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In Crate – 2002 Kawasaki KX250

In Japan, Off-Road by AbhiLeave a Comment

The Kawasaki KX250 still exists today (and the KX lineup celebrates its 50th anniversary this year), though the current model name is the KX250F because it’s now a four-stroke. But from 1974-2007, the KX250 was a successful two-stroke MX bike that won several AMA Championships over time – especially with Jeff Emig and Ricky Carmichael in recent years.

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1 of 89 – 1963 Greeves Starmaker 24ME

In England, Off-Road by AbhiLeave a Comment

Sometimes a bike is rare because it’s limited production, and sometimes it’s rare because consumers weren’t particularly interested so sales were low. But the Starmaker is rare because Greeves – the company who made it – only made 89 as they didn’t think it would be successful. They weren’t wrong.

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1985 WetBike

In Less than 5k, Off-Road by AbhiLeave a Comment

Originally introduced in 1978 by a suburb of Arctic Cat called Spirit Marine, the “WetBike” was a jetski that rode like a motorcycle. It was released a bit after Kawasaki had debuted their original jet ski, and the WetBike differed as steering was done via the handlebars rotating the front ski, as opposed to rotating the hydrojet. Owners say these …

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1992 Gilera RC600 Dakar Replica

In Italy, Off-Road, Race by AbhiLeave a Comment

In the late 80s, Gilera made a push to compete in the Paris-Dakar Rally and they had some success in the production-based “Silhouette” class with the RC600, which utilized a 600cc single good for 48 horsepower. Here’s an interesting replica of Gilera’s final 600-based racer (before they went to a 750 motor in 1993).

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1970 Triumph Trackmaster 750

In England, Off-Road, Race by AbhiLeave a Comment

Trackmaster frames can trace their roots back to the 1960s, when Triumph Motorcycles approached Ray Hensley and commissioned the famed race tuner and engineer to build a handful of bespoke chassis to be used in competition. Henley’s earliest frames were chromoly steel units with much more race-oriented geometry compared to the stock Bonneville chassis of the era. In the years …

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New In Crate – 2007 Yamaha YZ250

In Japan, Off-Road by AbhiLeave a Comment

Yamaha completely redesigned the YZ250 for 2005, so for 2007 they just made some minor chassis updates (including revised Kayaba 48mm forks). That may not matter in this case, as this bike has spent the last 16 years in the original delivery crate, and one assumes that it will stay that way for the next collector owner.

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Revival-Built 2007 Buell XB12X Custom

In America, Custom, Off-Road by Gray Van DykeLeave a Comment

Back in the early oughts — long before Harley had even begun development of the Pan America — Buell dove headfirst into the ADV market with the Ulysses XB12X. Between the sportbike-like handling, the in-frame fuel reservoir, and the large, floating front rotor, it was undeniably forward-thinking for its time. Admittedly, however, its reception was pretty mixed; the styling was …

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Japanese Metisse – An XS650-Powered Rickman Mk3

In England, Japan, Off-Road by Gray Van DykeLeave a Comment

Back in the 1950s, two English brothers named Don and Derek Rickman decided to jump into the motorcycle market by building frames of their own design. Both experienced dirt riders, they took experience racing motocross around Europe and materialized it in the form of the “Metisse.” Beyond its premium craftsmanship — it was machined from a lightweight chromoly, and there …

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1978 Kawasaki KX250

In Japan, Off-Road by AbhiLeave a Comment

In 1978, Kawasaki debuted a “works replica” called the KX250 A-4. PulpMX called it “a works bike for the chosen few,” and it was a limited production (~1,500, ~600 of which came to the US) notice to the rest of the industry that Team Green was getting serious about MX after a few years of dismal sales.

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One-Off -1990 Drysdale Dryvtech 2x2x2

In Off-Road by Abhi4 Comments

11-25-22 Update: Eight years later, this bike has turned up on a dealer’s site in Australia. You can find it here on Classic Motorcycle Sales with an asking price of roughly $17,544. Post-Listing Update: The Drysdale Dryvtech 2x2x2 did not get further than the opening bid, so it’s been relisted with a BIN of approximately $13,750 here on eBay. Here’s …

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1967 Bultaco Matador MK3

In Off-Road, Spain by AbhiLeave a Comment

Bultaco was founded in 1959 by famous Spanish road racing champion, Francisco Xavier Bulto. It was not Francisco’s first shot, as he created Bultaco right after he resigned from Montesa (which he co-founded in 1946). Bultaco’s first competition success came early in 1962 with a motorcycle adapted from the 175cc Sherpa trial bike. It won two gold medals at the …