Through all of the 1960s you really had two choices if you wanted to play in the dirt. Many manufacturers made ‘Scrambler’ models but they really were better at getting you to the dirt than actually getting dirty. You could either ride a two stroke single that made horsepower like crazy or ride a vintage English 4 stroke single. Both …
Super 8 – 1971 El Burro Minibike
The full name of this little scoot is actually “El Burro Sand n Sno Bike.” Obviously it would handle pavement with no problems, but the idea was that you could air down the tires to 1-2 psi and the 12-inch wide tires would create enough of a footprint to get around in sand or even on snow.
Let the Good Times Roll – 1977 Kawasaki KZ650
When Kawasaki introduced the 900 CC Z1 in 1972 it was an instant game changer. The Z1 set the 24 hour endurance record at Daytona with 2,631 miles, an average speed of 109 MPH that exceeded the former record by over 19 MPH. The Z1 was on its way to legend status.
Ending Soon – 1983 Kawasaki GPz550
When Kawasaki introduced the GPz550 in 1981, it was a shot in the arm of the middleweight class. Now riders could get something fast, nimble, and sporty without having to get a big bike!
1973 Triumph Hurricane X-75
Considered by some to be the world’s first “factory custom”, the Triumph Hurricane was the brainchild of Craig Vetter (well known as a motorcycle designer and manufacturer of custom motorcycle fairings) and Don Brown (General Manager of BSA). Brown wanted a better looking British triple, as he believed the Trident and Rocket III weren’t selling well in the US because …
1969 Triumph Daytona
By 1966 Harley Davidson had a stranglehold on the Daytona 200. HD had won 3 in a row and 10 of the previous 11 (a Triumph in ‘62). That changed in 1966 when Buddy Elmore blistered the long infield course with a 96 MPH race average on a Triumph prepared works bike based on the 500 CC Tiger. Triumph introduced …
1 of 300 – 2007 MV Agusta F4 1000 Senna
In 2007, MV Agusta produced 300 examples of a limited edition F4 1000R. As you can probably guess from the name, they were built to honor racing legend Ayrton Senna. Thus, a portion of the original sales were donated to the Ayrton Senna Foundation. 65 of the 300 were imported to the US, and here’s one of them.
Dresda Framed – 1979 Honda CB750 Formula Racer
In the 1960s, a gentleman named Dave Degens started building frames under the brand name of Dresda. He initially had success with Tritons, and then big companies started to approach him. One of the most notable was Japauto, Honda’s importer in France. They had Degens build a racing frame for Honda 750cc and 900cc motors, and the team ended up …
1 of 500 – 1995 Aprilia RS250 Loris Reggiani Replica
Take one of the world’s best small sportbikes, and then add an air of exclusivity to it. That’s what Aprilia did with their legendary RS250 by honoring Loris Reggiani, the first racer who won a Grand Prix for the Italian brand. Aprilia created just 500 examples of the bike – here’s #275.
6,000 Miles – 1984 BMW R80GS
Post Listing Update: AFter being relisted a couple of times, this GS did not meet reserve despite 20 bids up to $9,000. This first generation GS has just 5,616 miles because the seller had two R80GS’ and he barely rode this one! As a bonus, it also features a HPN exhaust.
1969 BSA Rocket 3 A75R
Sharing its roots with the Triumph Trident, the BSA Rocket 3 was a 750cc triple that was designed to extend the model line beyond 650 twins. It was specifically built for the US market, which wanted larger displacements and less vibrations. BSA’s financials suffered with the production of this bike, but nearly 27,500 of the Trident/Rocket 3’s were produced between …
1950 Cushman Eagle
Started in 1903, incorporated in 1913 in Lincoln, Nebraska, Cushman Motor Works built motors principally for farm and industrial applications. In 1922 they introduced a four stroke overhead valve single cylinder motor famously known as the Husky. In 1936 they brought out their first scooter in an effort to sell more Husky motors in the teeth of the Great Depression.
1977 Bultaco Frontera 370
In 1977, Bultaco had good success in the International Six Days Trail. The US entered a team of three riders on Bultaco hybrids that utilized both Frontera and Pursang parts and all three competitors achieved Gold Medals. Bultaco took what they learned from the competition and quickly revised the production Frontera.
1969 Gilera 200
Like many Gileras of the time, this 200 was originally sold in Argentina. It has picked up some cafe racer styling touches over the years and was imported into the US several years ago. that polished aluminum tank looks beautiful.
In Canada – 1948 AJS Model 16
The 1948 AJS Model 16 is a civilian version of the Matchless G3 which was developed in 1939 and used extensively by British and allied forces during WWII. Rugged, dependable and relatively easy to tune, the G3 came out of the war with a good reputation which translated into civilian sales. The bike was also very economical to run, another …