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1963 Velocette Venom

In England, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

Between 1955 and 1970, Velocette built 5,721 examples of the Venom. A factory-prepped Venom set a world record for being the first bike ever to average over 100 miles per hour in a 24 hour period. Here’s a 53 year old example that spent 30 years on display in a previous owner’s living room.

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1947 Harley Davidson WL with Sidecar

In 3 Wheels, America by Tom WackerLeave a Comment

The Harley Davidson ‘45’ flathead small V twin motor was one of the longest lived motors in company history, introduced in 1929 with the last one installed in a ServiCar in 1973. They weren’t a tower of power, but they were much the most reliable motor the company made for over 40 years. They simply started and ran in all …

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“1962” Norton Atlas Cafe Racer

In Cafe Racer, Custom, England by Tom WackerLeave a Comment

11-18-25 Update: Nine years later, this bike is much shinier and it’s back on the market! Find it over on our auction site in Saint Clair Shores, Michigan with bidding up to $9,000 and the reserve met here on Iconic Motorbike Auctions. Here’s what it looks like now: Post Listing Update: After being relisted, this cafe’d Atlas got bidding up …

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Varese Model – 1995 Ducati 916

In Italy by AbhiLeave a Comment

Post Sale Update: This Varese-built Ducati sold for $9,400 after 47 bids on eBay. The 916 has obviously become one of Ducati’s most important motorcycles, but it had a very worrying start. Right as the bike was set to debut, a fire broke out at the paint shop in Bologna. Ducati improvised and temporarily moved production to Cagiva in Varese. …

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1939 Velocette KSS

In England, Vintage by Tom WackerLeave a Comment

By 1939 the K series Velocette featuring the overhead cam single had been in production for 14 years. The ‘39 was a Mk2 motor that was extensively and successfully raced in Europe, particularly at the Isle of Man. The KSS was a detoxified version of the racing bike that included electric lighting, illuminated speedometer, electric horn and the positive stop …

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1973 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport

In Italy, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

Post Sale Update: This V7 sold for $14,699 after 31 bids on eBay. Nowadays, Moto Guzzi offers several variants of the modern V7. They don’t sell particularly well, but they do hark back to one of Guzzis most iconic motorcycles of all time – the original V7 Sport. It was an instant classic that was created by Tonti to honor …

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1969 Honda Z50 Mini Trail

In Japan, Off-Road, Small Displacement by Tom WackerLeave a Comment

Designed and built originally as an attraction at a Japanese amusement park, when Honda officials saw the reaction of all ages, they decided to market the bike to the world. Starting in 1964, the Z50 turned out to be a very successful seller for HMC. Commonly called the ‘Monkey Bike’ based on how adults looked riding this teeny bike it …

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0 Miles – 1978 Harley-Davidson MX250

In America, Off-Road by AbhiLeave a Comment

In the late 70s, Harley was in a phase of small-displacement bikes while under the control of AMF. They decided to dabble in the world of motocross, and had their Italian branch, Aermacchi, build the Harley-Davidson MX250. It was the first (and only) HD MX bike, and it only lasted for one year. This example is claimed to be in …

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1961 Ducati Elite

In Italy, Sport by Tom WackerLeave a Comment

In 1959 Ducati brought out it’s most sophisticated bike to date-the 200 Elite. It was the first of Ducati’s ‘sport production’ motorcycles based on their successful single cylinder racers of the 50s. The product line would morph into the ‘Supersport’ line, but the motor was destined for another calling. It was the basis for the ‘motocross’ line which we know …

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Silver Shotgun in Holland – 1971 Ducati 350 Desmo

In Italy, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

By the time Ducati had released the Mark 3 Desmo, they had an impressive variety of trim levels. In ’71, they added to the line up with their first ever motocross bike (the R/T), and a street bike with silver fiberglass bodywork. Two Wheels Magazine in Australia called the latter the “Silver Shotgun”, and the nickname has stuck through the …

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1950 Powell P81 Custom

In America, Small Displacement by Tom WackerLeave a Comment

Post Sale Update: After being relisted, this P81 sold for $3,050 with 20 bids on eBay. Powell Manufacturing switched from making radios to motor scooters in the mid 1930’s in their Compton, California plant. They went to full war production in 1942 (they built an ultra lightweight for American Airborne troops) but picked their scooters back up after the war. …