These days, almost anyone can find a specific make and model listed for sale within minutes. What is significantly harder, and often takes weeks or months, is finding the right bike for you. Especially when it comes to classic bikes, the provided documentation can be the difference between a great investment and a never ending hellfire fueled by cash. This …
1986 Yamaha V-Max
In the motorcycle history, the end of the 60s was the start of a new era: the Japanese one. The air-cooled inline four, such as the found found in the revolutionary 1969 Honda CB750, was the new standard of power and smoothness. Exit big American V-twins and unreliable, shaky British twins. At the end of the 70’s, Japanese manufacturers tried …
2009 Buell XB12XP Ulysses Police
For years, Harley-Davidson dominated the American police cruiser market. Though BMW, Kawasaki, and other manufacturers are now also making motorcycles you’re constantly scanning for when you’re on the road, Harley also offered a police variant of the Buell Ulysses called the XB12XP which offered better ergonomics and the potential for easier patrolling on fire roads or rough surfaces. This example …
Rotary Engine – 1976 Suzuki RE-5
In 1919, young German engineer Felix Wankel started thinking about an engine that could be an alternative to the classic internal combustion engines. The engine would still work via internal combustion but instead of pistons and rods, Wankel thought about a simple rotor that would activate a shaft. Wankel got his first patent in 1929, and 28 years later (1957) …
Bike Review – 2018 Royal Enfield Himalayan
View PostOutboard Motor Powered GP Racer – 1974 König 500
The König 500 and Kim Newcombe will be forever intertwined, as you can’t tell the story of one without the other. The tale of the Kiwi and his outboard motor-powered GP racer is an unlikely one, boasting equal parts triumph and tragedy. Born in New Zealand in 1944, Newcomb was raised in Auckland where he discovered two passions early on: …
2010 Honda VFR1200F
Honda entered 2010 with a significant update to the VFR. A new 1,200cc V4 offered torque across the rev range and a buttery smooth transmission to match. Well engineered and designed with intent, the VFR 1200F was an effective tool for mile munching both with haste and comfort. It was also the first production motorcycle with an available DCT, if …
On Any Sunday – 1974 Honda CR250M Elsinore
In the beginning of the ’70s, road bikes were starting to commonly adopt 4 stroke engines, but off-roaders were sticking to 2 strokes. Though the Japanese manufacturers had a lot of success in America with small off-road bikes, Honda struggled to a competitive off road bike. The principal reason for this is because Honda revolutionized the road bike market with …
SN #1 – 1998 Bimota Mantra DB3
8-13-2018 Update: Four years later, Rob B notes that this example (VIN: ZES1DB314WR000001) is back up for sale with a new owner (and it’s crossed the country in the process). There’s some additional details – apparently the previous owner removed the “complicated fuel pump system” so the bike is now just gravity fed. Mileage is up to 9,200 and the …
1971 OSSA Pioneer 250
Ossa was a Spanish firm that offered a wide variety of dirt bikes to cover anything that an off-road enthusiast could want to do. The Pioneer was OSSA’s enduro bike, though realistically the pavement experience was limited to putting around in town. In the dirt, it was quite impressive for something that was street legal. In fact, in a 1969 …
1982 Honda FT500 Ascot
No matter the definition, a “thump” evokes something rather violent and loud. From that word came the name “thumper”, a term used to describe a single cylinder bike, typically displacing 350-500cc, a specialty of British manufacturers with bikes like the Norton Manx or the BSA Gold Star. Thumpers were easy to maintain, had a lot of torque and were recognizable …
TR7T-Inspired – 1978 Triumph T140E Custom
Post Listing Update: This custom Triumph did not get any interest at the opening bid of $5,000. In 1981, Triumph created a dual-sporter based on the TR7V Tiger in response to BMW’s R80GS. It was called the TR7T Tiger Trail, and it was never officially exported to the US because of emissions regulations. It was an interesting (and very yellow) …
1986 Moto Guzzi V65 TT
8-12-2018 Update: Three years later, this bike seems to be back up for sale (at least based on the reference to the serial number). It’s available in Lawrence, Kansas with quite a jump in the asking price – now it’s $6,500 here on ADVRider. After BMW carved out a new niche of the motorcycle market with the GS, many competitors …
1960 Cushman Eagle
Founded in 1903, Cushman was a Nebraska-based company that specialized in the construction of small engines destined to be installed on bicycles or carriage. At the time, the demand for that kind of engine was very high, which kept the company pretty busy. Right in the middle of the Great Depression during the 30s, Cushman set two ambitious objectives, creating …
Race Replica Restoration – 1989 Yamaha FZR400
The replica arms race of the 1980s was fiercely competitive, with manufacturers jostling for supremacy in the market. These full-faired machines started by aesthetically mimicking the factory racers, but over time companies added an increasing amount of race-bred hardware. Eventually some marques were developing their competition mounts alongside the road-going replicas. One segment manufacturers focused heavily on was the 400 …