In the 1956 Catalina Grand Prix, nearly 1,000 riders came together to fight it out and earn the title of champion. The guy who succeeded was Chuck Minert, who won on a BSA Gold Star. BSA’s West Coast distributor asked for a replica of the winning bike, and the result was the BSA Catalina Scrambler.
One Owner – 1978 Harley-Davidson XLCR
The XLCR is a Harley that I can’t help featuring, mainly because of how different it was from everything else they were building at the time. It was also one of the many bikes in history that was initially hailed as an instant collector bike…that no one bought. Designed by Willie G. Davidson, this bike was supposed to be a …
1973 Triumph Hurricane
The Triumph Hurricane represented a paradigm shift in motorcycling manufacturing, as it was the world’s first factory custom motorcycle. The brainchild of Craig Vetter (well known as a motorcycle designer and manufacturer of custom motorcycle fairings) and Don Brown (General Manager of BSA), the Hurricane was created when Brown called Vetter up on a secret project to create a better …
2003 MZ Baghira Black Panther
MZ decided to expand their product line with the introduction of the MZ Baghira, a dual sport with excellent components – bodywork from Acerbis, motor from Yamaha, and suspension from WP. It all combined to make a rare and very satisfying dual purpose motorcycle.
1972 OSSA Pioneer 250
A 250cc enduro from the Spanish firm OSSA, the Pioneer was impressive enough that a Cycle World staffer was so impressed with the test bike he got for a review that he ended up buying his own. Cycle World called it “one of the ruggedest bikes made” and one that was “happiest in the boondocks.”
2002 Ducati MH900 Evoluzione
I realize it’s kind of an odd thing to say with a bike that costs just under $20,000, but this is one of the lowest prices I’ve seen for a MH900e in a while.
1954 BSA Gold Star CB34
One of my favorite British singles that isn’t Emma Watson, the Gold Star is a legend in the history of motorcycles. Here’s an example of the CB34 generation that’s recently been restored.
One Owner – 1974 Harley-Davidson Sportster XLH
Post-Sale Update: After 48 bids on eBay, this Sportster sold for $7,200. Here’s an impressively preserved example of a XLH Sportster from back in the AMF days of Harley-Davidson. Despite being 41 years old and having some (as the seller calls it) ‘beauty marks’ like a crack in the speedo and some scratches on the tank, this is a beautiful …
Clean Classic – 1975 Yamaha XS650
The Yamaha XS650 is a well-known classic medium displacement standard. Produced between 1968-1985 (though the US stopped getting them in 1983), they weren’t a game changer but I’m on a temporary kick for well-preserved bikes that were popular 40 years ago – I’m sure plenty of you readers used to have one and wouldn’t mind a bit of nostalgia.
1972 Moto Guzzi Ambassador
Post-Sale Update: This Ambassador was snagged for the BIN of $5,000. Produced for just a few years, the Ambassador was never as well known as bikes like the Eldorado (which replaced this bike). Built to target the American market, MG saw a way to compete with Harley with a 757cc variant of the venerable V-Twin.
2006 Honda XR400SM
Introduced in 1996, the Honda XR400R was impressively successful – Dirt Rider magazine notes that it was the only 400cc bike at the time that had any sort of low-end or mid-range power. Honda barely changed the bike until they discontinued it in 2004 and replaced it with the CRF450X. But in 2005, Honda released a new variant in just …
1973 BMW R75/5
The owner of Fastheads is letting go of his personal ride, a solid R75/5 that he’s owned for the last 20 years. The bike now has 62,573 miles and the only non-OEM parts are the handlebars, mirrors, grips, and battery. It comes with the original tool set and everything is claimed to work great. Find this slash 5 for sale …
1975 Laverda SFC Electronica
Even the “base” SFC 750 is a legendary bike, but near the end of production, it got just a little bit better with the Laverda SFC Electronica. It was named for the incorporation of Bosch electronic ignition, but that wasn’t the extent of the modifications.
2011 KTM SMR 990
One of the craziest supermotos ever built, the KTM SMR 990 is pretty much the epitome of a hooligan bike.
Harley-Davidson XR1200
A slight departure from Harley’s normal bikes of the time, the XR1200 was almost instantly raced in Europe as soon as it was released to the public. Built as an homage to the flat-tracker XR750, this was a bike designed to handle the curves as well as the straightaways. For more on the XR1200, check out this review from webBikeWorld.