Post Sale Update: This Phil Read Replica sold off eBay for an unknown amount…to Bike-urious reader John B! Honda Britain commissioned 400 examples of a Phil Read Replica from Colin Seeley to celebrate Phil’s victory at the ’77 Isle of Man TT, but only 150 were built before Colin and Honda had a disagreement.
Ex-Road Racer – 1973 BMW R75/5
2025 Update: Four years later, this bike is now playing an interesting role here at Bike-urious – it’s become my BEARS racer in AHRMA! I’ve started chronicling the story here if you’re interested! Raced in AHRMA in the late 1990s by Floyd Crow (as shown in the featured photo), this R75/5 was later made street legal and enjoyed on the …
1954 Victoria Bergmeister V35 Sport
Originally a bicycle manufacturer, Victoria produced motorcycles from about 1901 to 1966. One of their most well known models was the Victoria Bergmeister, as it was well-engineered. Unfortunately, the excellent design was very expensive to produce, and Victoria ran out of money after only 3 years of selling this bike. In ’58 they merged with another group.
1985 Suzuki GS700ES
In 1985, Suzuki offered a slightly downsized 700 version of their popular GS750 to get around newly-implemented tariffs for motorcycles of 750cc and above. But by that point the GS750/700 was basically at the end of its run – the next year Americans would get to enjoy the game-changing GSX-R750 anyway.
In The Crate In Germany – 2021 Aprilia Tuono V4 X
In 2020, Aprilia created the ultimate version of their RSV4 sportbike. They called it the “X” and made just 10 examples, which sold out immediately and for hefty prices. Soon after, they recreated the magic with their naked bike, the Tuono. This time they made 30, and they sold them for $41,667.
2020 Pierobon X80R
Over on the auction site, we’ve got one of the most incredible sport bikes I’ve ever seen. This is a Pierobon X80R kit that was built by Michael “Woolie” Woolaway (formerly of Deus Ex Machina fame and now at Saddlemen).
In Canada – 1990 Suzuki DR800
Here’s a rare example of the DR BIG (introduced in 1988 as the DR750), a production version of the DR-Z (a Paris-Dakar racer piloted by Gaston Rahier). The DR750 featured the world’s largest single cylinder engine in a production bike – only to get topped by the DR800 in 1990. Neither version was offered in the US.
Power-Dyne Vehicles – 1975 PDV Gringo 250
11-29-2021 Update: Another year later and the asking price on this bike keeps going lower. It’s currently up with an unmet opening bid of $1,500 and a BIN of $6,000 here on eBay.
Zero Miles – 2017 Metisse Steve McQueen Desert Racer
Founded in England in 1959 by Derek and Don Rickman, Metisse Motorcycles quickly developed a name for off-road excellence with their custom frame designs for British engines that led to wins in the Moto Cross des Nations as well as 250cc and 500cc GP motocross championships. Their success soon expanded into road racing as well, but they were best known …
One Year Only – 1992 Yamaha WR200
Yamaha’s competitor to the very successful KDX200, the WR200 (WR stood for “Wide Ratio”) was only offered in the US for one year, though it was sold in other markets for longer.
1966 MV Agusta Germano
Germano is Italian for “Mallard” – not the most eloquent name, but it definitely had a more distinctive style than the average moped of the time. MV was busy trying to make fast motorcycles at the time, so they work with several other companies to supply parts for this built-to-a-price moped. Said price was cheap enough to move 4,508 units …
165 Miles – 2002 Ghezzi-Brian Furia
Ghezzi-Brian is an interesting shop that produces Guzzi-powered specials. Their debut model was the SuperTwin, a production version of the racer they won the 1996 Italian SuperTwin championship with. Their second model was what you see in front of you, a naked variant called the Furia. It had the same drivetrain and proprietary frame, plus Paioli forks, Ohlins shock, OZ …
1979 Honda CR250 Moto-X Fox
Founded by Geoff Fox in 1974, the company we currently know as Fox Racing was started under the name of Moto-X Fox as a mail order business. They quickly expanded to offer hard parts, protective gear, casual apparel, and even products for ATVs, cars, and bicycles. In ’77, they started their own race team in AMA, and it led to …
525 Miles – 2001 Honda CBR929RR Erion Racing
Erion Racing has had a long line of success flying around racetracks in AMA competition as Honda’s premier support team. Back when Honda released the 929 version of the Fireblade, Honda honored Erion’s work with the Honda CRB929RR Erion Racing Edition. Mechanically, it was the same as the stock bike, though the cosmetics were exclusive and a Erion Racing pipe …
First Ride Review – 2022 Aprilia Tuareg 660
Last week I was in Sardinia to cover the launch of the new 2022 Aprilia Tuareg 660 for RevZilla. If you’ve been interested in this model, my review is now up!