I love me a good oddball motorcycle. The sheer number of bikes floating around out there guarantees quite the variety of bizarre two-wheeled creations. Case in point: this 1994 Ducati M900 that’s been chopperized and turned into an admittedly imaginative albeit unorthodox frankenbike. Not much info is available on this one, but the photos more or less speak for themselves, …
Trackmaster Build – 1952 Vincent Rapide
99 percent of the time, modifying a 1952 Vincent isn’t remotely acceptable. Enter: the elusive one percent. This motorcycle is ridiculously noteworthy for a multitude of reasons; its frame, its powerplant, its previous owner(s), its components and hand-built parts, the list goes on. What you’re looking at is a “Lightning-ized” Rapide V-Twin stuffed into a Trackmaster flat tracker frame, then …
Paso Powered – 1983 Ducati TT1 Replica
Ducati’s TT1 was a 748cc race bike based on the iconic TT2, a bike that dominated in competition and won multiple world championships. The TT1 ultimately wouldn’t be as successful as its predecessor, but the 750 was nonetheless a solid racer. Different sources make different claims but depending on who you ask somewhere between 50 and 60 TT1 racers were …
One Year Only Tiddler – 1970 Yamaha G6S 80
Yamaha’s G6S was a one-year only tiddler produced in 1970. Despite its short production run, it was a relatively popular model in Europe, often referred to as “bellycrawlers” due to the way riders would lay across the tank to ring out every last MPH. Everything about the G6 is pretty basic, but that was by design. By using a collection …
Mono-Body “Midi-Bike” – 1970 Muskin El Gato
The Muskin El Gato is one funky little scoot. Muskin Corp was aiming to nab a piece of the then-increasingly lucrative small-displacement trail bike market. The company’s strategy was to create a truly unique machine that would stand out from the crowd of other mini offerings and regardless of Muskin’s success, it’s hard to deny the efficacy of said strategy. …
Ping King – 1986 Honda CR500
When first released, Honda’s CR500 was its most powerful MXer ever produced, though that power was wildly difficult to tame. The CR was nonetheless a major success and Honda opted to keep the half-liter thumper in production for more than a decade prior to be being phased out in 2001 upon the rise of the four-stoke machines and the company’s …
Showroom Clean – 1975 Yamaha DT100
Yamaha first kicked-off its DT lineup in 1968 with the 250cc DT-1 – a model that would help to usher in a new market for dual-sport machines. The DT-1 (also known as the Trail 250 in other markets) would be included as one of the Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan’s 240 Landmarks of the Japanese Automotive Technology. Upon its …
1974 Yamaha SC500
Post Sale Update: This Yamaha SC500 sold for $1,750 after 45 bids on eBay. When it boils down to it, I know just about nothing about the SC500. Never ridden one, never even seen one in person. I’m really just featuring it because Rick Sieman called it one of the 10 worst dirt bikes of all time and I find …
Restored – 1969 Honda Z50A
Post Sale Update: This Z50 sold for $3,700 after 31 bids on eBay. In a wonderful article on Motorcyclist, Mitch Boehm notes “that the Honda Z50 Mini Trail is probably responsible for more two-wheeled addictions than any other motorcycle on earth.” This second-year example is claimed to be “practically new” thanks to a bevy of new and refurbished parts.
Grey Import Pocket Rocket – 1989 Honda NSR250R MC18
The NSR 250R was sold as road-legal version of Honda’s 250 race bike, the RS250R, although in reality it shared no mechanical parts, just the overall image. It was, however a potent little pocket-rocket, powered by a liquid-cooled, reed valve inducted 249cc 90° V-twin two stroke engine working a six-speed transmission. Published specs put it at 288 pounds dry weight.
Restored – 1972 Suzuki T500 Titan
Post Listing Update: This Titan did not meet reserve despite 20 bids up to $6,200. Riders often like to reminisce about how much fun it could be to hit the violent powerband of a two stroke motor, but there were a few companies who thought that smokers were also ideal platforms for relaxed every day riding as well. Suzuki’s best …
1970 Moto Guzzi Ambassador 750
Post Sale Update: This Ambo sold for $7,500 after 17 bids on eBay. The Moto Guzzi Ambassador was developed as a successor to the V7, which was initially built to provide a police platform in their home country of Italy. The Berline brothers convinced MG to bring it to the US in an attempt to snag some cruiser customers away …
Ending Soon – 1974 Norton Commando 850 Roadster
Post Listing Update: This Commando did not meet reserve despite 22 bids up to $7,500. Should have fixed that front brake! This Norton Commando 850 comes with lots of supplemental literature that make it a fun find – you’ll get the rider’s manual, service voucher booklet, instructional literature wallet, warranty card, world-wide distributor/dealer book, a tire manual from Avon, and …
3 Miles – 2002 Moto Guzzi V11 Le Mans
Well, it looks like some bikes from the Larry Klein estate sale last month are now hitting the market again. One of the highlights was this basically new V11, so it’s no surprise to see it up on Craigslist now. Original MSRP of this Le Mans was $12,690, and this reseller is hoping to get a bit more than half …
Built for Trials – 1973 Hodaka Wombat 125
Post Sale Update: This little Wombat sold for $2,999 after 51 bids on eBay. Based out of North Dakota, Danny Messmore currently runs a dealership called Action Motor Sports. But for Hodaka fans, Danny is best known as one of the original dealers for their beloved bikes – and he’s built a few specials over the years as well. Here’s …