Built by Stan and Pearl Friduss, this Guzzi race bike competed in AHRMA Middleweight Superbike for years, though it’s been sitting for some time and it needs to be awoken from a slumber.
1973 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport
Nowadays, Moto Guzzi offers several variants of the modern V7. They don’t sell particularly well, but they do hark back to one of Guzzi’s prettiest motorcycles of all time – the original V7 Sport. It was an instant classic that was created by Tonti to honor the Italian firm’s racing history.
1955 Vincent Black Knight
Designer Phil Vincent called this “a two-wheeled Bentley” – the Vincent Black Knight was built to be the ultimate sports tourer, a Black Rapide with ample bodywork to keep a rider protected from the elements.
855 Miles – 2002 Yamaha V-Max
The name told you all you need to know: when the V-Max debuted in 1985, it was a cruiser dedicated to speed. Reviewers and consumers responded positively – it instantly won Cycle Guide’s “Bike of the Year” award and it barely had any changes for the next 22 years. It was arguably the definitive muscle bike.
1991 Moto Guzzi 1000S
In 1990, Moto Guzzi released the 1000S, styled to look like an update of the ’75 750 S3. It sold poorly but the classic styling has held up over the years and unlike the average Guzzi, the resale values for this model are somewhat staggering.
63 Miles – 1982 Suzuki GS1100E
In the early 80s, Suzuki knocked off the CBX as the superbike du jour. The Suzuki GS1100E came into the market and instantly became the bike of choice for the power hungry. American press mags constantly raved about not just the power, but also the surprising handling abilities for such a large bike.
Honda “NC431V”
No, the NC431V is not an official model – but it’s a hell of combination: a 2-stroke NS400R engine shoved into a modified NC30 chassis, all wrapped up in NSR bodywork.
1,670 Miles – 2001 Kawasaki ZX-11
Here’s a final-year (and very low mileage) example of Kawasaki’s ZX-11, a bike that enjoyed a lengthy production run (from 1990-2001). When it was introduced, it was the fastest production motorcycle in the world, and it kept that title until 1996 when it was beat by the Honda Blackbird.
1973 Kawasaki H2 750 Drag Bike
Kawasaki’s H2 750 is one of the craziest motorcycles of all time because it pairs an incredible motor with a chassis that simply could not keep up. This bike keeps the motor and takes it to the next level, but also eliminates the whole “need for turning” aspect that helped the stock bike the nickname of the Widowmaker.
1997 Bimota Mantra DB3
Following up on yesterday’s oddball Italian upright is…another oddball Italian upright. The Bimota Mantra is definitely one of the most distinctive motorcycles to come out of the Rimini company’s doors. With that said, I love that they took a chance – you may never see a bike that looks like this again.
No Reserve – 1984 Honda CB125S With 19 Miles
A popular starter bike in the 1980s, the Honda CB125 was commonly used for motorcycle instruction and other situations that often led to abuse and wear. This one, however, looks almost new and has just 19 miles. Per the seller, “the few imperfections on this bike have more to do with storage of 38 years than actual wear.”
Well Modded – 1998 Honda VFR800
The fifth-gen Honda VFR800 brought the model into the modern era with a bump in displacement (if not power), Y2K styling, and the addition of fuel injection. This 1998 VFR is a first-year model from one of the best all-around bikes of all time – and it comes with a whole bunch of great upgrades.
731 Miles – 2006 Ducati Multistrada 1000S
Multistrada is Italian for “many roads”, and that reflects the broad capabilities built in by Ducati and Pierre Terblanche – their attempt at a touring bike you could hustle with. As MCN put it, “On face value, the Ducati Multistrada 1000DS shouldn’t work – monster trailie motorcycle dimensions and posture mixed with street brakes and tyres should equal boingy mess …
1990 Ducati 750 Sport
This 750 Sport is one of the rare reborn SuperSports that America didn’t get got for one year, per Dennis Martin in the comments (thanks, Dennis!). Here in the US, we think of the updated SS generation as the 900 model that debuted in 1991, but Ducati actually tried to bring it back in 1987 with the machine you see …
1980s Moto Guzzi Classic Superbike
Built as a replica of a Guzzi factory race bike created for Dr. John Wittner, this incredible Guzzi features an extensive list of modifications and has been successfully raced in its current form since 2013.