Post Listing Update: This KZ1000 was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. In 1978, Kawasaki was the only Japanese manufacturer with a facility in the US. Kawi’s president (Dave Mehney) and Marketing Vice President (Dick Terrell) decided to highlight that with an “All-American Ride-away” – a program where Kawi customized 200 of their KZ1000s with an American paint …
1981 Suzuki FS50X
Sold in some markets as the Shuttle, the Suzuki FS50 was a family of scooters related to the FZ50 and FA50. The FS was built between 1980 and 1991 and was powered by a 49cc 3.2 hp engine paired with a two-speed transmission.
Mick Grant’s Racer – 1982 Suzuki XR69
Also known as the GS1000R, the Suzuki XR69 was born out of Pops Yoshimura’s request for Suzuki to help him with some development of his GS750-based Formula 750 racer. In 1977, F750 became Formula One and they allowed 1,000cc motors. Suzuki started using the GS1000 motor (good for 74 horsepower stock) but Pops was able to coax approximately 130 horsepower …
1993 Ducati 888 SPO
The 888SPO seems to get less attention than the average limited edition Ducati, but values are definitely climbing 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 1994 (though the ’94 models were officially called the 888LTD).
2002 Suzuki Hayabusa
Suzuki’s just released an all-new Hayabusa, but here’s one for those of you that like the classics – it stands out thanks to nearly-immaculate bodywork and choice modifications.
2018 Curtiss Zeus Prototype
In 2017, Confederate Motorcycles made the dramatic change of renaming themselves to Curtiss. Then they made an even bigger change: they announced that they were switching from gigantic V-Twin engines to electric motorcycles. Their prototype to show the world what they had in store was the Zeus, a concept that was awarded the “Innovation Award” at the 2018 Quail Motorcycle …
1978 Kawasaki Z1-R
In a 1978 review of the Z1-R, Cycle Guide described it as such: “The bike has enough raw horsepower to be truly impressive on the straights, but the first rule of handling for a 90hp motorcycle is to give it a 90hp chassis, and that is something the Z1-R doesn’t have.” It was fast, it had distinctive styling, and it …
Built to Tour – 2019 Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled
The seller customized this bike to go around the world but he “only made it as far as Costa Rica and back due to COIVD border restrictions.” Will you try to complete the journey?
What Do You Want To Know? 1990 Honda RC30
Normally when I offer up these kinds of posts, it’s because I’ve got something on loan for a few weeks. This one’s a bit different…I bought a RC30!
Documented Restoration – 1985 Yamaha RZ350
The last two-stroke officially imported into the US, the Yamaha RZ350 is very much a sought-after collectors bike in the US. Only sold in the states from 84-85, these were the first bikes in the US to come equipped with catalytic converters.
1986 Moto Morini K2 350
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 …
1982 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!
In Italy – 1967 Moto Morini Corsarino
The Moto Morini Corsarino was sold between 1963 and 1977 in Scrambler, Touring, and the Sport version seen here. The adorable name translates to “Little Pirate,” (arguably, a little Corsican pirate) which explains the logo on the tail.
Restored – 1983 Husqvarna 500 XC
In 1983, Husqvarna introduced a new 500cc motor for their Open Class bikes, and they promptly won the 1983 Baja 1000 in 14:48:10 with the US team of Dan Smith and Dan Ashcraft. While there were obviously plenty of modifications to the race bike, the production motorcycle was quite formidable in its own right. They’re also not easy to find …
Round Headlight – 1994 BMW R100GS
BMW has brought back the famous “bumblebee” livery with the new R1250GS as part of a paint job called the “40 years of GS Edition,” but here’s an example of what inspired the new model. By ’94, the R100GS was using a square headlight, however this example has had a conversion to the older headlight of the previous generation.