The Cushman company was created in 1903 in Lincoln, Nebraska and in 1913 they incorporated as Cushman Motor Works. The company built engines for pumps, farm equipment, lawn mowers and boats, most notably their ‘Husky’ brand. A strategy for survival in the Great Depression the company began making scooters in 1936 and continued until 1966. OMC (Outboard Marine Corp) acquired …
Composimo Built – 2015 Honda Grom Custom
Over the years, a custom Grom built by Composimo has been the most popular post on Bike-urious. I don’t think this will be as popular, but it’s an interesting effort that was built for last year’s Handbuilt Motorcycle Show.
1974 Norton Commando 850 Interstate
The Commando name actually spans 6 different models: the Roadster, Fastback, Hi-Rider, Production Racer, Interpol, and the Interstate. The Interstate is today’s featured bike, and you can probably guess from the name that it was designed to be a long distance tourer. The 828cc variant was released in 1973, adn the main difference from the base bike was the large …
Restored – 1973 Honda SL70
Post Sale Update: After being relisted several times, this SL70 sold for a lowered BIN of $3,950. One of Honda’s many popular small displacement trail bikes of the 70s, the SL70 features a 72cc engine and a four-speed transmission. It was very successful with young riders who were learning how to ride dirt and motocross.
Easy Resto? 1972 Yamaha DT250
When Yamaha introduced the DT line in 1968 it was an absolute winner. Probably the first Japanese crossover bike aimed strictly at the dirt, the 1968 DT sold out before the model year was ended. By ‘72 Yamaha switched to reed valve induction which brought up the HP considerably. Yamaha also produced a motocross (MX) and enduro specific models in …
Restored – 1968 BSA Spitfire MKIV Special
Post Listing Update: This Spitfire got no action at the opening bid of $8,500. 1968 was the last year of the “Mark” Spitfires, and just 1,291 of them were built. Improvements over the MkIII included Amal Concentric carbs and a twin leading shoe front brake. Here’s a beautifully restored example that features the Euro market (read: much better looking and …
804 Miles – 2005 Honda RC51
Post Sale Update: This RC51 sold for $10,000 after 49 bids on eBay. Honda’s iconic RC51 was built in two versions – the SP1 and the SP2 (the latter was introduced in 2002). The SP2 was an accumulation of what Honda learned in World Superbike racing – it gained two horsepower and lost some weight in the process, as well. …
1975 Honda CB200T
Introduced in 1973, the CB200T was fairly popular as a cheap runabout. This restored example looks great – and with an asking price of $1,600, it can still play the role of cheap transportation in your daily commute.
1966 Norton Atlas Cafe Racer
Post Listing Update: This Atlas cafe did not meet reserve with 21 bids up to $6,000. It seems that my buddy Tom Wacker ruffled a few feathers with his last post about an Atlas, so I’m curious to see how y’all respond to this non-stock example. =)
1978 BMW R100/7
Between 1976 and 1980, BMW produced 12,029 examples of the standard R100/7. Here’s one of them that’s claimed to still run like a Swiss watch.
A Roman Holiday Lives! – 1952 Vespa
In 1952 Audrey Hepburn was certainly one of the most beautiful women on earth, and when she rode on Gregory Peck’s Vespa in the movie A Roman Holiday the scooter’s success was assured. First introduced as a 1947 model they sold 2,500, by 1950 the numbers were up to a very respectable 60,000 units, but 1952 and Roman Holiday and …
“Woody” – 1979 Honda CX500 Custom
I don’t understand this listing, and I don’t really like the bike. The combination of the two is just so odd that I feel obligated to share it. So, what the heck are we looking at?
Restored SD900 – 1977 Ducati Darmah 900
After the 860GT flopped, Ducati released the sport touring Darmah SD900 – and it was much more successful from a commercial standpoint. Plus it just looks much better, even if that’s a subjective observation. Here’s an example that’s been restored to the impressive standards of Austin Vintage Cycle.
1956 Ariel HT5 Replica
Between 1958 and 1964, the Ariel HT5 racked up 161 trial championship wins at both the UK and international levels. Finding original examples of the bike is no easy task, but even today there are companies that make replica frames. Throw in an Ariel 500cc engine and you can complete the rest – or you can just buy this one.
Sitting Since 1983 – 1975 Kawasaki Z1 900
Post Sale Update: This Z1 sold for $12,001.69 after a whopping 114 bids on eBay. Prices for Z1s have been steadily increasing, which is why I’m no longer surprised when I see bidding approaching $10k for a one-owner example that hasn’t been registered in over 30 years.