David Yetman was born in 1938, and he fell in love with motorcycles as a military serviceman stationed in Japan. He specifically appreciated the “high level of performance” that Japanese manufacturers were able to extract from small bikes. Years later, he crashed his Honda CB77 and ruined the frame. He couldn’t afford to replace the frame, but instead of totaling …
Off-Road-Spec – 1973 Honda QA50 K1
Released in 1970 on the heels of the wildly successful Z50A, Honda’s QA50 was an off-road version of the popular minibike with bigger tires, some different cosmetic elements, and none of the road-going bits. The first generation of the QA50 was dubbed the “K0”, followed by the second gen “K1” in ’73. In addition to being offered in different colors, …
Rare Project – 1972 Fox Tracker
Post Sale Update: this Fox Tracker sold for $930 after 20 bids on eBay. No, it’s not the Fox you’re familiar with. This Fox was called Fox Corporation, and it was based in Janesville, Wisconsin. It was very difficult for me to find official information on this company, but I’ve seen anecdotes that they offered six different models of minibikes …
Heathkit Boonie Bike GT-18
Heathkit was founded in 1926 in Saint Joseph, Michigan as a subsidiary of the Heath Company – they sold light aircraft kits. But they didn’t hit their peak until after World War II, when they offered electronic kits such as oscilloscopes. In 1968, they got in on the mini bike craze with the GT-18, which was marketed as the “Boonie …
Swiss Army Bike – 1974 Condor A350
How often is a great product held back by a single component? Car makers, musicians, and companies throughout history sometimes could have made something great if they had outsourced one piece of their product. An amazing guitar player sometimes can’t write a great song to save their life, but if they play someone else’s great song, they might have a …
1970s Gemini SST 50
Post Listing Update: This Gemini did not get any interest at the BIN of $2,300. Imported for just three years, the Gemini SST 50 was much faster than a Honda 50 thanks to a licensed design of Yamaha’s rotary intake valve engine – last time I featured one of these, multiple commenters said it was faster than the Honda 70, …
Thunderstorm Heads – 1997 Buell S3T Thunderbolt
View Post2010 Royal Enfield Bullet 500
My buddy Bryan Wood is looking to sell a Bullet 500 – you may remember him from a guest appearance in the Beater Olympics as well as his coverage of The Desert Race. I figured I’d just let him take it from here:
Up-Specced and Fullly-Faired – 2005 Suzuki SV650
As a competent and economical platform, Suzuki’s SV650 makes for a solid choice as the base for a wide array of different types of builds. A popular move is turning the mid-sized twin into a sport or track bike, and that’s exactly what we’ve got here; a well-farkled SV that’s been equipped with a myriad of cosmetic and performance modifications/upgrades.
1996 Aprilia Moto 6.5
Phillipe Starck is a well-known French product designer and motorcycle enthusiast. In the mid 90’s, he combined those two facets to design the Aprilia Moto 6.5, an in-town runabout that oozes style – but is it the kind of style you like? They are rare finds as they were never imported to the US, which normally translates to high asking …
1984 Suzuki GS1150EF
Suzuki didn’t start producing 4 stroke engines until 1976 when they released their first GS model, the 750. Before that, the company strictly made two-stroke machinery, and were the last of the Japanese manufacturers to begin producing 4-stroke engines. They patterned, a nice way of saying borrowed, their 4-cylinder engine from Kawasaki, more specifically the Z1 900. Kawasaki separated themselves …
Two-Stroke SuMo Conversion – 1975 Yamaha DT400 Custom
In 1968, Yamaha introduced the 250cc DT1, a 22hp two-stroke enduro wrapped in a double-loop cradle frame. The DT was something of an instant hit, and the Tuning Fork company followed it up with the introduction of the 125cc AT1, as well as the larger 360cc RT1 in 1970. By ’75 Yamaha had bored out the RT1’s single to 397cc’s, …
2000 Suzuki SV650
Has there ever been a more universally loved bike that the Suzuki SV650? The more I immerse myself into the motorcycling community, I really wonder. This is all subjective of course, but there really isn’t a lot to complain about with the SV. It came along and dominated the mid-sized bike market in 1999. Even if you don’t love it, …
2007 Yamaha FJR1300
Why do we like some brands more than others? I feel like I’m an equal opportunity gearhead: I’d happily ride a Ducati, or a Triumph for example. They’re both great manufacturers that do different things extremely well. But if you made me choose, I think I’d pick a Triumph. Why? I couldn’t really put my finger on it. I’ve owned …
Plated – 1999 ATK 600DT
In a 1998 advertisement, ATK called the 600DT the only “factory-built dirt tracker”. They said it was race-ready thanks to a Rotax motor, their in-house frame, Brembo brakes, WP suspension, Talon hubs, SuperTrapp exhaust, and plenty more quality components.