I may never understand why little Hondas that never got out of the crate are so valuable, but I still feel obligated to share them with you. Fresh off a recent sale at Mecum, here’s a pair of ’99 Z50s that are still in the crate. The bidding is already over $16k with over 4 days left to go…
2004 BMW Rockster R1150R
The BMW Rockster was an interesting variant on their naked bike of the time, the R1150R. The Rockster was BMW’s take on a streetfighter of sorts, made by pulling together the headlight from a R1150GS, gauges from the R1100S, and throwing them onto the R1150R with a distinctive paint job.
$1 Million Asking Price – The Recidivist
Surely the asking price is for attention’s sake (and it’s worked in this case), but the real headline here is that this is claimed to be the “world’s first tattooed motorcycle”. That’s right: “light colored cow hide leather – similar to the color of human skin – is engineered onto the bike. Artists from professional tattoo studios applied traditional works …
SuperHawk – 2002 Honda VTR1000F
I think the SuperHawk is one of the most underappreciated motorcycles in recent memory. Honda reliability, streetable ergonomics, and a lovely V-Twin motor. Think RC51, but easier to live with.
Rare in the US – 1994 Kawasaki Estrella
I know many of you are fans of the Kawasaki W650 – but did you know that Kawi made a little brother with a 249cc engine that was never officially sold in the US? The model debuted in 1992, and it was originally called Estrella (Spanish for “Star”). In 2017, it was given the name it deserves: the W250.
Pick up a Pair – 2x Honda GB500
I’ve featured more than my share of the Honda GB500 over the years, but this is the first time that I’ve seen a pair offered up together. The seller and his wife ride these together (including a 3,000+ mile trip last summer) and he knows that if he only sells one, he’ll be looking for a second one soon enough. …
Rare in the US – 1970 Gilera Gaucho
Gilera had a licensing partnership with a manufacturing plant in Argentina that produced bikes under two different names – Gilera and Gina, a combination of GIlera and ArgentiNA. It combined “Italy’s finest design engineers and the genius of Argentina’s master craftsmen.” One of their models was the Gaucho, and this one has somehow made its way to the US.
New In Crate in Germany – 1984 Ducati 900 MHR
Built to celebrate Mike the Bike’s comeback triumph at the ’78 Isle of Man TT, the Ducati 900 MHR (Mike Hailwood Replica) was initially produced solely for homologation purposes. As such, just 200 were built in 1979. But demand was so high that Ducati decided to keep production going, and by the end of the run in 1986 the Italian …
Steyr-Daimler-Puch 250 Racer
2-10-20 Update: Another 3+ years later and this Puch is up for sale again. It’s since moved to the Midwest and the price has dropped once more. You can now find it at Throttle Stop in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin with a BIN of $8,000 or best offer here on eBay. 8-15-17 Update: 4 years later, this gorgeous racer is back …
1 of 30 – 2007 Harley-Davidson Elvis Presley 30th Anniversary
In honor of the 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death, the CEO of 11 Harley-Davidson dealership (including Graceland Harley-Davidson) created a Signature Collection of 30 Softail Deluxes that were styled to look like Elvis’ black 1957 FLH.
New In Crate – 2000 Honda CBR929RR
Technically the fifth generation of the CBR900RR, the 929 was a solid improvement on a legendary motorcycle but by this point Yamaha and Suzuki had released new versions of the R1 and GSX-R1000, leaving Honda lagging behind. Because of that, the CBR929RR didn’t sell nearly as well as the Yamaha or Suzuki, but outright performance won’t matter in this case …
1947 Indian Chief
In 1947, Indian sold approximately 12,000 examples of their legendary Chief, the only bike that they offered immediately after World War II. This one has been restored and is ready for a new owner to enjoy it on the road!
1964 Moto Beta XTR 100
Yes, this is the same Beta that you can get an impressive off-roader from nowadays, but 50 years ago they offered a complete range of small dual-sports and street bikes. The seller calls this a MC 100, but I really think it’s a XTR – any Moto Beta experts out there know for sure?
Rare in the US – 2004 Honda FTR223
Nowadays, the “FTR” model is heavily associated with Indian and the FTR1200. But Honda beat them to the punch with a motorcycle that was never officially sold in the US, their own Flat Track Racing inspired FTR223! Here’s one that’s made it to the US and is currently titled in Oklahoma.
1972 Kenny Dreer Norton VR880 Commando Sprint Special
Yet again, Norton Motorcycles is in trouble. But instead of focusing on the negative, let’s go back in history to a time when someone was trying to save the name. That someone was Kenny Dreer, who started restoring Nortons at his shop called Vintage Rebuilds (VR) near Portland, Oregon. As the 1990s came to an end, he started building his …