The dual-sport cousin of the Black Bomber, Honda’s CL450 was the best selling of the scramblers of the day. Because of this, you can find one with relative ease even though they haven’t been made in 40+ years. With that said, this one stands out from the rest as it’s impressively being offered by the original owner.
Your Alaska Steed – 1989 Honda Transalp
Need a bike for a long trip? It needs to be reliable, comfy, and not too complicated to fix if it needs work in some far-away place. Here’s your bike. It is a 1989 Honda XL600V Transalp. While it was common in Europe for many years, not that many were sold in the US. It is a 600cc V-twin that …
1985 Moto Guzzi V65 TT
Post Listing Update: Despite 49 bids up to $3,200, this TT did not meet reserve. If you want a Guzzi dual-sporter nowadays, your only option is the pavement-focused Stelvio. But back in the 80s, Guzzi tried to take on BMW and their new-at-the-time GS with the Tutto Terreno (TT).
Ending Soon – 3 Tiny Restored Hondas
You all know I love the Honda S90 (probably irrationally so), but it’s the CL90 that really gets my attention in this trio of 3 Honda 90s that were restored by South Brooklyn Moto.
Scrambled Brit – 1969 BSA 441 Victor Special
It’s hard to look at the 1969 BSA 441 Victor and not swoon over it at least a little bit. For its time, it was rugged-looking. The mid-scrambler pipe and polished aluminum tank with the front half partially adorned in a gloss yellow didn’t exactly hurt it in the looks department either. These bikes exude an old-school cool that wonderfully …
Cosmetic Custom: 1982 Honda FT500
Single-cylinder machines make for solid flat track builds. The power on these examples are surprisingly well suited for dirt ovals, especially for a road bike engine. Despite this being a 35-year-old machine, it was just recently rebuilt and has been kept pretty immaculate in the roughly 275 miles put on it since the build was completed. With so many ultra …
1965 Honda CL72 Scrambler w/ Belly Tank Trailer
Post Sale Update: This unique combination sold for $6,600. The fine folks at Bring a Trailer (appropriately named in this case) have got one of the coolest bike/trailer packages I’ve seen in a while. A ’63 Honda Scrambler (’63 VIN but titled as a ’65) that was given a refresh 50 miles ago. It looks clean and normally it’d be …
Ending Soon – 1986 BMW R80GS
If you enjoy an adventure motorcycle nowadays, you probably enjoy it to the existence of this bike – the BMW R80GS. This example stands out thanks to a Paris-Dakar tank and a motor/transmission rebuild about 35,000 miles ago.
XRV750 – 1990 Honda Africa Twin
If that lead photo doesn’t make you want to buy this bike and travel, something might be wrong with you. The seller is a bit of an Africa Twin nut – I featured another one of his ATs for sale a couple of weeks ago. It’s been modified to better suit taller riders, it has relatively low mileage for this …
1974 CZ 250 Enduro
In a period review, Motor Cycle News out of England called the CZ 250 Enduro “possibly one of the best trail bikes ever.” Most of CZ’s competition, especially the Japanese, built trail bikes by starting with street-oriented models. CZ started with their last-gen MX bike and used that as their platform instead. The result was excellent.
Triumph and Tribulations – Exploring the UK, Day 3
View PostScrambler Build in Scotland – 2001 Kawasaki W650
With the vast majority of today’s retro-inspired so-called “Scramblers” not being particularly competent off-road machines, one builder in the U.K. opted to instead buy a modern-retro standard and turn it into a bulletproof bonafide off-roader. The results are an awesome machine reminiscent of when Scramblers were actually made to scramble complete with a high-mounted exhaust and many of the other …
No Reserve – 1989 Yamaha TDR250
Post Sale Update: After 30 bids on eBay, this TDR sold for $5,995. Ultimate Dual. That’s what Yamaha slapped onto the tank of the TDR250, and it was a unique descriptor for a unique bike. A retuned TZR250 two-stroke motor good for nearly 50 horsepower in a dual-sport frame was unlike anything available in the US at the time – …
Rare in the US – 1977 Honda CT125 Trail
In Australia, Honda sells a series of Agricultural bikes with features like front and rear racks, comfier seats, backup kickstarters, and even a clutch lock so you can leave your bike in gear and hop off to open a gate. Back in the 70s, Honda sold a farm version of the XL125 off-roader. It was called the CT125 Trail and …
Go Anywhere – 2016 Husqvarna 701 Enduro
Thanks to $6,000+ in well-thought out upgrades, the seller calls this Husky the “ultimate lightweight ADV bike.” He may not be exaggerating.