Sunbeam developed their first OHV motors in the mid 20s, and their 492cc “Longstroke” motor was particularly successful in racing and street trims. The street bike took its name from the motor, and it was known as the Model 6 Longstroke until the early 30s, when the bike was refreshed and renamed to the Lion.
Rare Running Project – 1985 Pulse Autocycle
Post Sale Update: This Autocycle sold for $8,600 after 71 bids on eBay. It probably comes as no surprise to learn the Pulse Autocycle was the brainchild of an aircraft designer. Jim Bede is best known for bringing the world the BD-4 and BD-5 aircraft kits — the latter of which made an appearance in the 1983 James Bond movie …
1935 Indian Dispatch Tow
Post Sale Update: This Dispatch sold for $32,500 after 22 bids on Bring a Trailer. According to The Iron Redskin, the Indian Dispatch Tow was built to fix a problem that a Packard dealership was having near the Indian plant. The dealer wanted a way to deliver customer cars without requiring an additional employee with a car to go alongside. …
Dirt Hack – 1996 BMW R1100GS with DMC 72D Sidecar
Named “WIMPA”, this is one of the best dirt-focused sidecar builds I’ve seen in a long time. The seller only finished the build last year, and he notes that it’s a good choice for someone who’s getting older (and doesn’t have the same confidence off-road as they once did) but still wants to get out in the wilderness. It’s also …
Reader Ride – Baker Formula One Sidecar
5-30-2018 Update: Two years later, this interesting sidecar is now actually up for sale! “The electric motor has since been removed and a race-prepared Suzuki GSXR 1000 engine and 6-speed transmission will be included along with a bodywork mold, extra wheels, and a North Carolina bill of sale.” Find it with bidding up to $2,750 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina …
1995 MZ Silver Star Gespann
Post Sale Update: This MZ sidecar combo sold for $5,400 after 5 bids on eBay. 4-6-18 Update: As noted in the comments below, the seller has relisted this MZ over three years later. Find it with an unmet opening bid of $5,000 here on eBay. Post-Listing Update: After being relisted, this Gespann did not meet reserve at $7,890. The MZ …
105 Miles – 1995 MZ Silver Star Classic Gespann
The “Gespann” was MZ’s factory sidecar option for the Silver Star, and this example has just 105 miles!
Electric Trike – 1963 Harding Motor Chair
Based out of Bath, England, RA Harding was one of the premier manufacturer of “invalid carriages.” They also developed some trikes with a variety of power options – hand-propelled, gasoline, or what we see here today: electric.
“V10 Sport” Sidecar – 1999 Moto Guzzi V11 Bassa
Post Sale Update: This custom Guzzi sold for $8,000 after 16 bids on eBay. Known as the Jackal in Europe, the V11 Bassa was Moto Guzzi’s “Cruiser Italiana”. They said it had “attitude with atmosphere” and it was designed to add some Italian style to the cruiser market that America so thoroughly enjoyed. Yet none of that really seems to …
1988 Honda Gyro UP
Post Sale Update: The seller lowered the BIN to $1,700, and that’s the number it sold at! I’ve featured several examples of Honda’s quirky 3-wheeler called the GYRO (which is apparently an acronym for “Great Your Recreation Original.”) The US only got one of the versions, a “S” model that was focused on just carrying a rider around. But Japan …
Land-Doo – Custom Sea-Doo Trike
Built by placing a Sea-Doo body on a homemade frame (isn’t that a sentence that inspires confidence?), this custom trike would be an amusing way to get around town before you were inevitably arrested and tested for a DUI.
Unexpected Motor – 1986 Porsche 928S Powered Trike
Porsche has gotten involved in motorcycle engine design before – they were brought on to help develop the Revolution motor for Harley-Davidson’s V-Rod back in 2002. That liquid-cooled motor developed a very non-Harley number of 120 horsepower, and that might be what inspired the creator of this crazy build to build a trike around a different Porsche motor – the …
Harley Trunk – 1939 GouldCar
Post Listing Update: This GouldCar did not meet reserve with 14 bids up to $1,025. James Goulding founded the Goulding Sidecar Manufacturing Company in Australia but he debuted his offerings in the US in the year 1920 with a 12,000-mile journey around America with one of his sidecars attached to a 1917 Harley-Davidson Model J. He made a lot of …
Hurricane Sidecar – 1990 Honda CBR1000F
Post Sale Update: This Hurricane hack sold for $4,949 after 40 bids on eBay. Introduced in 1987, the Honda CBR1000F was also known by a very 80s name: the Hurricane. It was a sport-tourer with a 135-horsepower heart. The powertrain earned a reputation for being stout, though early models did have a cam chain rattle that Honda had to take …
Rare Trike Project – Muskin Tri-Cat
Based out of Colton, California, the HPE Muskin Cement Corporation specialized in pool construction but when the minibike craze took off in the US they decided they could also make some money with small vehicles. I’ve featured a few examples of their most common product, El Gato