When it was originally sold in July of 1957, this was a Norton Manx 30M. But the story gets much more interesting almost 5 decades later, when a racer named Eric Patterson swapped in a 1,150cc JAP Mk2 motor and took it to the Bonneville Salt Flats to set some speed records.
Ex-Toni Elias Superbike – 2016 Suzuki GSX-R1000 Factory Yoshimura Racer
View PostTwin 750 H2 Powered Project – 1973 Bill Wirges’ Land Speed Streamliner
Post Listing Update: This streamliner did not get any interest at the asking bid of $13,887. Bill Wirges is a legend in the Kawasaki aftermarket world, having made his name with hop up parts (especially exhausts) for Widowmakers and Kawi’s big 4-stroke superbikes. He also conquered Bonneville with a streamliner powered by two H2 750cc motors connected via a chain …
Built with the Original Plans – 1955 Moto Guzzi V8
11-10-17 Update: Reader Don L. notes that this ripper is back up for sale – you can find it for sale with bidding up to $40,100 here on eBay. Post Listing Update: This fantastic Guzzi did not meet reserve despite 95 bids up to $56,100. Because I’m in Italy, all 3 of today’s bikes have been some seriously impressive Italians. …
100s of Spare Parts – 1998 Honda RS250R NX5
Post Listing Update: Despite 39 bids up to $12,600 on eBay, this RS250R did not meet reserve. A production racer from the factory, Honda’s RS250R was made available to privateer racers in 1985. It stayed in Honda’s lineup until 2009, and during it went through 4 different generations. As a ’98 model, this is part of the NX5 generation that …
Ex-Moto2 Racer – 2013 Suter MMX2
Suter recently made headlines in the US after they formed a partnership with Arch Motorcycles. The end result is that Arch can now sell their bikes in Europe and Suter can sell to us Americans. While most of the attention is on Suter’s absolutely bonkers 2-stroke GP bike called the MMX500, there’s also some miscellaneous used hardware that’s worth a …
World Record Holder – 2006 Kawasaki ZX-14
Also known as “The Spirit”, this Kawasaki ZX-14 set three FIM and four AMA land speed records to its name at the Bonneville Salt Flats – and it still holds some of them. It’s ready to compete…if you are.
The Start of A Great Thing – Suzuki XR69
The Suzuki XR69 is an incredible machine with a fascinating backstory, all starting back in 1976 when Pops Yoshimura reached out to Suzuki in hopes of getting some assistance in developing his GS750-based racer. The timing couldn’t have been better as Suzuki at this point had a fairly tenuous grasp on high-performance four-stroke engines. This symbiotic agreement was also beneficial …
BeOn GP Kit – 2007 Aprilia SXV550 Road Racer
10-31-17 Update: Reader Frank S notes that this bike is back up for sale with a $1,500 discount – you can now find it here on Craigslist for $8,000. Based out of Valencia, Spain, BeOn Automotive has developed a “450 GP” kit to turn common 450 MX bikes into road racers. Here’s a kit-equipped Aprilia SXV550 that’s been raced by …
In the UK – Pro Grade SBK Racers
The Honda CBR 1000RR and Yamaha R1 have earned a reputation for being highly competent production machines in their stock form, however an ample amount of factory and aftermarket performance-parts have the ability to take these race-inspired road-goers to professional racing caliber. Taking things one step further is the fact that professional level Superbikes like this receive the benefit of …
The French NCR – Roadson 1078R
Since 1992, Jean-Francois Robert has been designing ultra-lightweight race machinery, first under the brand name ’Tucson’ with the slogan “Light is Right.” The boutique French race house’s aim is to compete with other prestigious shops such as NCR and Pierobon. Robert would partner with Yann Bakonyi and together the pair of designers and engineers would churn out some seriously impressive …
V-Rod Destroyer – 2006 Harley-Davidson VRXSE
A drag bike straight from the factory, the Harley-Davidson VRXSE was an in-house bike created by the Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) department of H-D. With a skilled rider, one could knock-out ETs between under 10 seconds right from the dealership. According to Kevin Duke from Motorcycle.com, when this bike was released it was the quickest accelerating production vehicle ever built. …
Turbocharged Land Speed Competitor – 2001 Yamaha R1
The seller of this bike modified it to compete at Bonneville in 2014 – it most recently ran this summer but it only “ran OK.” The carb jetting wasn’t spot on so this bike has more to give. The seller also has more to give as he doesn’t mention how much power the motor is making or how fast this …
In England – 1961 Honda Benly CB92 Racer
The CB92 was the king of its class in its day and was produced by many of the same Honda employees that were behind the marque’s first ever RC racer. Soichiro Honda released the CB92 – aka Benly Super Sport – in 1959, just a year after the RC71. Supposedly, 24,251 examples were produced from ’59-’65 (although some sources say …
Barry Sheene GP Racer – 1983 Heron Suzuki RGB500 Mk8
10-26-2017 Update: 17 months later, this GP Suzuki is back up for sale with an approximate discount of 40 percent. That sounds good, except the asking price is still $124,944. If that somehow brings it down into your price range, you can find it in the UK here on eBay. Post-Listing Update: This bike did not get any interest at …