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Signed By Rossi – 2010 Yamaha R1 LE

In Japan, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

Yamaha launched an all-new R1 in 2009, and it captured the hearts of many a rider thanks to the crossplane crankshaft that gave the R1 a defining sound and more predictable traction at the limit. The following year, they released a Limited Edition of which featured a replica of the livery on Valentino Rossi’s Fiat Yamaha Team MotoGP race bike. …

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Zero Miles With No Reserve – 2006 Yamaha R1 LE

In Japan, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

Post Sale Update: This R1 sold for $18,303 (including the 7% buyer’s fee) on Iconic Motorbike Auctions. The Yamaha R1 LE was Yamaha’s celebration of its 50th anniversary. Taking their incredibly popular 1000cc sportbike as a platform, Yamaha produced a very limited run of only 500 bikes that were full of incredible extras and turning them into near-production racers. Over …

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Custom Streetfighter – 1986 Suzuki GS1150EF

In Custom, Japan by AbhiLeave a Comment

In the early 80s, Suzuki knocked off the CBX as the superbike du jour. The Suzuki GS1100E came into the market and instantly became the bike of choice for the power hungry. American press mags constantly raved about not just the power, but also the surprising handling abilities for such a large bike. Here’s an interesting example which was turned …

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77 Miles – 1990 Honda NSR250SP Cabin Racing

In Japan, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

In the world of MC21 NSR250SP specials, the ’92 seems to get most of the love because of the Rothmans livery. But the ’91 (Pentax livery) and ’90 (Cabin Tobacco livery) are just as enjoyable, and the Cabin colors work for me – it’s been a long time since I’ve seen one. Like the other SP models, just 2,500 were …

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CA Plated – 1997 Honda CB50V Dream

In Japan, Small Displacement by AbhiLeave a Comment

Honda has always been one of the world’s best at sub-100cc bikes, from commuter bikes for the people to full on works racers. Over the years, however, the company slowly moved towards bigger bikes in an effort to capture more of an American market that has always been obsessed with power. For a couple of years in the Japanese market …

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New In Crate – 2007 Yamaha YZ250

In Japan, Off-Road by AbhiLeave a Comment

Yamaha completely redesigned the YZ250 for 2005, so for 2007 they just made some minor chassis updates (including revised Kayaba 48mm forks). That may not matter in this case, as this bike has spent the last 16 years in the original delivery crate, and one assumes that it will stay that way for the next collector owner.

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Still In Crate – 1988 Yamaha Route 66

In Cruiser, Japan by AbhiLeave a Comment

2-19-23 Update: 14 months later, this Yamaha is back up for sale on eBay (though it’s crossed the country and is now in California) with an opening bid of $4,100. As dnaj points out in the comments, this doesn’t look like a factory crate that Yamaha would have used, but it’s still an interesting find and I’m curious to see …

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425 Miles – 1988 Honda RC30 Bol d’Or

In Japan, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

Over at Iconic we’ve sold plenty (over 40) RC30s, but I wanted to point out this specific example as it’s one of the “Bol d’Or” branded RC30s that was created specifically for the French market. Now it’s in Los Angeles, it has just 425 miles, and it’s been freshly serviced so that it’s ready to ride if the next owner …

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581 Miles – 1995 Honda NSR50

In Japan, Small Displacement, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

Post Sale Update: This Honda NSR50 sold for $6,688 (including the 7% buyer’s fee) after 42 bids on Iconic Motorbike Auctions. Yesterday I shared a video about how we got 30 bikes in a container from Japan – including some lovely small-displacement machines. Well, here’s the first one we put up for auction: a NSR50.