2-6 Update: About 16 months later, this Robin is back up for sale but it’s now on eBay with more information and pictures (plus you can watch the Top Gear bit again). This example (VIN:9519203V) has 74,600 miles and because it’s now on eBay instead of at Mecum, we know what the asking price is – find it in Anaheim, …
“Monster Killer” – 2004 Benelli TnT 1130
TnT stands for Tornado Nuda Tre, which should give you a few ideas about this bike. It’s naked, it’s fast, and it’s powered by an awesome triple engine. If you’re a patient rider, you’ll be rewarded by what MCN called “one of the best ever incarnations of the naked motorcycle.”
Preserved Survivor – 1984 Honda XL350R
In 1985, Cycle World called Honda’s XL350R the best dual-purpose bike of the year, noting that riding most dualies ‘is a lot like going shopping with your grandmother: It’s all right as long as no one see you…while the owner of an XL350R might not have the fastest, most expensive, or most prestigious bike on his block, there’s a good …
In England – 1990 Moto Morini Dart
When the Dart was introduced, Moto Morini was owned by Cagiva – at the time the latter had no mid-sized bike in their model range. They decided to remedy that by taking the frame of their Freccia 125, and then shoving in a Morini 350cc V-Twin. It’s odd to see an air-cooled engine surrounded in plastic, but hey, this was …
1978 Yamaha XS750
In 1973, Yamaha released the TX750 – an incredibly smooth parallel twin that journalists loved…until the fancy Omni-Phase balancer that kept the twin as smooth as a four started eating up crankshafts. Even though Yamaha fixed the issue pretty quickly, the reputation of unreliability had already stuck – the bike was out of the market after 1974. Still, Yamaha knew …
1985 Suzuki RG400 Walter Wolf
Introduced in 1983, the RG-Gamma series spanned displacements between 250 and 500cc – but the cream of the crop was the Suzuki RG400 Gamma Walter Wolf – a bike made for just two years and only sold in Suzuki’s home market of Japan. None of them were officially exported. A replica of the race bike, it was full of the …
Do You Believe? Pre-Production Suzuki RG500
Post Listing Update: This Suzuki was relisted and then pulled off of eBay because the bike is “no longer available.” The seller of this bike claims it is the only known no-mileage (though there’s 9 kilometers on the odometer) pre-production RG500 in the world, complete with a letter of authenticity from Suzuki that says this bike “is a pre-production motorcycle …
Showroom Condition – 1977 Honda XL175 With 481 Miles
Post-Sale Update: After 51 bids on eBay, this XL 175 sold for $3,500. Honda’s XL series of “enduro” or dual sport bikes began in the early ’70s and continues to this day. The early models steadily grew in displacement over the years and were all distinguished by their single-cylinder, four-stroke engines. These were not true off-road designs, but street riders …
1988 BMW R100RS Cafe Racer
Built by Joe DeMoss of Euro Cycles of Tampa Bay, this RS was built into a cafe racer over a nine month build. How do you think it turned out?
New In Crate Moto3 Racer – 2016 Honda NSF250R
Post-Listing Update: After getting no action at $12,850, this was weirdly relisted at US $13,400…where it again got no interest. 2011 marked the end of two-stroke world championships – the next year, Moto3 moved to four-strokes, and Honda’s first factory effort was the NSF250R. Rules capped bore size at 81mm, revs at 14,000 rpm, and valves at four. Claimed power? …
1967 Montesa Impala 250 Sport
Post-Sale Update: After 40 bids on eBay, this Impala Sport sold for $7,200. The Impala 175 was introduced in 1962 and produced just 10.5 horsepower because Montesa wanted to ensure the bike was reliable – the factory decided to prove that by sending three bikes through Africa, covering 12,500 miles in the process. A Sport version was released, which pushed …
1978 BMW R100S
I have an R90/6 that I’ve been putting a lot of miles on lately. The other night I was walking out to my bike from a pizza place in a shopping center and a drunk 25-year-old came running out of a TGI Fridays yelling at me. I have a soft spot in my heart for immature drunk guys in their …
1971 Suzuki T250 Hustler Cafe Racer
Built by Tired Cycles, this little cafe racer is based on Suzuki’s Hustler – a 247cc two-stroker from the 70s. The stock ’71 Hustler weighed 319 pounds dry and was motivated by 33 horsepower and 22 pound-feet of torque from the air-cooled twin engine. Obviously, this example is a bit different from stock, thanks to some parts I like: DG …
1976 Yamaha RD400
This is a first year example of the big RD – an excellent example of a hooligan bike. The 399cc engine was an evolution of the powerplant from the RD350, and it was good for 44 horsepower and a top speed of about 105 miles per hour. Thanks to a repaint and some storage, this is one of the cleaner …
Not a Jota – 1977 Laverda Jarama 1000 3CL
In America, Laverda offered the 3CL (and the up-spec Jota), but they renamed the former the Jarama in 1978 after the racetrack in Spain. It didn’t sell particularly well in the United States, so some dealers converted the base Jaramas to Jotas (and some people call these “Jarotas!) With all that said, here’s a decent example of this hard to …