We’ve shared all kinds of hybrids with fun names here on Bike-urious beyond the usual “Triton” – Norvin (Norton frame, Vincent motor), Esquire (Norton frame, Ariel Square Four motor), a Narley (Norton/Harley) and even a Burton (Norton/Buell). But here’s a first on these pages – a combination of a Norton frame and BSA Gold Star engine called the NorStar.
400 Engine – 2005 Kawasaki Ninja 250
Over at Iconic we’ve featured all kinds of top-tier and expensive machinery, but to me this little sleeper is one of the most interesting motorcycles we’ve ever featured. This is a Kawasaki Ninja 250 which had a blown motor and was replaced with the drivetrain from a new-ish Ninja 400!
2002 Ducati 998 Custom
Built by Johnny Nguyen of Upcycle Garage in Huntington Beach, California, this Ducati 998 has obviously been highly customized – what do you think about it?
Salt Flat Racer – 1971 Suzuki 250
This Suzuki 250 was turned into a land speed racer to compete at the Bonneville Salt Flats – unfortunately this year the Bonneville speed trials were cancelled due to rain and the owner of this bike is leaving the country before the next running. So now you can try to make his dreams happen!
1966 Triton
Two days ago I shared a Norton frame with an unexpected engine inside of it – today we’ve got something a bit more traditional: a Norton slimline featherbed frame that’s been stuffed with the 650cc engine from a Triumph T120R Bonneville.
Evel Knievel’s Stratocycle – Harley-Davidson XLCH
8-28-23 Update: Two years later and it’s still up for sale, but now it’s back up to $200k. We’ll see how that goes…find the Stratocycle in Los Angeles here on eBay. 7-21-21 Update:Another 3 years later, Tim Huber notes that this famous Harley is now for sale by Heritage Auctions. They’re accepting offers for another couple of weeks, and the …
BSA Framed – 1964 Velocette MSS 500 Custom
First released in 1935, the Velocette MSS was a semi-stalwart that was built until 1968. The long production run is a little misleading, as the MSS was interrupted by World War II. The model was relaunched in 1954 with the same name but a complete redesign – it featured a MAC frame, optional bags, and sidecar mounting lugs on the …
Banshee Powered – 1989 Yamaha Street Tracker
This week I shared a modern Yamaha in the yellow/black speedblock livery – now it’s time for an older one! This fascinating Kenny Roberts-inspired Street Tracker was built by Englishman Joe Banks as “a fusion of vintage inspiration and modern engineering”.
Signed by Kenny Roberts – 2016 Yamaha XSR900 60th Anniversary
Over on the auction site, we’ve got a show bike used by our friends over at Motodemic. They used this to demonstrate the parts they make for Yamahas, and they’ve only put 92 miles on it since new.
Dustbin Fairing – 2009 Moto Guzzi V7
I’ve always loved the aesthetics of dustbin fairings, though they were banned in 1957 as FIM thought that they made bikes unstable at high speeds as soon as a little bit of yaw was introduced – plus the limited steering lock and stability when encountering crosswinds. I’m sure modern technology and aero could help with that, but I think we’re …
Trackmaster Framed – 1960 BSA Rocket Gold Star
This gorgeous street tracker combines a Trackmaster 4130 chromoly frame with a BSA Rocket engine: at one point the seller calls it a Rocket Gold Star motor and at another point he calls it a Super Rocket, are you able to confirm?
Forward Controls – 1981 Honda CB750 Custom
I’m really not sure how to describe this but I had to feature it anyway – it’s rare to see a motorcycle where the rider is in front of the engine.
In France – 1979 Yamaha 350 With Corki Frame
Based in France, Moto Corki was the brainchild of Lucienne Cordonnier. He built his own frames – as noted by Satanic Mechanic it was a backbone design ‘probably inspired by Egli but unlike the Egli and its successors, the backbone extended down to the swingarm pivot in a 110 degree angle.’ Another website suggests that the Corki name came from …
BikeEXIF Feature – 1986 Suzuki GSX-R750 Custom
Built by Victor Wilkens of Seattle, Washington, this custom GSX-R750 has a delightfully 80s vibe but it features a 90s Bandit 1200 motor (similar power, but 20 more lb-ft of torque).
1980 Suzuki GS750E Restomod
Whenever I see a listing with the term “restomod”, it’s typically a crapshoot about what work has been done and what the seller thinks a restomod is. But here’s one that nails the intent (at least in my mind) of keeping vintage aesthetics while giving the performance a significant (modernized) boost.