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 …
First Factory Custom – 1973 Triumph X-75 Hurricane
The Triumph X-75 is considered by many to be both the first factory custom and the very first cruiser. Designed by famed American fairing guru, Craig Vetter, the X-75 originally started out as a BSA project. After the company bet all its chips on its Bert Hopwood (and Doug Hele)-designed triple, it was left in a bad spot. The design …
1999 Confederate Hellcat
Confederate has built custom motorcycles since 1991. Known for their aggressive appearance and the use of gorgeous CNC machined parts, they have made a name for themselves with their slogan “Art of Rebellion.” Taking home several pieces of hardware for their work in motorcycle shows across America, Confederate worked their way into several Hollywood productions. With a six-figure list price, …
Carey Hart Custom – 2017 Indian Chieftain
Post Listing Update: This custom Chieftain did not get any interest at the opening ask of $31,999. Among many things in the world of motorcycling, Carey Hart is probably best known for being the first person to land a backflip in competition on a 250cc bike. Carey’s been tightly involved with Indian over the last few years, and this was …
Video Intermission – World’s Largest Production Motorcycle For Sale
Jim Gesto is a trucker who said that he was sick of seeing cars run over motorcycles, so his solution was to “build a motorcycle big enough to run over a car”. I’m not making that up. Per his reading of the law, this is the biggest “trike” he could build that would still be legally designated as a motorcycle, …
1995 Yamaha Virago XV1100
Post Sale Update: This Virago sold for just $1,185 after 6 bids on eBay. 7-24-18 Update: The seller has let me know that he’s put his Virago up on eBay with no reserve, so it’s about to find a new owner – will it be you? Find it with bidding up to $1,009 here on eBay. Introduced in the early …
2001 Chevy V4-Powered Custom
Are you an automotive engine expert? Maybe you’ll know what’s going on here, because I sure don’t. What we’ve apparently got is a “custom built 156 cubic inch Vee-Four Chevy” motor in a “Harley type” chassis. I’ve featured a couple example of the SuperVee (front two cylinders from a SBC Chevy 350) before, but this is even odder.
JDM Bōsōzoku Bike – 1992 Kawasaki ZR400 Zephyr
As motorcycle clubs like the Hells Angels rose to prominence in midcentury America, a similar phenomenon took place in Japan. In the land of the rising sun, the members of these flamboyant moto tribes are known as bōsōzoku, and in the height of their popularity in the early 1980s, there were supposedly more than 40,000 active bōsōzoku on the island …
What Do You Want To Know? 2018 Yamaha Star Eluder
Vy and I are headed down to San Diego this weekend so that I can meet a Bike-urious reader and check out his collection and so she can take a tour of the San Diego Zoo. Our steed for this trip is Yamaha’s Star Eluder, a bagger version of the Star Venture (so Vy will have to make do without …
Severe Cycles Build – Harley-Powered Board Tracker Tribute
I love customs that are built with a spare-no-expense type approach, and this Harley board tracker build is an awesome example of such. Built by Florida-based bagger and chopper specialist Severe Cycles Inc, this professional-grade build blends high-end, modern V-twin technology with visual themes from nearly a century ago.
15 Miles – 1983 Harley-Davidson XR1000
Post Listing Update: This XR did not meet reserve despite 33 bids up to $17,900 on eBay. I’ve featured a couple of low mile XR1000s over the years, but nothing comes close to this 15-mile bike. This is the nicest example I’ve seen for sale. Ignoring the pristine condition, I like the theory of the XR1000, which was to have …
TROG Racer Ending Soon – 1941 Indian Scout Custom
Post Sale Update: This custom Scout sold for $13,600 after 20 bids on eBay. At one point, this Indian Scout was “semi-stock-correct civilian dress” when the seller ran it at the AMCA Allegheny Mountain Chapter National Road Run in 2014, but then it was “bobbed, stroked to 46 cu. in. with Bonneville cams, broken in approx. 500 miles, then run …
1972 Harley-Davidson FLH Police Sidecar
Post Listing Update: This interesting police sidecar was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. Factory police sidecars are quite rare (in fact, nowadays they’re just about non-existent), but there are a few police departments that swear by them, particularly in cities with inclement winter weather. One such city is Washington DC, where Harley sidecars have played a significant …
The Original Italian Power Cruiser – 2012 CR&S Duu
CR&S is a boutique Italian manufacturer that is in many ways comparable to Arch Motorcycle. The two both produce ultra top-shelf, S&S V-Twin-powered, performance-oriented cruisers, but while Arch’s models have received ample public attention and media exposure, CR&S’ offerings are little known in the good ol’ US of A, which is a damn shame considering the Italian marque makes some …
Purple Rain Replica – 1979 Honda CM400A Custom
From Steve McQueen’s Triumph TR6 Trophy Bird in 1963’s The Great Escape, to Peter Fonda’s custom Harley-Davidson Hydra Glide “Captain America” bike in 1969’s Easy Rider or Tom Cruise’s Kawasaki GPZ900R from 1986’s Top Gun, pop culture has given rise to a number of iconic two-wheelers over the years. One of the best-known scoots to be featured in popular culture …