I’ve had several readers share with me that they recently picked up a new Africa Twin. All of them have been suspiciously happy with them so now I’m looking forward to trying one myself. Still (as is inevitable with a bike that had a waiting list) some riders put a few miles on their new bike and end up looking …
No Reserve – 1972 Hodaka Ace 100
Post Sale Update: After 36 bids on eBay, this Ace sold for $1,030. The Ace was Hodaka’s first motorcycle, the result of a partnership between Hodaka in Japan and the Pacific Basin Trading Company (Pabatco) of Athena, Oregon. It started off as a 90cc trail bike when introduced in 1964, but by ’68 the Ace was up to 100cc – …
POS – 1993 Yamaha Seca II Custom
6-15-16 Update: Reader Matthew J. found this bike back up for sale here on Craigslist in Excelsior, Minnesota for $3,500. Post-Sale Update: This “POS” sold for $1,850 and after 41 bids on eBay. Adorned with “POS” on the tank, this is an interesting custom “dirt fighter” based on a Yamaha Seca II.
2007 Sherco 5.1i Enduro
Want a high-quality enduro but think Gas Gas or Husaberg are just too well known? Maybe Sherco is the company for you. Named after a hybrid of Bultaco and Sherpa, Sherco was founded in Spain in 1998. Nowadays they also have a production facility in France, and across both countries they build trials, supermoto, and enduro bikes. Here’s an example …
345 Miles In Canada – 1980 Honda CT110
The CT110 was introduced in 1980 as the successor to the CT90. The clutchless four-speed transmission freed p your left hand, which is one of the reasons why it became popular as a delivery bike for postal workers in Australia and New Zealand. Here’s a first-year example of the breed with barely any miles that’s claimed to be all original …
1968 Bridgestone Mountain 90
In 1964, Bridgestone introduced a series of 90cc motorcycles – there were 9 different models based around 4 primary designs. One of the designs was the Mountain, and you can probably guess by the name that this was built to go off-road. Here’s an example with an older restoration that’s been sitting for a decade and a half. Someone needs …
2005 Husaberg FE550e
In 1987, Husqvarna was bought by Cagiva and it became part of MV Agusta. Many engineers from Husky’s development team decided to stay in Sweden and they founded Husaberg in 1988. They were competitive in racing but sales were lackluster, and in ’95 the brand was sold to KTM. By 2003, KTM was producing Husabergs themselves. You know KTM’s slogan, …
1994 Ducati E900 Elefant
Ducati was sold to Cagiva in 1985, and one of the things the latter did with this infusion of bikes and technology to try and compete in the Paris-Dakar rally. They created the Elefant, which won the rally in 1990 and 1994. In the US, the bike was branded as the Ducati E900 – this may give you a hint …
950 Miles – 1968 BSA Firebird Scrambler
Some Beezer fans consider the Firebird Scrambler to be the best bike that BSA made, which might make sense considering it was the last new design they created before they went out of business in 1973. It wasn’t as popular as the Gold Star but by this point BSA was in dire straits financially, and they couldn’t support the marketing …
In Canada – 1993 Honda Africa Twin XRV750
Honda’s bringing the Africa Twin back this year, though it never officially made it to the US in the first place. Our Canadian brethern were lucky enough to get the XRV750 generation – it’s become a cult classic over the years. Because of this, it’s hard to find an AT in the States, but maybe someone ambitious feels like importing …
Dual Sport Custom – 1966 Honda CB160
Post-Sale Update: This custom CB160 sold for $1,850 after 26 bids on eBay. This interesting custom was built by a Connecticut craftsman who went by the name of “Flat-Head Jack.” The New England Motorcycle Museum acquired 26 of Jack’s bikes for their upcoming collection, however they’ve run into some financial issues and are liquidating some motorcycles to try and salvage …
939 Miles – 1983 Honda XL185S
With over 30 years of life and less than a thousand miles on the odometer, this small XL is in impressive original shape. It’s not cheap, but I can’t say I’ve seen a nicer example of the breed before.
1,759 Miles – 1989 Honda Transalp
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.
Cheap and Getting Cheaper – 1977 Honda XL250S
As of the date of this post (5/22), this XL250 is $1,400. Every day that goes by with it still in the seller’s posession, that price drops $100.
Airhead Dual Sport – BMW R75/6 Custom
It’s a little bit of an ugly duckling, but this slash 6 has been turned into a competent pavement-indifferent runabout.