Update: Here’s my review! Back in 2017, Charles Fleming of the LA Times asked me to join him on a ride up California’s highest motorable road – my experience on that ride fueled my review of the Kawasaki Versys-X 300 and introduced me to the Reward Mine, which became the central component of my review of the Royal Enfield Himalayan. …
1992 Suzuki Street Magic TR110
Post Listing Update: This Street Magic got no interest at the opening bid of $2,000 in Ohio. Here’s a contender for best motorcycle name ever – the Suzuki Street Magic!
1974 Yamaha DT250A
Bad markets make for great innovations. In the late 1960’s, the motorcycle market was in a bit of a slump. This forced the innovative companies to dig in and find where there is a market. Yamaha realized that although street bike sales were down, there was still a largely untapped and thriving off-road market available in the United States. Most …
3 Decade Nap – 1968 Wards Riverside Scrambler 250
Post Listing Update: This Scrambler did not get any interest at the opening bid of $1,500. Friend of Bike-urious Dan D recently acquired a mini collection of British bikes he wanted and a Wards Riverside Scrambler that needs a new owner.
Made in Portugal – 2018 AJP PR7 Rally
Founded by Antonio J Pinto in 1987, AJP is a Portuguese motorcycle manufacturer that found quick success with national enduro championships. They’re barely known in the US, but nowadays they offer some price competitive enduros that combine Chinese motors with impressive components that include Sachs suspension, DOMA exhaust, billet bar mounts/footpegs/triple clamps, and even an Android tablet for navigation/gauges.
1 Owner – 1983 Suzuki SP500
“Tough. Gutsy. Fun on the road. Even more fun off.” That’s how Suzuki introduced the new-for-1981 SP500. It was durable but a little overweight, and nowadays it’s tough to find a clean survivor.
Unexpected Sidecar – 1995 Yamaha TW200
The seller calls this Tee Dub the “ultimate bugout vehicle, which seems appropriate as it’s a TW and it’ll be capable of going just about anywhere on or off road (albeit slowly). On top of that, it’s got a sidecar and the requisite army green paint.
Restomod – 1955 Indian Woodsman
Post Listing Update: This Woodsman did not meet reserve despite 25 bids up to $6,311 on eBay in Spokane, Washington. Between 1955 and 1960, Indians sold in the US were actually re-branded Royal Enfields. It was the idea of an English company called Brockhouse Engineering (you may remember that they created the adorable Corgi) who owned the Indian trademark at …
1 of 760 – 1972 Yankee Z500
In the early 70s, John Taylor of Schenectady, New York started building the Yankee Z500, an American dual-sport designed to compete with the best bikes coming out of Europe. Yankee Motor Company started by importing machines from OSSA, the Spanish off-road powerhouse, and then moved to modifying OSSA engines in their own custom frames. Eventually, they combined two OSSA 250cc …
JDM Monkey – 1972 Honda Z50Z K1
Post Listing Update: This Monkey did not meet reserve despite 48 bids up to $6,200 on eBay in Chicago, Illinois. While Honda’s newest miniMOTO is called a Monkey, the model was always previously called the Mini Trail in the US. The “Monkey” on this tank lets you know that is a JDM model, which means it also has a removable …
144 Miles – 1978 Honda CT90
Post Sale Update – this CT90 sold for $2,475 after 33 bids on eBay. 6-9-2019 Update: Over a year later, this CT90 now has 237 miles. Confusingly, the seller says that he/she just got the bike “yesterday” and has only ridden it down the street, but this seems like the same bike to me and it’s being offered by the …
1971 Honda SL70
One of Honda’s many popular small displacement trail bikes of the 70s, the SL70 features a 72cc engine and a four-speed transmission. It was very successful with young riders who were learning how to ride dirt and motocross. It was introduced in 1970 but in 1974 it evolved into the XL70 as the ’73 XR75 was a better option for …
Ending Soon – 1955 AJS Model 18CS
Post Listing Update: This AJS did not meet reserve despite 19 bids up to $4,550 on eBay. The AJS Model 18CS was an evolution of the Model 18 – a bike that can trace its roots back to the G3L, an ex-military bike that was sold off in surplus once the war had ended. The C stood for Competition (as …
1979 Maico GS400 Enduro
Post Sale Update: This Maico sold for $3,505 after 6 bids on eBay. Thanks to a Tusk dual sport kit, this restored Maico is street legal in California. While the headlight runs off the stator, the tail light and turn signals are powered by a rechargeable nickel cadmium battery.