An Italian manufacturer that you probably have never heard of before, Testi was founded in Bologna in 1951. They built some interesting vehicles using engines from Sachs, DEMM, and FB Minarelli – usually 49cc two-stroke powerplants. As a quick example of their quirkiness, on one of their 50cc trail bikes they built in thermometers into the rear view mirrors! One …
1993 Ducati 888 SPO
Post Sale Update: This 888 SPO sold for $9,600 after 25 bids on eBay. The 888SPO gets less attention than the average limited edition Ducati, but values are starting to go up as riders are appreciating the wonder of a bike that won both the World Superbike and AMA Superbike championships in 1993. Just 390 were built between 1993 and …
Heinrich Tank – 1968 BMW R69S
Post Sale Update: This R69S sold for $15,100 after 13 bids on eBay. If you wanted to avoid gas stations on your classic BMW, then Karl Heinrich was one of very few people you wanted to talk to. He designed a few different sizes ranging from about 8-10 gallons – here’s a 8.2 gallon tank that’s turned a R69S into …
Pantah Project – 1980 Ducati Pantah 500SL
My least favorite phrase when perusing motorcycle listings has to be “ran when parked.” It’s often a dealbreaker but occasionally a bike is still interesting enough that I’ll just look past it and move on…like the case with this Pantah 500SL.
A Legend in Waiting – 1964 Triumph T120 Bonneville
By now, everybody is aware that Motorcyclist Magazine has named the Triumph Street Twin the 2016 Motorcycle of the Year (MOTY). Everybody knows that the boys from Hinckley have built the Street Twin to be a lineal copy of the T120. Back in the day when motorcycles had light switches Triumph powered motorcycles held the World Land Speed record from …
Ending Soon – Restored 1972 Yamaha RT2 360
Here’s a recently restored example of one of Yamaha’s iconic enduros – the RT2. Featuring the Autolube oil injection system and a 32 horsepower, 351cc engine, the RT2 was capable of covering pavement and dirt.
2001 Honda XR650R Supermoto
The seller of this bike has a little trouble taking good photos, but that shouldn’t stop you from taking a closer look at what will be a hell of a fun bike.
1979 Moto Guzzi 1000SP
Post Listing Update: This SP was relisted several times but never met reserve – the last listing got up to $2,750 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 …
Ending Soon – The Last Indian 1953 Chief
By 1953 Indian had expired. All that was left was to put out the last Chief and close the doors. The Chief was introduced in 1922 and was the staple of the Indian line until the very end. There can be little doubt that the 1953 Chief was the finest motorcycle that Indian built, but it wasn’t enough to save …
Exquisite Trike – 1898 De Dion Bouton 1 3/4hp Tricycle
Post Listing Update: 74 bids got the action up to $38,233 but that wasn’t enough to meet reserve. It was later relisted with an opening bid of $52,000 and that got no interest. This is the oldest vehicle I’ve ever had the pleasure of sharing on this site, and it’s an absolute beauty.
1989 Honda GB500 Tourist Trophy
Trade-offs suck – especially in the world of motorcycles. If a bike design is too focused on looking good, then it may falter when it comes to performance or reliability. On the flipside, making reliability and performance the only priorities will often leave you with the bike-equivalent of a nice thermos. But what if you could find a thermos that …
Restored Cheetah – 1961 Puch DS60
Puch called it the DS60, though you may have seen it in the US as the Cheetah – it was sold through Sears Allstate department stores. Pre ’65 models featured a twistgrip shift, later bikes went to a foot shifter. These aren’t too hard to find (I’ll share three with you in this post), but it’s rare to see a …
1971 BSA Lightning Cafe
Built by Danny Thompson of Triumphs on Broadway (website is incomplete), this Lightning has been turned into a cafe racer with a heavy candy flake paint job.
Rare Custom – 1983 Amazonas
View Post2013 Cleveland CycleWerks Ace
There are two quotes that I always remember when I see small displacement, lightweight bikes. 1. “Simplify, then add lightness” – Colin Chapman 2. “It’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than drive a fast car slow” – Abner Perney These quotes were directed by car people at car people but in reality, apply just as perfectly to …