Trade-offs suck – especially in the world of motorcycles. If a bike design is too focused on looking good, then it may falter when it comes to performance or reliability. On the flipside, making reliability and performance the only priorities will often leave you with the bike-equivalent of a nice thermos. But what if you could find a thermos that …
Restored Cheetah – 1961 Puch DS60
Puch called it the DS60, though you may have seen it in the US as the Cheetah – it was sold through Sears Allstate department stores. Pre ’65 models featured a twistgrip shift, later bikes went to a foot shifter. These aren’t too hard to find (I’ll share three with you in this post), but it’s rare to see a …
1971 BSA Lightning Cafe
Built by Danny Thompson of Triumphs on Broadway (website is incomplete), this Lightning has been turned into a cafe racer with a heavy candy flake paint job.
2013 Cleveland CycleWerks Ace
There are two quotes that I always remember when I see small displacement, lightweight bikes. 1. “Simplify, then add lightness” – Colin Chapman 2. “It’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than drive a fast car slow” – Abner Perney These quotes were directed by car people at car people but in reality, apply just as perfectly to …
Some “Outside of the Barn” Finds
I’m sure there is a gem in this pile somewhere…or not. What a shame to see all these bikes sitting in the woods and snow. I’m sure none of them “ran when parked”, but maybe there is that one piece someone has been looking for…
Ending Soon – 1964 Harley-Davidson FLH
Classic and simple, this numbers matching Panhead is said to be entirely stock except for a repaint several years ago. With a full set of bags and a batwing fairing, it’s ready for you to tour in style.
1979 Moto Morini 500
Moto Morini is a brand steeped in bike-building history. Features before their time, plenty of racing success, and one of the best names for an Italian brand (Moto Morini sounds good in almost any language, trust me, I tried), they had it all. But like a lot of great marques, they shuttered for reasons outside of their control, were revived …
Military Police – 1972 BMW R50/5
Classic BMW /5? Good. Military Police variant of a /5? Very, very good. A strong running international example of a Military Police variant of a /5 with free shipping to the US? Now we’re talking.
1968 Montesa Scorpion
Montesa was formed in 1944 under a partnership between Pedro Permanyer and “Paco” Bulto. When Montesa decided (after considerable success) to leave the racing division in 1958 Bulto moved on to form Bultaco. Montesa floundered for several years until it brought out it’s 250 CC single that would form the backbone of the successful Scorpion series. Where Bultaco concentrated on …
1936 Sunbeam Model 9
Harry Sucher (RIP) was an early member of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America and one of the most knowledgeable men out there on classic motorcycles – he wrote impressive histories on both Indian and Harley-Davidson. As you might expect from such a guy, he also had a great personal collection of motorcycles, one of which was this Sunbeam Model …
1973 Triumph Bonneville T140V
Post Listing Update: This T140V was relisted several times but bidding never got higher than $5,655. The second generation of the Bonneville is a cheaper alternative to the T120 generation – people love the classics! Despite the cheaper price nowadays, you’ll get a fifth gear in the transmission, bigger engine, and disc brake up front. Over the years the 140V …
DOA – 1949 Indian Scout
Indian is dying. It’s 1949 and the Indian Motor Company is bleeding money in the midst of the biggest boom economy ever. Many of the wounds are self inflicted, but Indian has an idea. Since the end of WWII they have poured their development money into a brand new model, based on the English twins of the period. The venerable …
Just Ride It – 1975 Yamaha DT125
Editor’s Note: A few days ago, Tom Wacker featured a DT250 that was in need of a restoration. Today, Ted Clough counters with a DT125 that’s ready to go!
Curmudgeon Project Collection – 10 Bikes For Sale
Someone named Dave Nisse runs Curmudgeon Motorcycle Restoration, and he’s in the process of dumping some of his project bikes.
1984 Honda Sabre VF700S Custom
The 698cc Sabre was one of Honda’s creations built to get around the tax imposed on imported motorcycles with engines of 700cc and up. By all accounts it was a solid touring bike, but because they were sold for just two years you rarely see custom builds based on this platform. Well, here’s one of the rare ones…but do you …