The Kawasaki Z1RTC has the distinction of being the ‘first’ of many things. Most importantly, it was the first turbocharged bike released into the market, kicking off the 80’s turbo bike rush which included bikes like the Yamaha Seca Turbo and the Honda CX650 Turbo.
No Reserve – 2006 BMW HP2 Enduro
Post Sale Update: This HP2 Enduro sold for $15,910 after 19 bids on eBay. One of the biggest issues with eBay is how easy it is for a seller to pull a bike early for any (in)valid reason. So it’s nice to see this seller, who guarantees his cool HP2 Enduro will be finding a new owner.
$2,500 – 1989 Kawasaki EX500
You asked for more affordable bikes, so here’s another one for you. Between 1987 and 1990, the Kawasaki EX500 won Cycle World’s “Best Under 500cc Streetbike”, because they considered it ‘unusually capable and versatile’.
1966 Greeves Challenger
Founded by Bert Greeves, the Greeves motorcycle company started when Bert was mowing his lawn and thought of mounting a lawnmower engine to the wheelchair of his disabled cousin to help with mobility. That led to a government contract, and Bert was inspired by his success to start building motorcycles as well. The company was quite successful with exports – …
1967 Bultaco Metralla
View PostHalloween – 1974 Ducati 750 GT
Post Sale Update: After 36 bids on eBay, this Ducati sold for $32,155. Fully restored in the distinctive orange/black paint scheme, this Ducati 750GT (VIN: 755193) is claimed to have been restored to museum quality by Austin Vintage Cycle, who have documented the process with a lot of photos here on their site.
1941 Royal Enfield WD/C
Royal Enfield built a series of WD (War Department) motorcycles for the British war Office for WWII. The best known was the 125cc Flying Flea, though one of the bigger options was the 350cc WD/C in front of you today.
9 Second KZ – 1979 Kawasaki KZ1000 Drag Racer
I realize the market for drag bikes is not a big one, but here’s something to mix things up a bit. The engine has V&H heads and has been bored out to 1,428cc – this in combination with a backcut transmission, Dyna race ignition, racing cams, and a whole lot more has enabled this bike to run a 9.93 at …
1968 BMW R69S
Post Listing Update: This R69S was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. From a 1962 review in Cycle World: “Whatever the BMW’s merits in a contest of speed, it is still the smoothest, best finished, quietest and cleanest motorcycle it has ever been our pleasure to ride. To be honest, we think that anyone who would worry much …
1985 Pulse Autocycle
View PostOne Owner – 1989 Moto Guzzi California III
Built between 1987 and 1991, the Moto Guzzi California III was an evolution of the cruiser Guzzi first developed in collaboration with the California Highway Patrol to replace CHP’s fleet of V7s.
Reader Ride – 1986 Yamaha Radian YX600
Introduced as an all new bike, the Yamaha Radian YX600 actually was a bit of a parts-bin special – ignoring the bodywork, the only unique parts were the front forks and rear shocks. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t an enjoyable ride – think of it as a standard with V-Max inspired styling, and an affordable way to get into what’s …
1993 Yamaha GTS1000
For only one year in the US, Yamaha sold a sport-touring bike that was far ahead of its time – the GTS1000. Full of technology that would not make its way to most bikes for years to come, the GTS featured fuel injection, ABS brakes, and most importantly, the RADD front suspension designed by James Parker. This suspension was able …
2008 Bimota Tesi 3D
View Post1950 Vincent Rapide Series C
The baby brother to the legendary Black Shadow, the Vincent Rapide was sold from 1936-55 in 3 distinct ‘Series’. The final run was the Series C, which commenced in 1949. It offered the Rapide as a base model and the Black Shadow as the higher state of tune.