At one point in time, Frank Cooper was the US distributor for Maico. He thought he could create a bike that slotted between Japanese and European dirt bikes in price, with the hope that it would handle like a European bike but be reliable like a Japanese bike. Enter the Cooper 250 Enduro, created to give off-roaders the best of …
1943 NSU Kettenkrad
View Post$2,500 – NORRA Class Winner – 1985 Honda XR350R
The seller calls this the ‘deal of the century’, and while he’s exaggerating…it’s not by much.
Can-Am Sonic 500
The Sonic was Can-Am’s first try at a four-stroke motorcycle, and it utilized a Rotax/Bombardier 500cc engine.
1962 Parilla Wildcat Scrambler 250
A matching numbers, unrestored example of the 250cc high cam powered Parilla Wildcat, this bike comes with the correct Smiths tach and SS Dell’orto carb.
1970 Alta 120 Trials
Between 1969 and 1970, Alta built trials motorcycles by converting Suzuki road bikes with 118cc two-stroke engines. From what I can tell, these were the only production motorcycles to come out of Wales.
Fully Restored – 1983 Husqvarna XC500
Here’s a frame up restoration of a Husky XC500 that has less than 20 minutes on it. The seller says it’s either for a collector to present in shows or for a racer to ‘blow away the competition’.
1 of 4 – 1971 BSA Weslake 500cc
I’ve featured a few BSA Weslake powered bikes that utilized a Rickman frame, but here’s a bike that trumps them in rarity. Here’s a bike that was apparently one of four built by Richard Barnes in 1971 – one of which was for James Garner to run the Baja 1000 with.
1975 Husqvarna 450 WR
In the 1960’s, Husqvarna had led the charge in turning British off-road bikes into relics. By the 70’s, Husky had become a dominant force in motocross, winning multiple world championships and Baja 1000s. 1972 was a banner year for the firm – their entire lineup was upgraded to 5 speed gearboxes with left-hand shifters, new frames, Motoplat injections, and a …
2015 KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition
If you’re looking for the best MX bike ever made, a surprising amount of people would tell you it’s the bike in front of you right now, the 450 SX-F FE. Based on the name, it’d be reasonable for you to assume that it’s just a gussied up version of the base SX-F, but only the chain guide and some …
Museum Restoration – 1976 Yamaha YZ125
Introduced in 1974, the YZ125 is still in production (and has won 5 AMA National MX championships over the years). In the first year of production, the bike had dual shocks, but Yamaha quickly switched to a monoshock design. Here’s one of the early models that was given a full restoration and has not been ridden since.
1977 CCM 500 MX
View PostFlat Tracker – 1955 Velocette MSS
View PostIn Italy – 1977 Laverda LH4
For me, hearing “Laverda” evokes an image of a big, loud, (and of course, very orange) street bike. But the Italian firm occasionally also dabbled into off-roaders – one of their more serious attempts was in the late 70s, with the LH4.