as shown in the comments below, you can …
1994 Yamaha FZR1000
Post Sale Update: This Fizzer sold for a reduced BIN of $4,000. We continue with what’s become a Yamaha sportbike week with the Yamaha FZR1000 – predecessor to the now-ubiquitous Yamaha R1. The Fizzer was an instant classic when it was introduced in 1987. Just two years later, Cycle World named it the “Bike of the Decade”, thanks in part …
1 of 500 – 1999 Yamaha R7 OWO2
Post-Sale Update: After 6 bids on eBay, this Yamaha R7 OWO2 sold for $22,200. I’m still drooling. We’ve been on a little Yamaha homologation special this week, and it ends with what might just be the most beautiful road bike to ever come from Japan, the Yamaha R7, also known as the OWO2. Right from the factory floor, it was …
Homebrew Cafe – 2005 Suzuki Ryca 650 CS-1
Suzuki’s Boulevard S40, previously known as the LS650 Savage, is a simple, low-powered entry-level cruiser. A Los Angeles based company called Ryca saw a way to spice up the S40, with the Ryca 650 CS-1 kit. It takes a rather ugly semi-Sportster clone and turns it into a lithe cafe racer styled bike with some actual semblance of personality.
Featured First – 1986 Yamaha FZ600
Post-Sale Update: This Yamaha FZ600 has sold, price unknown. After years of compromising with their middleweight sportbike, trying to provide riders with all-around flexibility, Yamaha decided to go all out with their first ‘race replica’ – the Yamaha FZ600. Designed to capture some of the increased interest in MotoGP, this bike got the “PURE SPORTS” decal so you knew they …