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Restored – 1976 Yamaha XT500

In Dual-Sport, Japan by AbhiLeave a Comment

Yamaha’s XT500 was an instant sales success and it led to a full series of XT bikes. Thanks to the big thumper of an engine and the ample ground clearance, it was good for just about anything you could throw at it. This enduro bike was produced for 15 years, eventually leading to an entire range of “XT” bikes of …

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Whitehouse Kit – 2014 Honda CB1100

In Japan, Standard by AbhiLeave a Comment

Post Sale Update: This Honda sold for $8,800 plus the 7% buyer’s fee for a total of $9,416 on Iconic Motorbike Auctions. In 2014, Honda updated the CB1100 with a new dash and a six-speed transmission. The styling remained the same – bodywork that was designed to evoke the classic lines of the CB750. But a company in Japan called …

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1980 Kawasaki Z1-R

In Japan, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

The Kawasaki Z1R 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. So he took the KZ1000 and turned it into this! The first year of production was 1978, and all the bikes were …

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1991 Bimota YB10 Dieci

In Japan, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

Bimota’s 10th model with a Yamaha engine, the appropriately-named Dieci was built between 1991 and 1994 with just 224 examples leaving the factory. An even smaller portion were equipped with a passenger seat and pegs. Bimota scooped up the engine from a FZR1000 and then tweaked it to yield nearly 150 horsepower.

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1991 Yamaha Super Tenere XTZ750

In Dual-Sport, Japan by AbhiLeave a Comment

Right now you can walk into a Honda or Yamaha dealership and get a modern Africa Twin or Super Tenere. But in the US, the same couldn’t have been said a couple of decades ago. You can occasionally find ’90s examples of the AT and ST thanks to grey market imports, but the latter is much harder to source.

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No Reserve Black Bomber – 1966 Honda CB450

In Japan, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

The Honda CB450 Black Bomber is easily one of the most significant motorcycles to ever come out of Japan. Produced for just three years, it was the company’s first ‘big bike’ (and the first production bike with DOHC). At the time, it was considered to be one of the best bikes ever built, though it didn’t sell as well as …