The most obvious modification to this Grom is the Repsol livery, but the list of upgrades is extensive and pricey. Does that mean it’s worth owning?
In the UK – Pro Grade SBK Racers
The Honda CBR 1000RR and Yamaha R1 have earned a reputation for being highly competent production machines in their stock form, however an ample amount of factory and aftermarket performance-parts have the ability to take these race-inspired road-goers to professional racing caliber. Taking things one step further is the fact that professional level Superbikes like this receive the benefit of …
The French NCR – Roadson 1078R
Since 1992, Jean-Francois Robert has been designing ultra-lightweight race machinery, first under the brand name ’Tucson’ with the slogan “Light is Right.” The boutique French race house’s aim is to compete with other prestigious shops such as NCR and Pierobon. Robert would partner with Yann Bakonyi and together the pair of designers and engineers would churn out some seriously impressive …
V-Rod Destroyer – 2006 Harley-Davidson VRXSE
A drag bike straight from the factory, the Harley-Davidson VRXSE was an in-house bike created by the Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) department of H-D. With a skilled rider, one could knock-out ETs between under 10 seconds right from the dealership. According to Kevin Duke from Motorcycle.com, when this bike was released it was the quickest accelerating production vehicle ever built. …
Turbocharged Land Speed Competitor – 2001 Yamaha R1
The seller of this bike modified it to compete at Bonneville in 2014 – it most recently ran this summer but it only “ran OK.” The carb jetting wasn’t spot on so this bike has more to give. The seller also has more to give as he doesn’t mention how much power the motor is making or how fast this …
Inclined Depression-Era Brit – 1931 Triumph WO
1931 was a pretty significant year for the British motorcycle history. Ariel debuted its legendary Square Four (designed by Edward Turner), Britain issued its first Highway Code laws, and it was an even bigger year for Triumph who introduced an array of new offerings that brought the number of total models offered in the 1931 motorcycle range up to ten. …
$1,000 – 1981 Honda C70 Passport Deluxe
The Passport (or Super Cub, depending on where you live) is the best selling motor vehicle in history by a large margin. Over 60 million units have covered miles all around the world, and they’ve served all kinds of roles first bikes to family SUVs. James May has gone on record multiple times saying the Cub is the greatest machine …
In England – 1961 Honda Benly CB92 Racer
The CB92 was the king of its class in its day and was produced by many of the same Honda employees that were behind the marque’s first ever RC racer. Soichiro Honda released the CB92 – aka Benly Super Sport – in 1959, just a year after the RC71. Supposedly, 24,251 examples were produced from ’59-’65 (although some sources say …
1960 Matchless G80CS
Post Listing Update: After 32 bids on eBay, this Matchless did not meet reserve at $6,700. CS stands for Competition Suspension, and for several years it was the top-of-the-line variant of the G80 (if you ignore the 125 examples of the rare Typhoon G80TCS). In Matchless’ mind, all you had to do was pull off the headlight and you’d have …
Barry Sheene GP Racer – 1983 Heron Suzuki RGB500 Mk8
10-26-2017 Update: 17 months later, this GP Suzuki is back up for sale with an approximate discount of 40 percent. That sounds good, except the asking price is still $124,944. If that somehow brings it down into your price range, you can find it in the UK here on eBay. Post-Listing Update: This bike did not get any interest at …
1984 Moto Morini 350 K2
Moto Morini’s heyday with production bikes was in the 70s with the legendary 3 1/2, but they weren’t able to retain the magic and after a decline in the 80s the company was sold to Cagiva. During that slide, they released a spiritual successor with top notch components and a dry weight of just 330 pounds. It was called the …
Record Holding History – 1977 Yamaha TZ750
Post Listing Update: This TZ750 did not meet reserve with bidding up to $42,200 – very close to the $42,700 it reached earlier in the year. 10-25-17 Update: 4 months later, this TZ is back up for sale and bidding is up to $35,100 and the reserve not yet met (or a BIN of $62,000) here on eBay. Post Listing …
Vintage Racer in Canada – 1976 Yamaha TZ250C
Post Listing Update: After 6 bids on eBay, this TZ did not meet reserve at $4,363.24. Introduced in 1973, Yamaha’s TZ250 was instantly competitive in club racing and was even able to make a dent at the GP level with a few modifications. Thanks to the aftermarket, it stayed competitive for 3 decades. The “C” model was the first major …
Cafe Rebuild – 1966 Harley-Davidson 250 Sprint H
The Harley-Davidson Aermacchi Sprint 250 was a solid little runner with agile handling. It was generally a fun little bike that the Italians thought made for a great commuter (at a claimed 45-55 mpg). When the Sprint first made its way to US shores, it supposedly made 18 hp at 6,750rpm with an 8.5:1 compression ratio. Multiple versions of the …
Unrestored – 1948 Indian Chief
Post Listing Update: Despite 43 bids up to $20,200, this Chief did not meet reserve. In 1947, Indian sold 12,000 Chiefs. The next year, Indian only built 3,000 of them as they were shifting production to smaller bikes like the Arrow. The relative rarity makes the ’48 Chief special, but this example is even more interesting as it’s had just …