Post Sale Update: This B33 sold for $6,750 after 20 bids on eBay. Introduced in 1947, the B33 gets very little glory compared to BSA’s performance bikes like the Gold Star, but this is what got many Brits around for many years – production ended in 1960. The B33 was a sales success because it was reliable, and they’re still …
1988 Honda Gyro UP
Post Sale Update: The seller lowered the BIN to $1,700, and that’s the number it sold at! I’ve featured several examples of Honda’s quirky 3-wheeler called the GYRO (which is apparently an acronym for “Great Your Recreation Original.”) The US only got one of the versions, a “S” model that was focused on just carrying a rider around. But Japan …
Little-Known German Project – 1936 Presto Werke Type 208
Post Sale Update: Ed S one-upped himself and bought the Presto himself for $1,100! Check it out in his office in the comments. Update: 5 months later, reader Ed S notes that this Presto is back up for sale. The asking price has plummeted from $25,000 to $2,400 – you can find it here on Craigslist in Boulder, Colorado. Presto …
American Style in Britain – 1971 Norton Commando Hi-Rider
When “Easy Rider” exponentially increased the popularity of choppers around the world, it was inevitable that certain businesses would try to ride the way. What was surprising was that one of those companies was Norton, who created the “Hi-Rider” variant of the Commando to counteract the popularity of big Japanese motorcycles like the Honda CB750. It looked silly – in …
The Antithesis of Practical – The Story of a Norton Love Affair
View Post“The Grey Mare” by Dromos Motorworks – 1975 Honda CB550 Custom
Dromos Motorworks originally built this one-off cafe racer – entitled “The Grey Mare” – with the intentions of utilizing the CB project to attract future clients and generally garner some hype within the industry. According to the shop, the build’s aim was to create a cafe-racer that, in its own words, “didn’t look like all the other cookie-cutter racers”, and …
1994 Honda Cub EZ90
Post Sale Update: This EZ90 sold for $2,650 after 41 bids on eBay. The Honda Cub EZ90 was a quirky flashback to the days of “you meet the nicest people on a Honda.” Designed to make motorcycles more friendly, the Honda EZ90 hid all of its mechanicals inside the futuristic plastic bodywork, and it even offered an electric start in …
Ex-Drag Racer – 1947 Ariel Red Hunter
Post Sale Update: This Ariel sold for $4,550 after 18 bids on eBay. The seller does such a good job telling the story of this bike that I almost feel silly trying to summarize it. In his words: In January of 1947 George Boskoff, a 20 year old gearhead from the South Bay area of Los Angeles, purchased this very …
T20-Powered, T200-Framed – Well-Farkled Vintage Suzuki Racer
The X6 Hustler was an important model in Suzuki’s history, helping the Japanese marque gain much-needed traction in the US market with the 247cc, two-stroke parallel twin. While motorcycles have obviously come a long way technologically in the more-than-half-century since the model’s release, the Suzuki can still make for an excellent little vintage racer. Case in point: this well-optioned, X6-hustler-powered, …
1979 Moto Guzzi 1000SP
Post Listing Update: This Guzzi did not meet reserve despite 13 bids up to $3,500 on eBay. When Moto Guzzi released the SP Spada, they debuted it with a fairing designed in their wind tunnel. I find it to be a bit goofy looking, but it results in excellent weather and wind protection. So while the SP doesn’t come up …
Brit Speedway Racer – 1928 Douglas SW5
Douglas Motorcycles was a British marque founded in 1907 by brothers William and Edwin Douglas. The Bristol-based outfit was probably best known for its horizontally opposed twins, though it also had a reputation for producing some solid race machines and even dabbled in automobile manufacturing for a decade or so, resulting in the “Cyclecar”. Eventually a myriad of factors would …
1966 Honda CB160
Post Listing Update: This CB160 did not meet reserve despite 44 bids up to $2,300 on eBay. One of the truly iconic small-displacement Japanese bikes, the Honda CB160 is a small but well-built street bike that has even inspired model-specific racing. This example has been partially restored and it’s ready for you to show, ride, or if you’re feeling frisky…race!
Movie Star – Dumb and Dumber Mini Bike
Post Sale Update: After a whopping 100 bids on eBay, this movie prop sold for $50,029.99! If you’ve seen Dumb and Dumber, you must remember the mini bike that Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels use to get to Aspen. According to the seller, two bikes were used for filming, and once shooting wrapped both were given away. One was given …
1982 Laverda Mirage 1200TS
Post Sale Update: This Mirage sold for $11,100 after 30 bids on eBay. Imported from South Africa in the early 90s, this Laverda Mirage is still rocking the international license plate. The giant aftermarket fairing and shortened exhaust detract significantly from the originality (and in my opinion, the styling), but I’m hoping the latter sounds greats with the famous 180 …
1983 BMW R80ST
Post Listing Update: Despite 36 bids up to $4,109, this ST did not meet reserve on eBay. For two years, BMW created a street-focused variant of the R80GS. They only sold 5,963 examples of what was named the R80ST, and approximately 15% of them were exported to the US. This fairly original example has just 14,230 miles.