Norton introduced the 750 Commando in 1968 known as the Fastback. In 1969 they introduced two more models, the R (Roadster) and the S (Street Scrambler). In the fullness of life, the Roadster would become the ‘standard’ Commando and the other two would go away. The 1969 Scrambler was produced for the American market and in direct response to the …
Please Be Real – 1962 Honda CB72 Yoshimura Endurance Racer
Post Sale Update: After 23 bids on eBay, this incredible Honda sold for $8,800 on eBay…to a Bike-urious reader! Well, this is quite a listing – and it ends soon, so hurry up! According to the seller, in the inaugural Suzuka 18 hour race of 1964, Hideo “Pops” Yoshimura campaigned two motorcycles: a Honda 305 that won the race, and …
Not For Purists – 1974 Norton Commando 850 Mk2
Post Listing Update: This custom Commando did not meet reserve despite 27 bids up to $8,100. It’s been relisted a few times but bidding has never ended up higher. Here’s a Mk2 Commando that’s been fettled into a moderate custom – purists won’t like it, but YOU might!
Mild Custom – 1958 Ariel Square Four
By 1958 the Ariel Square Four was considered one of the premier motorcycles on earth. A huge powerplant, incredibly smooth, fast. Edward Turner (who would go on to design the Triumph Speed Twin) designed the twin crank 4 cylinder single head motor in the late 1920’s and sold it to Ariel who successfully brought it to market in 1936. It …
Austrian Engineering, Italian Style: 2002 Aprilia RSV Mille
Aprilia has a long history of racing with small displacement bikes. They made their first foray into the Superbike ranks with the RSV 1000 in 1998. The engine was built by Austrian firm Rotax, who have built engines for several other bike companies, including BMW, Buell, and KTM. The RSV engine was a 60 degree V-twin, 998cc, putting out a …
Viktoria – 1978 BMW R100S Custom
Built by Brandon Wulf of Bavarian Cafe, this custom BMW started as a R100S. It received a ‘frame up restoration’ and gorgeous bodywork from Ritmo Sereno. This means we get to play another game of ‘how much is a custom bike worth?’
Rare in the US – 1996 Yamaha TRX850
As it was never officially sold in the US, Yamaha’s TRX850 is a bike that I’ve never heard of before. But with MCN calling it (in hindsight) “the best-kept secreting in motorcycling” and a “forgotten gem,” this bike is definitely worth a closer look. The oversimplified idea was that this was a “Ducati with Japanese reliability.“
1955 Triumph Tiger T110
The Triumph T110 was introduced in 1954 as a replacement to the T100 which was so named because it’s top speed was in excess of 100 MPH. The T110 was the world’s fastest production motorcycle in 1955 and aimed squarely at the American market. In September of 1956 Johnny Allen set the motorcycle land speed record of 214.17 MPH on …
Built like a Sherman Tank! History of the BSA WM20
View PostWidow Maker – 1974 Suzuki TM400 Cyclone
A couple of days ago I wrote up a TS250 Suzuki and mentioned this very bike. Commonly known as the most evil handling motorcycle ever built. It would actually spit you off on the straight and level if you caught the torque band just right. It had a floppy frame (I stiffened mine), poor geometry, and the motor was light …
Sitting Since the 70s – 1947 Velocette MSS 500 Custom
The seller of this bike (same guy with the nifty Triumph flat tracker from yesterday) acquired it from this father upon the latter’s death nearly a decade ago. His dad used to race it in SoCal in the 50s on hill climbs, hare scramblers, flat tracks, and more – plus at one point it was street legal, to boot.
Street Legal – Kawasaki ZX-10 Street Tracker
Many examples of Kawasaki’s literbike Ninja have been converted into streetfighters after they get dumped or wrecked…but here’s the first one I’ve seen that’s been converted into a street tracker! This looks like a very fun way to get into a lot of trouble.
No Reserve Flying Dragon – 1972 Honda CL350
Did you know that in 1972 and 1973, Honda embraced the tie dye movement with an optional set of paintwork called the Flying Dragon. It was available for the CL350 and CL450 – here’s one of the former.
1977 BMW R100S
Post Sale Update: After 26 bids on eBay, this R100S sold for $10,600. If I was shopping for a classic BMW right now, I’d look for a R100S over the iconic R90S just because of how expensive the latter has become. Here’s a beautiful example of the 100S that probably won’t be cheap either, thanks to a restoration that the …
Classic Flat Tracker – 1946 Triumph Tiger 100
This Triumph flat tracker was campaigned in Southern California in the 50s by the seller’s father. Unfortunately, it has sat since 2001 and is worse for wear – do you think it’s worth saving?