KTM has built a gang of race-winning machinery and though its current MotoGP racer (RC16) has some “room for improvement”, when it comes to producing top-of-the-podium off-road competition bikes, KTM kills it. Even when factory machines are five to ten years old, they’re still wildly competent when compared to today’s production offerings. They’re also always decked out in trick high-end …
DG Race Replica – 1975 Honda CR125M Elsinore
In the 1970’s, motocross racing had become fairly mainstream with several top racers becoming household celebrity names. In this highly competitive era, the big manufacturers poured absurd amounts of funding into race R&D, driving the constant evolution of MXers. Despite the large staff and state of the art facilities that the big mocos possessed, a few talented wrenchers created something …
Ex-Dakar Factory Racer – 2007 KTM 660
View PostMini DT1 – 1971 Yamaha JT1 Mini Enduro
The Yamaha JT1 Mini Enduro was a bonafide motorcycle that was simply scaled down. The fact that the motorcycle it was largely based on was the DT1 – and “On Any Sunday” came out the same year this example was made – helped Yamaha succeed in selling huge amounts of these bikes. Cycle World’s Andrew Bornhop said the JT1 “helped …
Fully Restored – 1987 Yamaha YZ250
Yamaha’s YZ series – more than any other bike – has arguably had the most profound impact on American motocross in the last couple decades. The YZ boasts a laundry-list of firsts for production MXers, including reed valves, single-shock suspension, and power valves. To the best of my knowledge, the YZ250 is the longest running production dirt bike. Interestingly, the …
AHRMA Champion – 1967 Rickman Triumph Metisse 500
A Rickman Metisse with a 500cc Triumph motor is already pretty special – particularly when it’s adorned in British Racing Green. But this example truly stands out as it has been ridden to multiple AHRMA championships by Chad McIntosh.
Phil Nicoletti’s AMA MX Racer – 2013 Yamaha YZ450
Yamaha started what it likes to refer to as the “four-stroke revolution” as they were first to release a 4-stroke motocrosser. From the time Doug Henry piloted that YZ400M to victory in an AMA SX event in Las Vegas, Yamaha’s YZs have won countless high-level racing events and established itself as the go-to 450 for many top riders. The four-stroke …
Honda vs. Kawasaki – 1982 250cc MX Racers
For decades, two-stroke MXers were big business. Production versions of factory competition machines became desirable off-roaders, leading to some of the most iconic quarter-liter off-road racers of all time. Two of those machines are undeniably the Honda CR250R and Kawasaki KX250. Both bikes were “out of the box racers” that were instant classics, receiving various updates over the years in …
Harley MXer – 1975 Harley-Davidson SX250
In 1969 Yamaha released its wildly popular 250cc DT-1, selling around 50,000 units in its first couple years of production. Other manufacturers took notice of this, including Harley-Davidson. They would toss their hat in the MX-ring the following year in an effort to nab a piece of the lucrative late-’60’s/early-’70’s off-road segment. Harley had recently purchased a large stake in …
All Terrain Cycles – 1986 Yamaha BW200 and Honda TR200
A lot of unconventional motorcycles were built in the 1980’s, especially in Japan. When one manufacturer released an unorthodox scoot, another manufacturer would often follow suit, just in case one of these novel gambles worked. Forced induction is a good example of this, but the factory ATV-wheeled dirt bikes of the new-wave and cocaine-fueled decade may be the best example. …
$950 – Tule Trooper Big Boy
Jim Edwins was the man behind the J. I. Edwins Company in Issaquah, Washington. The firm was best known for the production of the “Trooper”, a competitor to the better-known Tote Gote. They’re rare finds nowadays, and this one is worthy of consideration as it’s the harder-to-find “Big Boy” model with optional tandem seat and it’s said to run great!
Christini AWD – 2012 Honda CRF450X
This street legal 2012 Honda CRF450X example has been fitted with an array of solid aftermarket parts including a Christini AWD kit. The kits come complete with everything needed to turn a motorcycle into an AWD vehicle, including the modified forks, custom fuel tank, custom Talon front hub, engagement Switch, CNC triple clamp, and fork guards. These kits sell by …
Rebuilt British Beauty – 1978 Rickman Triumph
Last time I featured a Rickman Triumph, I referred to it as a “Britmota” and even though this example isn’t a road machine, I feel the moniker still applies. This completely rebuilt example is sporting a NEW Rickman chassis wrapped around a 1978 Triumph 750 engine. The restoration process on this iconic British machine took an accumulative three years to …
Keystone Framed Factory Hillclimber – 1923 Harley-Davidson Twin-Cam
Hillclimbers are some of the most interesting historically significant motorcycles out there. As high-dollar auctions like Bonham’s and Mecum have demonstrated, the right hillclimber in good condition can be worth a literal fortune. One of my favorites is the 1928 Excelsior Big Bertha Hillclimber that sold at a Vegas Mecum auction earlier this year for $117,500. This 1923 H-D Twin-Cam …
Factory Trials Bike – 1951 Norton 500T
Post Listing Update: Despite 45 bids up to $6,600, this 500T did not meet reserve. Don Morley called Norton’s 500T “the finest rigid trials machine to be produced by any factory.” This claim was supported by an ISDT Gold Medal in 1950, as well.