Hindsight has shown that the introduction of the GS model line was one of the best things BMW did for their Motorrad business. But at the press launch in 1980, journalists (and the public) shared a general sentiment of “what’s the point of a large, heavy dual-purpose bike?” Modern cynics still have the same complaint as the bike seems to …
Rare Project – 1938 Genial Lucifer
Here’s one I had never heard of before – a Genial Lucifer!
Two Of A Kind – 1972 Yamaha JT2
A seller in Montana has a pair of JTs that are claimed to be original (unrestored) and appear to be in quite nice shape. They were built in the same month with VINs within 50 of each other, and both have less than 800 miles each. These were popular mounts for many first riders, and Yamaha sold plenty of them. …
1979 Cosmo Colt
Cosmopolitan Motors of Hatboro, Pennsylvania closed down several years ago, but for a while they had claim to the title of America’s oldest motorcycle distributor. Back in their heyday you could stop by and find bikes from a wide range of smaller Italian manufacturers – many Parillas, Benellis, Capriolos, Garellis, Betas, (and more) featured here on Bike-urious were originally sold …
#001/100 With Zero Miles – 2007 Ducati SportClassic 1000 Special Edition
In 2007, Ducati released a limited edition of just 100 SportClassics exclusively for the North American market. Called the Special Edition, it combined modern tech with traditionally-inspired design that was designed to remind Ducati fans of the 1978 900SS Darmah with its classic black and gold paint scheme. 90 were sold in the US, and 10 were sold in Canada. …
1969 Maico 360 X4
Cycle World’s May 1st 1968 review of the X4 starts with the following: “What a difference a year has made to Maico’s 360-cc motocross model. In a little over 12 months, the West German factory has transformed the bike from a competitive but unsensational mount, to one of the fastest and toughest scramblers available.”
2004 MV Agusta 750 Brutale America
Introduced in 2001, the wonderfully-named MV Agusta Brutale debuted with a 750cc inline four engine. As they offered with some other models, MV made some upgrade kits available for the Brutale – one of which was the America. Just 300 were made worldwide – here’s #30.
CA Plated – 2003 Kawasaki KRR150
I have to admit, at first glance I thought this was just a poorly repainted Ninja 250. But it’s actually a KRR150, a mini two-stroke that was never officially sold in the US.
Euro Model – 1982 Kawasaki GPz1100
See that flag on the sidecover? That’s your hint that this big Kawi was originally sold in what used to be known as West Germany. It has since found its way to the US through Ireland, however it does not have a US title and is being sold on a bill of sale only.
1966 Pannonia T5 with Duna Sidecar
Pannonia was a Hungarian motorcycle manufacturer that produced over a million bikes between 1954 and 1975 – in addition to a whole bunch of four wheelers. While their range of motorcycle engines included a boxer twin and a vertical twin, the most common motor they built was a two-stroke single as featured in this T5.
Road Service Custom – 1973 Moto Guzzi 850 Eldorado
I occasionally feature Eldorado Police bikes, but this one’s a bit different – it’s a one-off “Emergency Road Service Vehicle” that the seller calls a “Workman Edition” as it’s equipped with “a push bar, tow hitch, oil and gas cans, jumper cables, siren, air horns, back p warning system, and whatever else I could think of.” So the question is, …
1993 BMW R100R
Between 1991 and 1995, BMW produced 20,898 examples of the R100R – one of the last airhead boxers to ever wear a roundel on the tank. Basic specifications include a 980cc air-cooled twin with an oil cooler, Brembo brakes, a 5-speed transmission, and shaft drive.
Mugen Kitted – 1981 Honda CR250R
One of the coolest upgrades one can find for their classic Honda dirt bike is a Mugen upgrade kit – here’s one that comes with a NOS “Mugen Works Water Cooled Super Pro Kit” built for a CR250.
2000 Harley-Davidson MT500
One of the rarest bikes ever built by Harley-Davidson, the MT500 was originally built by the British in the 80s. Rights to the design were sold by Armstrong-CCM to HD, who sold just 355 copies of the MT500 in 1999, and a few more the following year. Only select HD dealerships were allowed to sell these bikes.
2021 Ducati Diavel Lamborghini
I personally don’t get it, but one of the most collectible Ducatis in recent memory is the 2021 Diavel Lamborghini, a limited run of 630 bikes designed in collaboration with Lamborghini – both manufacturers are in the Audi family and part of the Motor Valley, a 70-mile stretch of Italy that includes Ferrari, Maserati, Ducati, Lamborghini, Dallara, and plenty of …