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. The Rapide’s 998cc V-twin was good for 45 horsepower – the Black …
Custom Flat Tracker – 1947 AJS Model 18
Producing just 28 horsepower, the Model 18 was never designed to be quick, but it was easy to ride, comfortable up to about 60 miles per hour, and returned excellent gas mileage. Here’s one that sacrifices a little bit of comfort for a whole lot of style.
2 Miles – 1983 Hesketh V1000
By 1981, England was almost irrelevant in the international game of motorcycle production. So Thomas Alexander Fermor-Hesketh (how’s that for a name?), an actual Lord and Baron who had already started a racing team, decided to start his own motorcycle company. You can guess where he got the name from – enter the Hesketh V1000.
1958 Maserati 50/T2/SS
Over on the auction site, we’ve got a beautiful little motorcycle I had never heard of before. If you haven’t either, let me share some of my research with you!
1939 Peugeot P135 HL
Post Sale Update: This P135 sold for a BIN of $17,000 on eBay in Oceanside, California. In 1936, Peugeot introduced the P135 (350cc) as a lower-cost variant to their 350/500 “Grande Puissance” (“high power”) lineup, which was quite expensive to make, and therefore sell. A HL (Haute Luxe or High Luxury) option added extra chrome on the tank and tool …
Still New – 2007 Bimota DB6
One of the better model names in Bimota history, the DB6 Delirio is a naked standard that was part of Bimota’s rebirth once Roberto Comini acquired the firm in 2003. It was the “cheapest” Bimota in the lineup, though it’s hard to call any bike cheap when the MSRP was just under $30,000.
1934 Harley-Davidson VLD
Post Sale Update: This VLD sold for $28,600 after 19 bids on eBay in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. When the stock market crashed in ’29, most American motorcycle manufacturing firms went out of business. H-D, of course, was one of the few that survived. With only a little bit of money to play with (thanks to Harley’s bottoming out of sales in …
1983 Suzuki GR650D Tempter
This Suzuki is rarely seen in the US as it was only offered here in ’83 and ’84. In other markets it was called the GR650 (and available until ’89), for some reason it was called the Tempter in America. It’s a fairly straightforward UJM but it featured one interesting innovation: a ‘dual-stage’ flywheel with an centrifugal clutch that would …
422 Miles – 2020 Suzuki Katana
Post Listing Update: This Katana did not get any action at the BIN of $9,999. I enjoyed my time with the new Suzuki Katana (did you see my First Ride Review), though I had serious reservations about the fuel range and the price. The range might be tough to fix, but here’s a barely-used example that you can pick up …
2003 Honda XR650R Supermoto
The original XR650R is affectionately known as the Big Red Pig, and it was a desert champion thanks to the monster power and suspension. Those two things also make it a very interesting platform to build a supermoto with.
1970 Royal Enfield Interceptor
In addition to having the classiest name in motorcycling history, the Royal Enfield Interceptor featured a tuned version of RE’s biggest engine at the time. They were only sold in the US and Canada – as a ’70 model, this is a MkII model.
Rare Project – 1987 Yamaha SDR200
Post Listing Update: This SDR200 did not meet reserve with 26 bids up to $2,550 on eBay in Torrance, California. Though it was originally sold only in the Japanese Domestic Market, Yamaha’s SDR200 can now occasionally be found in Europe and the US thanks to the grey-market. Reminiscent of a tiny Ducati monster, the SDR features a distinctive trellis frame.
269 Miles – 1984 Kawasaki GPz750 Turbo
Post Sale Update: This GPz750 Turbo sold for $20,700 after 22 bids on eBay in Marlborough, Massachusetts.. Sold for two model years, the GPZ750 Turbo from Kawasaki is generally considered to be the best of the 80s Japanese turbo bikes that had a brief impact in the marketplace. 112 horsepower was good enough for a 10.7 second quarter mile – …
1 of 300 – 2002 Ducati Foggy Monster S4
Post Listing Update: This Monster S4 sold for $8,500 after 7 bids on eBay. However, the sale fell through and it was relisted – it didn’t meet reserve with 34 bids up to $6,000. If you’re looking at the number of championships and individual race wins, Carl “Foggy” Fogarty is the most successful racer to ever rule in World Superbike. …
1966 Bultaco Matador MK2 Model 16
Post Sale Update: This Matador sold for $4,250 after 28 bids on eBay in Truckee, California. The Mk 2 Matador (also known as the Model 16) was an evolution of the ’64 Matador, a bike designed to do anything between daily commuting and competing in the ISDT. The Mk 2 got a displacement bump up to 250cc.