I first heard about Matt Brown on one on my favorite episodes of Jay Leno’s Garage – he bought a Honda S600 without an engine and then swapped in the drivetrain from a Honda CBR1000RR sportsbike. Jay calls him part of the “more-brains-than-money club”, and it looks like Matt’s attitude hasn’t changed as he also found himself trying to build …
Rare Project – 1973 Alouette AX125
Post Sale Update: This AX125 sold for $1,026 after 5 bids on eBay. Marketed as “The Multi-Purpose Motorcycle”, the AX125 was an idea that made sense on paper – Alouette was a Canadian snowmobile manufacturer that decided they should also sell dirt bikes so that there dealerships would have products to sell and maintain when there wasn’t snow on the …
Trials Junkie Duo – 2 Montesa Cota 123s
If you are at all familiar with Trials, then you are certainly familiar with the name Montesa. Montesa is a Spanish company that has been around since 1944. Formed by Pedro Permanyer and Francisco Bulto, they flourished from the 50’s through the 70’s making small-displacement bikes for the postwar market. They produced numerous road-going models, most notably the Brio and …
Restored – 1974 Ossa Phantom 250
Post Listing Update: This Phantom did not get any interest at the asking price of $3,450. When Honda debuted the CR250M (known as the Elsinore in the US), it was an instant classic and a terrifying prospect for manufacturers focused on two-stroke off-roaders like Penton, Hodaka, and Bultaco. OSSA also felt threatened by Honda’s new development, and they countered with …
Non-Runner – 1974 Carabela 200MX
Post Listing Update: This Carabela did not get any interest at the BIN of $1,950. East Coast Vintage MX is currently offering a rare Mexican dirtbike for display purposes as it’s not running. Even if this doesn’t appeal to you, they’re in the process of liquidating 30 bikes so if you’re a fan of classic MX bikes (especially hard-to-find Euro …
Doubled Displacement – DT100-Powered 1988 Yamaha YSR50
Produced from ’87 to ’92, Yamaha’s YSR50 was a mini sport bike that offered many amenities typically reserved for larger displacement models. Because of this, the full-faired 50cc scoot frequently had its engine swapped-out for something more powerful as the bike’s stock sub-40mph top-speed really left something to be desired. This particular example has had a 100cc Yamaha enduro engine …
Rare OHC Duck – 1958 Ducati Sport 100
Founded by brothers Adriano and Bruno Cavalieri as well as Marcello Ducati, what we now call “Ducati” first started out as “Societa Scientifica Radio Brevetti Ducati” back in 1926. The Bologna-based company got its start by manufacturing radio components, mostly for the Italian military. Unfortunately this made the company’s factory a target for being bombed in WW2 – something that …
Rare Trike Project – Muskin Tri-Cat
Based out of Colton, California, the HPE Muskin Cement Corporation specialized in pool construction but when the minibike craze took off in the US they decided they could also make some money with small vehicles. I’ve featured a few examples of their most common product, El Gato
Two-Stroke Tiddler – 1972 Suzuki AC50 Maverick
The 1960’s and ’70’s were a golden era for small-displacement bikes. One of the noteworthy little “tiddlers” from this era was the Suzuki AC50 Maverick, a 50cc scrambler produced from ’70 to ’74. The Maverick never had the same level of popularity as Honda’s Cub C110, but the AC50 supposedly held the title of world’s fastest 50cc production bike at …
Fighting Red – 1990 Honda Transalp XL600V
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, and it was much more …
1989 Honda GB500 Tourist Trophy
Post Listing Update: This GB got no interest at the opening ask of $3,000. Honda’s GB500 was an homage to classic British singles but there was a twist – it was reliable! The average American rider shopping for a Japanese bike at the time was more interested in the bigger supersport replicas, but the Tourist Trophy has become a cult …
Boutique Italian Enduro – 2000 VOR EN 400
VOR (or Vertemati Offroad Racing) is a high-end Italian motorcycle manufacturer specializing in – as the name suggests – enduros and offroad scoots. The small Milan-based company was founded by brothers Alvaro and Guido Vertemati, both of whom had prior experience working in the offroad segment, as well as serving as the Italian importers for Swedish manufacturer Husaberg in the …
Still New – 2007 Aprilia SXV450
On paper, Aprilia’s SXV450 was destined to be an all-time great in the world of production supermotos. 60 horsepower at the crank was about 10 more than other 450s were making at a time, and the twin cylinder layout rewarded riders who were willing to play near the 13,000 rpm redline. Unfortunately, it was Aprilia’s first attempt at building an …
1976 Montesa Cota 348
Montesa developed a prototype of the Cota 348 to compete in the 1975 Scottish Six Days Trial, and Malcolm Rathmell rode it to a second place finish. Rathmell was an accomplished trials rider who won the World Championship in 1974 and the British Trials Championship 6 times in a 10 year period, and the 348 was developed with him as …
Snow Track – 2002 Suzuki GSX-R 600 Custom
Filed under “Who thought this was a good idea?” this Suzuki GSX-R 600 has been customized with the front end from a Yamaha YZ490 and the rear track from a Yamaha Phazer snowmobile.