Post-Listing Update: This Husqvarna Sportsman 360C was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. In the 60’s, Edison Dye, known by some as the father of American Motocross, convinced management at Husky to build a street-legal dual-sport to compete with the proliferation of similar bikes in the American market, like the Yamaha DT-1. The resulting bike was a high-tech …
Project Brutus – 1978 BMW R100/7 Custom
Post-Sale Update: Project Brutus has been sold. This post written by Brad Calbert.
1983 BMW R80GS
Post Sale Update: This R80GS sold for $6,637 after 27 bids on eBay. Nowadays, the BMW R/GS series is well-known in the motorcycling world as the bikes that launched the concept of big-bore dual sporting. No small part of that is due to the documentary of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman going the Long Way Round the world on BMW …
The Advanced KLR – 1990 Kawasaki Tengai
This Kawasaki Tengai was created as a sister bike to the venerable KLR 650. Magazine tests of the time cited the Tengai as a bit better off-road, and most thought it was better looking due to the extra plastic. With that said, many felt that the improvements weren’t necessarily worth the slight increase in MSRP, especially if you were spending …
1976 Harley-Davidson SS175
Built for 3 years, the Harley-Davidson SS175 was part of Harleys infamous “collaboration” with AMF/Aermacchi.
1999 Cagiva Gran Canyon
Cagiva is an interesting phenomena in the states – they sold poorly, they’ve withdrawn on the US market so dealer support is basically non-existent, and even though they sourced Ducati engines, they never really made the kind of power you’d expect them to. Yet there’s something about these bikes that a niche group of riders finds irresistible, and owners are …
Barely Used – 2014 KTM 1190 Adventure
The KTM 1190 Adventure is the newest in a long line of big dual sports that have typically been more dirt capable than the BMW GS’ or Triumph Tigers of the world. Here’s an example that’s just barely broken in with 2,200 miles, but it can be yours for a healthy discount from MSRP.
1968 Norton P11
Back when AMC owned Norton and Matchless, the latter sold a bike called the G85CS, which was competitive in European motocross. The US west coast distributor sold several but thought they were a little slow for the ‘scramble’ racing that was happening in America, before MX took off. After requesting that AMC put a more powerful Norton Atlas engine in …
Honda TL250
One of the few four-stroke trials bikes of the 70s, the Honda TL250 was developed with tremendous input from Sammy Miller – the license plate of the prototype was SAM 1N. Production started in ’75, and approximately 4,000 bikes were eventually sold, most in the US. The 248cc single produced 16 horsepower. For more information on the TL250, check out …
John Penton’s Racer – 1970 Husqvarna 360 Sportsman
In the 60’s, Edison Dye, known by some as the father of American Motocross, convinced management at Husky to build a street-legal dual-sport to compete with the proliferation of similar bikes in the American market, like the Yamaha DT-1. The resulting bike was a high-tech wonder, the Husqvarna 360 Sportsman. But today I’ll do you one better – this Sportsman …
$1,000 – 1979 Suzuki SP370
The Suzuki SP370 is a hard to find vintage dual-sport that features classic looks and…that’s pretty much it. It wasn’t very powerful (25 horsepower) but cost just as much as Yamaha’s 500cc competitor. With that said, it’s hard to argue with a grand. This example was stored for years and though it needs a little bit of TLC, it currently …
Ending Soon – 1949 Norton 500T Trials
Post Sale Update: After 5 bids on eBay, this 500T sold for $8,700. Before the Norton 500T Trials was released, the English firm had tried their hand in off-roading with a modified version of the Model 18. Riders did not appreciate the latter, but the 500T was a great success which even lead to a ISDT Gold Medal in 1950.
1993 BMW R100GS-PD
Post Listing Update: This Paris-Dakar did not meet reserve despite 9 bids up to $5,555. The BMW BMW R100GS-PD (PD stands for Paris-Dakar) is one of my favorite older dual-sports, even though I think BMW had a lot of trouble developing attractive paint schemes for it. The seller of this bike may have agreed, which is why this GS features …
1971 Benelli Dynamo
11-21 Update: Reader Jim R. notes that this Benelli Dynamo is back up for sale on $1,500 here on Craigslist in Portland, Oregon. Apparently, Benelli made a tiny dual-sport called the Dynamo. Here’s your change to get one in decent shape and have little off-road races with Honda CT70s.
Ending Soon – 1967 BSA Hornet A65H
In the 60s, the US was clamoring for desert racers, and fans of the BSA Lightning were hoping for a stripped down version from the British firm. Enter the BSA Hornet, a 650cc stripper-spec without lighting.