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 …
ESO Engined – 1965 Rickman Metisse
ESO was a Czech motorcycle manufacturer that is not well known because they ran from 1949 to 1964 and they only built racers. The company was founded by Jaroslav Simandl, a former motorcycle racer who started with JAP engines and then had his company start building their own in 1950.
Basel Quest Kit – 2013 KTM 690 Enduro R
KTM Basel is a Swiss dealer of Team Orange that created a great piece of kit called the Quest. Designed to turn a KTM 690 Enduro R into the ultimate adventure tourer, it packs all kinds of features – including 8.5 gallons of gas – into a bike that looks like it should be racing Dakar.
1957 BSA Spitfire Scrambler
Post Sale Update: This Spitfire Scrambler sold for the BIN of $8,500 on eBay. Of the many BSA A10 models, one of the rarest would have to be the Spitfire Scrambler (aka the Rocket Gold Star Scrambler). Here’s a beautiful example that was acquired by the seller as a ‘rusted rubble of parts’ and rebuilt to ‘a quality standard.’ The …
One Year Only – 1962 Harley-Davidson Ranger
After World War II, Harley got blueprints for the DKW RT125 as war reparations from Germany. With those designs, Harley built the Hummer, also known as the Model 125. The Hummer had many variations between 1948 and 1966, but one of the rarest was the off-road Ranger, only built in 1962.
DirtWise – 2014 KTM 250 SX
DirtWise is an off-road riding academy run by Shane Watts, former World Enduro champion, ISDE Overall champion, and GNCC champion. Part of his program includes a race team sponsored by Maxxis and Klim, as well as a “Ready to Race” rental program. Unfortunately, those programs are closing, so they’ve got some bikes to get rid of. Here’s a KTM 250 …
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 …
1974 Bultaco Sherpa T 350 Model 151
In 1964, Bultaco introduced their iconic trials bike, the Sherpa. For the first 8 years, only a 250 was offered, though in ’72 they introduced a 326cc engine and called that the 350.
1969 Honda CB750 Hill Climber
For a variety of reasons, the Honda CB750 is a popular base for customs – though I don’t see many hillclimbers based on the CB. Here’s one that was apparently turned into a racer right off the showroom floor.
1967 BSA Hornet
Built from 1964 through 1967 the Hornet was marketed as ready to ride in the dirt. It came in 2 variants, the ‘East Coast Model’ with high pipes and the ‘West Coast Model’ with low mounted pipes.
1970 Speedway Silver Shadow
Post Listing Update: This Silver Shadow did not meet reserve despite 26 bids up to $7,500. I’m not a huge fan of minibikes, but this is one of the most collectible of them all. Don’t believe me? Well, bidding is already up to $7,300 with plenty of time to go in this auction. I’ve seen one or two non-definitive mentions …
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.
3 Mile Original – 1975 Husqvarna CR 360
Back in the day, everybody that rode in the dirt lusted for a Husqvarna. They may not have always been the fastest, but they always looked good.
Quick and Dirty – 1974 Rickman Montesa VR 250
This nifty Rickman Montesa 250 is perfect for getting dirty, as long as you’ll be quick and don’t need much fuel! It apparently ran several hill climbs in the 70s but it then spent decades in dry storage. The seller has brought it back to life – and you’ll get most of the original parts to convert it back to …