Here’s a polarizing scrambler based on a Yamaha XS650 Special. The seller has apparently been cranking out XS-based customs for a few years now, so you’d hope that the quality was up to snuff (and the price is hard to argue with). That just leaves the styling up for debate.
Nice Price – 1988 BMW R100GS
I feature plenty of GSes, but I can’t remember the last time I saw a running, relatively low mileage 100GS for sale for less than $5k – especially in a big city.
Cleanest Barn Find Ever – 1969 Suzuki TC120
The seller of this bike says it’s a barn find – well, the seller sure spent some time cleaning up the great lines of this simple two-stroke dual-sport, also known as the Trail Cat.
Christmas Special – 1986 Honda Z50
Considered by some as the ultimate Honda Z50, the “Christmas Special” was a limited edition – you can probably guess what time of year it was released. Honda gave two examples to each of their top dealers, though they typically called it the “Chrome Edition” seeing as nearly every part on the bike (even the frame!) was chromed. This example …
Needs Some Work – 1979 Chrysler Snorunner
Post Sale Update: This Snorunner sold for $1,065 after 25 bids on eBay. The Chrysler Snorunner has an interesting history, though there isn’t 100% consensus on the origin story. Some people claim that Chrysler built them for the Army, which was looking for light weight snow transport that could carry a soldier for 30 miles. Unfortunately, the finished vehicle was …
Honda’s Mini Sports – 1982 MB5
Mr. Honda was never a fan of the two-stroke concept. Nor was he blind to effective marketing, and by the late seventies the emerging market for lightweight sporty motorbikes couldn’t be ignored. In many countries laws limiting engine size for young riders meant a big market for 50cc machines.
Gilera 124 5V
1-26-16 Update: 7 months later, this Gilera is back up for sale with a thousand dollar discount. Find it for sale with a BIN of $2,500 or best offer here on eBay. Acquired 10 years ago in non-running condition, this Gilera 124 apparently had an electrical short which started a fire in the headlight bucket. In addition, the engine was …
1991 Suzuki Bandit GSF400
Post-Sale Update: Well, that was quick. This Bandit was snapped up for the BIN of $2,200 within 30 minutes of this post. Americans typically think of the Bandit as a 600 or 1,200, but Suzuki also made them in 250 and 400 variants – the latter of which was exported to the US for only a couple of years. The …
Needs Some Work – 1970 Moto Beta Premier Bebe 50
Moto Beta was almost 50 years old when they expanded from bicycles into motorcycles. They’re probably best known for their trials bikes of the 90s – Dougie Lampkin won the World Championship in ’97, ’98, and ’99 with the marque. In the 70s, some Moto Betas were imported to the US under the Premier name, like the little off-roader you …
1973 Yamaha RD/Redline 100 Road Racer
Here’s Justin’s first feature, about a rare Redline-framed RD100!
Tube-Framed Buell – 1997 Buell Cyclone
If ever there were a philosophical mis-match in the moto world, it had to be the marriage of Erik Buell and Harley-Davidson Motor Company. An avowed motorcycle racer and sport bike enthusiast, Buell built his first competition motorcycle in 1983 and went on to design and build Sportster-engine based street bikes. Harley began acquiring Buell’s company in 1993 and had …
1967 MTD Trail Flite Mini Bike
One of the rarer trail bikes out there, the Trail Flite stood out with features like wire wheels, drum brakes, and the nifty leading link suspension.
“Modernized” – 1996 Honda XR600R
After taking this bike down to the frame, the seller of this XR600R brought it back to life with all kinds of goodies and two setups: dual-sport or supermoto.
Sport Touring On The Cheap – 1995 Kawasaki Concours
If any mile-eater ever deserved the title of “Everyman’s GT,” it’s the first-generation Concours. This was Japan’s first viable volley into the sport-touring wars and the impact was felt as far as BMW corporate. Lacking the budget of the largest motorcycle manufacturers, Kawasaki based their bread and butter models on relatively simple but effective designs and stuck with them, spreading …
1983 Honda V65 Magna
The V65 Magna was a significant addition to the Honda line up for a number of reasons. It took the 2 year old V-4 design to a new size and speed possibility. For the first three years of it’s existance (1983-’85) the big Magna was listed by Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest production motorcycle in the world …