Royal Enfield has just released two models powered by an all-new 650 twin motor, but the seller of this bike beat them to the punch. The title tells you what you need to know – this is a Royal Enfield that’s had a heart transplant. The seller says he “decided to change the motor to make it a reliable daily …
Unexpected Custom – Yamaha Seca 2 Dual-Sport
My first bike after undergrad was a beat up Yamaha Seca 2 that I bought for $600. I thought it was a pleasant bike, but I never thought it would make a good platform to go off-road with. Thankfully, the builder of this bike doesn’t think like I do.
190 Miles – 1981 Honda CM400A Hondamatic
In the early 80s, Honda donated a few motorcycles to schools all across the country. The most valuable finds nowadays are the occasional CBX or two that appear with no miles after sitting in a school storage room for decades, but Honda provided some twins and four-cylinder models, too. One example of the former is this CM400, which stands out …
Diesel Conversion – 2006 Honda Rebel
Last month, I shared a Qujos Trailmaster that had been converted to diesel power. Today, we’ve got a bike you’ve heard of. In 2015, the seller swapped out the motor of this Honda Rebel with a 740cc Kubota diesel powerplant.
Street Legal – 1976 Husqvarna 250 WR
The styling of the front fender doesn’t match the rest of the bike, but the dual-sport kit means that this iconic Husky is now street legal. Take the good with the bad, and then maybe take some time to get a different headlight and front fender. The 250 WR is one of Husqvarna’s most famous machines, as it was one …
1982 Honda CX500 Turbo
The 80’s were a crazy time. Music was being produced without instruments, and manufacturers had to think outside the block (see what I did there?) to breathe life back into powerplants that were being choked by new emission standards. Turbochargers were the name of the game, and luckily the Japanese were up to the challenge. Honda slapped a turbo on …
In Canada – 1965 Honda CB160
View Post2003 KTM 525 EXC
Short of the engineering masterpieces that are modern day supernakeds, I don’t know if it is possible to have more fun on the street in terms of smiles per gallon and value for money than a dual-sport or supermoto. I don’t care how much power you have, there’s nothing more fun than all of it. The KTM 525 EXC made …
1969 Garelli Rex KL125
Post Listing Update: This Garelli did not get any interest at the BIN of $2,495. American Rex Corporation used to be located at 1216 Monte Diablo Avenue in San Mateo, California. They imported Italian-made Garellis under the name of Garelli-Rex, and the naming convention was KL + the ccs of displacement. In period advertisements, American Rex referred to “KL” as …
1992 Honda CBR600F2
Honda introduced the 600 CBR series in 1987 – most riders remember it as the “Hurricane”. The second generation (F2) was built between 1991 and 1994, and it was an excellent performer for the time. This example stands out as it’s adorned in a delightfully ’90s paint scheme.
1963 Norton Electra
In the late 50’s and early 60’s, Norton produced a couple of smaller displacement bikes in the hopes of appealing to starting riders. They had the 250cc Jubilee and the 350cc Navigator, both of which were 4 stroke vertical twins. In 1963, at the request of the US importer Joe Berliner, they bumped the size of the Jubilee up to …
1986 Yamaha Fazer FZX700
Also known as the Baby V-Max, the Yamaha Fazer FZX700 was quite a revelation when it was released – the styling was distinctive and it was quicker than riders expected. No one complained about the speed, though not everyone loved the looks, and the bike didn’t sell tremendously well.
Baby Harley – 1974 Harley-Davidson X-90
In the early 60s, Harley-Davidson had to make changes to resist advancements from the Japanese. Indeed, specialized in big V-twins only, Harley did not have any bikes to get into the small-size engine market. To fix that, the American brand decided to outsource their production of small cc bikes to the Italian manufacturer Aermacchi. Among the various bikes built in …
1969 Kawasaki C2TR
Post Sale Update: This C2TR sold for the BIN of $2,650. Nowadays with “dual-purpose” bikes we see imposing bikes with high-power engines, but this was not the case a few decades ago. Indeed, the image of dual-purpose bikes changed in 1984 with the release of the R80G/S, first all-road bike with such a big engine. Before that, these kinds of …
1973 Honda ST90
Post Sale Update: This ST90 sold for a best offer of $1,400 on eBay. After the huge success of the Monkey in the US, Honda decided to release a slightly bigger version of their baby-bike, the CT70. The CT, also called Dax in other countries, is a mini dirt bike that was used both for leisure in American families as …