We have featured several BSA Victors over the years here. They are always a crowd favorite, and could serve as the poster-boy for the original “dual-sport” concept – take a race bike, add lights, a mirror and pretty it up a bit, and go!
Silver Surfer – 1992 Honda NX650
Another day, another NX650 custom! Yesterday I featured the “Growler”, a minimalist take on Honda’s dual-sport that was slightly more street-oriented than the XR650. Today we’ve got the “Silver Surfer”, built by Jeffrey Wardenaar at Motogadgets.
Growler – 1988 Honda NX650 Custom
Some of my favorite customs nowadays are based on the Honda NX650 (known outside of the US as the Dominator). While my absolute favorite Dommie is this beauty by Andrew Greenland, I’m also enjoying this build called “Growler” by Neuga out of Budapest, Hungary.
1970 Rickman Triumph Metisse
Most of you know the story of brothers Don and Derek Rickman, who started out in the early 60’s building custom frames for British scrambles bikes and later road racers. Their frames were light and rigid, and they incorporated some innovations such as oil-in-frame, eccentric swingarm adjustment,and larger diameter telescopic forks. The frames were very popular with racers, enough so …
1969 Ducati 450 Scrambler
Post Listing Update: This Scrambler was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. Ducati of the ‘60s and ‘70s had a history of being between extreme financial peril and a rosy business outlook. The Scrambler series was conceived and delivered during one deep, dark period of potential business failure and had a significant impact on the very next period …
102 Miles – 2005 Beta 450RR
In 2005, Beta stated selling enduros to complement their trials bikes. It was called the RR model range, and they used KTM RFS motors between 250cc and 525cc. Here’s a 450cc example with just 102 miles.
Twisted Throttle Threesome
Twisted Throttle is letting go of three of their shop vehicles – a BMW S1000RR, Yamaha Bolt R-Spec, and Honda NC700X. All of them are impressively farkled.
1971 Triumph T25T Trailblazer
Built for just two years the T25T (1970 and ‘71) was an attempt by the Triumph/BSA brain trust to capitalize on the scrambler craze. The styling was good with a unique exhaust setup but they had a reputation for heavy vibration and weak gearboxes. Whatever the reason they just didn’t sell very well which puts them squarely in today’s collectible …
1977 Penton GS6 250
In 1977, Penton introduced the GS6 (GS = Gelande Sport where Gelande translates to terrain or off-road, 6 = number of speeds in the transmission). It had a similar frame to the MC5 motocross bike but it came with an orange enduro tank, side panels, and a number plate with a headlight.
1969 Bultaco Matador
About the ’69 Matador, Cycle World said it has the “uncanny ability to change its character from that of gentle trail plodder, to hard-charging racer, to graceful trails mount, to occasional ride-to-work tool.” This example is almost completely restored – just missing some “correct fasteners.”
1972 Yamaha DT1
Like most earthshaking ideas, the idea behind the 1968 DT1 was simple. Build a sturdy dirt bike with good suspension travel. Give it good power and handling. Add lights to make it street legal and make it half the price of the Husqvarna 250. Everybody loved it. From the press to first time riders and everybody in between. The initial …
1984 Honda XLV750R
View PostSidecar Adventure Rig – 1991 Suzuki DR650
This Suzuki DR650 has grown quite an appendage – a sidecar specifically designed for overland exploration. Now you can take everything AND the kitchen sink with you.
1986 Moto Guzzi V65 TT
TT stands for Tutto Terreno – and that translates to All Terrain. Think of this as Moto Guzzi’s entrant into the market of big dualies that BMW invented with the GS. With the proven V65 engine and Tonti frame coming together in a package that was only about 400 pounds wet, the TT had some potential.
Well-Preserved Survivor – 1984 Honda XL350R
Cycle World said the XL350R was 1985’s best Dual Purpose bike, and Cycle named it one of their top 10 motorcycles of the year, saying it “may be the best-balanced dual-purpose bike ever.” Here’s a lovely example that just happens to be number 52 off the production line in 1984.