The Honda NX125 was the smallest of the NX’s, which were only imported for a few years. The combination of XR-roots with a slightly more street friendly composition made it an excellent all-rounder. Offered in the states in 125, 250, and 650cc versions, the NX650 was by far the most popular in the US. In this post I’ve got a …
1990 Yamaha XT600E
In a big trailie comparison story in the 1990 issue of Motorcyclist, the Yamaha XT600 was described as follows: “After ending up king of the dirt last year, Yamaha’s XT600 turned away from its roots and focused on the street. Electric starting, a swoopy new look and a more accessible seat height make it more attractive to all-surface novitiates who …
1992 Aprilia Climber 280
A cost efficient way to get into trials riding (or a really great way to have slow speed fun off-road), this Aprilia Climber features a 276cc Rotax engine.
One Year Only – 1985 Suzuki SP600
6-23-26 Update: Six months later and this bike is now up on eBay with a ~20% discount in the asking price. Find it for $4,999 in Ventura, California here on eBay. In the mid-80s, Honda was enjoying lots of commercial success in the dual-sport world with their XL600R. The other Big 4 companies had their competitors, like Yamaha’s XT600 and …
2006 BMW HP2 Enduro
The HP2 Enduro was the perfect bike for riders who thought the R1200GS was capable but too heavy. Thanks to a trellis frame and conventional telescopic forks, the HP2 saved 53 pounds of weight from the standard GS.
2 Miles – 1976 Harley-Davidson SX250
When Yamaha introduced the instantly-successful DT-1, it quickly led to copies from the rest of the Japanese Big Four…and pretty much everyone else, also. Harley’s attempt with their new Italian parents was the SX175 and SX250. They weren’t nearly as successful, but it’s still interesting to find one almost 50 years later that’s only been rolled around for two miles.
1972 Bultaco Alpina 250
After the success of the Sherpa T, Bultaco released the Alpina 250, a bike specifically built for enduro riders.
1989 Yamaha XTZ600 Tenere
11-7-25 Update: One year later and this bike is still for sale though the price has dropped a bit. You can now find it with a BIN of $5,500 or best offer and a slight location adjustment to Okeechobee, Florida here on eBay. Just look at the paint scheme on this thing. It makes you want to cut the sleeves …
Cheaper By The Day – 1987 Cagiva Elefant 650
The Cagiva Elefant is an interesting odd-ball – an Italian dual-sport with the heart of a Ducati. Available with a 900cc or 650cc engine, this is definitely the most unique option compared to the KLR, DRZ, and XL/XR options available from Japan. The seller of this example is ensuring that it will sell as he’s going to knock off $100/day …
VIN #1 – 2000 Aprilia Pegaso 650 Cube
The Aprilia Pegaso was an excellent dual sport that suffered the same fate as most Aprilias in the 90s/00s – it was poorly marketed and under appreciated, though it was a great bike. Aprilia developed this bike in tandem with BMW, so the latter’s F650 is mechanically almost identical. Aprilia added a few extras that the BMW did not receive, …
1986 Yamaha TT350
Yamaha’s answer to the recently-retired Honda XR350R, the TT350 was a hybrid between their XT dual-sport and the YZ motocross bike. Yamaha marketed it as “Dirt Tough, Street Wise” and “a purpose-built machine that’s perfect for tackling the toughest enduro…or riding to work!” They only sold it for two years, making it difficult to find nowadays.
2000 Moto Guzzi Quota
Moto Guzzi took their well-known 1,064cc twin and threw it in an ADV package to compete against BMW’s GS bikes. The result was as you’d expect – too heavy and under-suspended for serious off-road work, but very capable as a sport-tourer that could also play on fire roads or light trails. This example is well-modified for touring and it’s had …
75th Anniversary – 1998 BMW R1100GS
For BMW’s 75th anniversary, the Germany company created a limited run (750 examples) of the R1100GS. Differences were limited to the special paint scheme and fancy paperwork called the “Edition Folder” for the owner – Euro bikes got a dark smoke windscreen and the US got a clear one.
1990 Honda Transalp XL600V
In the late 80s, Honda offered both an AT and a TA – the Africa Twin and the Transalp. Both were ahead of the times, though the latter was more street-biased. Consider it a jack of all trades sort of bike with a cult following. The US only got the Transalp between ’89 and ’91, and it was much more …
16K Miles – 1988 BMW R100GS
In 1980, BMW released the R80GS, the first dual-sport motorcycle with a large engine that was comfortable and could perform in the city as well as in the dirt. It still stands as a reference today. In 1987, BMW went one step further in the development of their most successful trail model and released the R100GS.