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Sparkling – 1990 Honda VFR

In Japan, Less than 5k, Sport by JoeLeave a Comment

Entering its third generation, the 1990 remake of the VFR signaled the repositioning of the series away from its sport bike beginnings and into a sport touring role. Marketed as a thinking man’s motorbike, the model gained some cool updates along with a few pounds, and lost the “Interceptor” tag. The ’90 was available only in the Italian Red seen …

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1960 Moto Guzzi Zigolo 110

In Italy, Small Displacement by AbhiLeave a Comment

Post Listing Update: This Zigolo was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. Introduced in 1953, the Zigolo was Guzzi’s first partially-enclosed motorcycle. It was designed to be cheap transportation for the masses and it featured a 98cc two-stroke engine. In 1960, Guzzi introduced the Zigolo 110, which obviously got a slightly larger engine but also gained hydraulic suspension. …

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Ex-HMC Racer – 2013 KTM SMR450

In Austria, Race by AbhiLeave a Comment

Post Listing Update; This SMR was relisted a few times but it never got any interest at a lower BIN price of $10,500. The SMR450 is one of KTM’s best examples of their “Ready to Race” motto. Fast, rare, and aggressive, it’s a great platform to compete in supermoto racing with – if you can find one. This example stands …

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1983 Suzuki GR650D Tempter

In Japan, Less than 5k, Standard by AbhiLeave a Comment

I haven’t featured a Tempter in years, but now you get two in one week. As a quick refresher, this bike was only available in the US for two years – this is the higher-level “D” model which comes with two-tone paint, adjustable front air forks, and alloy wheels. According to a ’83 review from Cycle World, the GR650 produced …

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In Italy – 1967 Gilera 202 Super

In Italy, Standard by AbhiLeave a Comment

In 1909, Giuseppe Gilera was just 22 when he started Moto Gilera. Over time, Gilera grew into a marquee manufacturer. World War II got in the way but in the 50s, riders on Gileras won the 500cc World Championship 6 times in 8 years. To help pay racing bills, the company sold a series of small street bikes, like this …

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1968 Bridgestone Mountain 90

In Dual-Sport, Japan, Small Displacement by AbhiLeave a Comment

In 1964, Bridgestone introduced a series of 90cc motorcycles – there were 9 different models based around 4 primary designs. One of the designs was the Mountain, and you can probably guess by the name that this was built to go off-road. Here’s an example with an older restoration that’s been sitting for a decade and a half. Someone needs …

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1975 Penton KTM Hare Scrambler 250

In America, Austria by AbhiLeave a Comment

Post Sale Update: After 25 bids on eBay, this Penton sold for $5,400. In 1968, John Penton and KTM started their fruitful relationship when they built some prototypes that eventually became the Penton Berkshire, powered by Sachs 100cc engines. In ’73, the Penton Hare Scrambler was introduced with a new 250cc KTM engine, and the rest was history.

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2003 Honda CBR954RR

In Japan, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

Produced for just two years, the 954 generation of the Honda Fireblade was commercially overshadowed by the competition from Suzuki and Yamaha, but I always thought it was the most “practical” literbike you could buy at the time. That inherently might have been the problem – who was looking for practical supersports? I fell in love with the Fireblades after …

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1994 Ducati E900 Elefant

In Dual-Sport, Italy by AbhiLeave a Comment

Ducati was sold to Cagiva in 1985, and one of the things the latter did with this infusion of bikes and technology to try and compete in the Paris-Dakar rally. They created the Elefant, which won the rally in 1990 and 1994. In the US, the bike was branded as the Ducati E900 – this may give you a hint …