Though MV’s first bike was built in 1945, it wasn’t until 1953 when they debuted their first production four-stroke motor. The CST and CSTL (Turismo Lusso) were ahead of their time thanks to features like an overhead cam in the stressed-member motor, a motor that was used as a stressed member of the frame, and a full suspension front and …
JDM Bōsōzoku Bike – 1992 Kawasaki ZR400 Zephyr
As motorcycle clubs like the Hells Angels rose to prominence in midcentury America, a similar phenomenon took place in Japan. In the land of the rising sun, the members of these flamboyant moto tribes are known as bōsōzoku, and in the height of their popularity in the early 1980s, there were supposedly more than 40,000 active bōsōzoku on the island …
1979 Honda CX500 Deluxe
While the motorcycle market in the 1960s was essentially dominated by Europe and America, the 70’s allowed Japan to show off their skills. Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki were very competitive with European manufacturers when it came to mid-market bikes in the US. Honda had released bikes at a wide variety of displacements based on the same design as its …
1998 Suzuki TL1000R
Produced from 1998-2003, this TL1000R was Suzuki’s V-Twin superbike, the fully-faired (and racier) brother of the TL1000S. This model was briefly used in Suzuki’s World and American Superbike Championship campaigns before they switched to the lighter 750 Gixxer.
Baja Legend – 1974 Honda “XL432” Bill Bell Hybrid
The name Bill Bell goes hand-in-hand with the Baja 500 (and 1000). For more than a decade, the legendary tuner churned out countless purpose-built racers that gave deep-pocketed factory works teams a good run for their money, and with the occasional exception of Husqvarna, Bell’s Hondas were the machines to beat at the Baja 500.
1978 Kawasaki Z1R-TC
Post Listing Update: This turbo Kawi did not meet reserve despite 12 bids up to $20,700 on eBay. TCC stood for the Turbo Cycle Corporation, and it was created to sell bolt on turbos for motorcycles built by American Turbo-Pak. The founder of TCC was a former Kawasaki USA employee named Alan Masek, and he used his contacts to help …
“American” MXer – 1974 Indian MT100
Decades before Polaris Industries acquired Indian Motorcycle, the manufacturer traded hands numerous times, giving rise to a number of very…non-Indian Indians. For a time Brockhouse Engineering sold rebadged and slightly modified Royal Enfields under the Indian name. The company was later sold off again, this time to AMC, which proceeded to sell rebadged AJS and Matchless bikes as Indians, though …
2003 Kawasaki ZRX1200R
Eddie Lawson is a famous American motorcycle road racer that won multiple world championship, including the 500cc AMA Superbike Series in 1981 and 1982 – these two 500cc titles are two of the four he won in the 80’s. Eddie was nicknamed “Steady Eddie” thanks to his capacity to consistently finish races, avoid crashing, and often ending on the podium …
Wood Rotax 560 Four-Stroke – 1984 KTM 504 MX
At the dawn of the 1980s, a myriad of manufacturers were experimenting with producing a competitive four-stroke motocrosser, though dethroning the mighty two-stroke was a major uphill battle. Quite a few marques put their faith in Rotax, who had then recently debuted an impressive 498cc four-stroke single. Seeing the potential of the half-liter thumper, KTM worked out a deal with …
1990 Honda Transalp XL600V
Following the release of the R80GS by BMW and the birth of one of the greatest races of all time (the Paris Dakar), manufacturers started to add a new kind of bike to their product range. These new “adventure” bikes were road legal adaptations of off road racing motorcycles used primarily for the P-D. During the 80’s, Honda won the …
Moto2 Tailed – Liberty Motorcycles 1986 BMW R80 Cafe Racer
BMW’s R80 platform isn’t a particularly exceptional machine in any one department, however it’s nonetheless praised for being a generally well-balanced and versatile model. The bike was powered by an air-cooled, 797cc, four-stroke, OHV, Boxer twin that reportedly made around 50 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 42.78 ft-lbs of torque at 4,000 rpm. Introduced as the successor to the R75/7, …
2006 Honda Big Ruckus PS250
Post Sale Update: This Big Ruckus sold for $3,000 after 43 bids on eBay. The Ruckus was a surprising hit for Honda, due almost entirely to the aftermarket customization that has skyrocketed around the 50cc scooter. What many people don’t know is that Honda offered a ‘full-size’ version called the Honda Big Ruckus for 4 years in Japan and 2 …
1984 Honda Nighthawk 700SC
Post Listing Update: This Nighthawk did not get any interest at the BIN of $2,700. The 80’s were a fascinating decade for motorcycles, and I appreciate the products of that era nowadays as they are basically classic bikes with newer designs. Or recent bikes with older design, depending on how you see it! In the US, lots of these 80’s …
Wacky Kwacky – 1995 Kawasaki KLR250
In 1984, Kawasaki debuted a pair of new dual-sport models that quickly proved to be major hits with the motorcycling world. The larger of the models was the KLR600, which was bumped up to 650ccs, where it remains to this day as one of Kawa’s best-selling models, and (as of 2015) the best-selling dual-sport period. The smaller of the two …
Nice Price – 2017 KTM 1090 Adventure
Nick Livingston of WideOpenADV is letting go of his well-prepped 1090 Adventure, and his asking price is more than fair considering the extras he’s added. The circumstances are unfortunate (his wife is very sick and he’s focused on her) so hopefully you can help him out with some cash and get a hell of a dual-sport in the process.