Last week I shared a fun VJ22 SP that we had over on the auction site, and I think this predecessor from the same seller is visually even better. I guess I like soda over cigarettes?
ELR Tribute – 1981 Kawasaki GPz550
Kawasaki’s Eddie Lawson Replica is a memorable motorcycle of the 80s, which also means it’s become a pricey collectible nowadays. Here’s a fun way to get some ELR style on a budget.
1 of 21 – 2003 Cannondale S440
In the late 90s, Cannondale (the well-known bicycle manufacturer) tried to move into motorsports, with an off-road bike, a supermoto, and an ATV. Long story short, it was a disaster. $80 million later, the company declared bankruptcy, having left behind an interesting story of what happens when you can’t live up to the hype. Most people know about the dirt …
1962 Honda 240 Port Cub
The Honda Cub is fairly ubiquitous, but this variant is hard to find nowadays. Built for just a couple of years, it was designed to be cheaper and thus have a wider market appeal than the Super Cub. It had a slightly different pressed steel step thru frame and the plastic leg shield was removed.
“Team Suzuki” – 1991 Suzuki RGV250 VJ22 Lucky Strike
Tobacco advertising has led to some of the greatest liveries in motorsports, but some countries were quick than others to ban advertising from cigarette companies. One such country was Australia, which stopped allowing such advertising in the early 90s. In response, race teams and advertisers often came up with alternatives that swapped out certain words but tried to keep the …
Gene Romero Tribute – 1972 Trackmaster Triumph T120R
Over on the auction site we’re mixing things up a bit with some great flat trackers and dirt bikes from a local collector. This one’s my favorite – a T120R engine (with a 750cc Routt big bore kit) stuffed inside a Trackmaster/Ray Hensley frame that’s been built as a tribute to Gene Romero’s 1972 National Championship-winning bike.
2 Kilometers – 2002 Ducati MH900e
Over on the auction site, we’ve got a never-ridden example of one of the most visually-extreme Ducatis in the last 30 years. Originally a sketch from the legendary Pierre Terblanche, the design got Ducati plenty of positive feedback so they decided to post a survey on their website to see if their passionate fans would actually buy a production version. …
Original Police Paint – 1953 Harley-Davidson FL
The seller of this bike is seriously lacking details in the listing, but this Panhead is claimed to be a California Highway Patrol bike that’s still got the original paint. This example (VIN: 53FL3547) shows 51,000 miles on the odometer and the seller makes no claim as to if it runs, simply asking you to contact him if he’s interested …
1995 Kawasaki GPz1100
Post Sale Update: This GPz sold for $4,250 after 19 bids on eBay. In 1995, Kawasaki brought back the GPz moniker for something that MCN called “more sporty tourer than sports tourer.” This was partially because it was built to a price, and partially because the motor was a detuned unit from the Ninja ZX-11 that was dominating American highways …
1991 Honda EZ90 Cub
The Honda EZ90, also known as a Cub, was produced from 1991 until 1996. Designed for off-road use only, lots of Cubs were used as pit bikes (even by Honda’s ChampCar and IRL teams) as well as runabouts strapped on the back of RVs and campers.
2000 Royal Enfield Taurus Diesel
I’ve featured a few diesel-powered motorcycles on Bike-urious, but they are typically gas-powered bikes that have had a diesel conversion. Here’s a rare example that was fitted with a diesel engine from the factory – an experiment that Royal Enfield tried between 1993 and 2000. They called it the Taurus.
1975 Kawasaki Z1
The Z1 was Kawasaki’s “bigger is better” counter to the Honda CB750, and it was a legendary motorcycle that Team Green has recently tried to recapture the magic of. The 903cc motor was so big that Kawasaki couldn’t even sell it in their home country of Japan, which had a 750cc displacement cap at the time.
2013 Milwaukee Yamaha R1
Sponsored by Milwaukee Tools, this Yamaha R1 was built in 2013 by Shaun Muir Racing in the UK to compete in the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix. The bike was quite successful at that goal, winning the 2013 running with TT legend Ian Hutchinson as pilot and then placing 2nd in the 2014 running with Michael Rutter (another multiple Isle of …
Retro Military Custom – 1988 BMW R100GS
Well, this is one of the odder customs I’ve featured here on Bike-urious! This is first-gen BMW R100GS that’s been converted into a “retro military” custom – the seller says that it “would make a great showpiece for a veterans non-profit or VFW hall.” What do you think?
Barry Sheene Bates Leathers
Over on the auction site we’ve got an interesting leather suit from arguably the most famous British motorcycle racer of all time, Barry Sheene. Barry won the 500cc World Championship in 1976 and 1977 aboard a Suzuki RG500 and his 1977 Championship stood as the last British solo motorcycle championship for decades until Danny Kent won the Moto3 Championship in …