Post Sale Update: This Honda sold for the BIN of $899. This model was never exported to the US, though adventurers who have traveled to countries in Asia or Central America should recognize the CGL 125. This example was bought new in Guatemala – the seller then disassembled it, brought it into the US, and put it back together. He …
“Christmas Special” – 1986 Honda Z50RD
Post Sale Update: This Christmas Special sold for $5,400 after 45 bids on eBay. Considered by some as the ultimate Honda Z50, the “Christmas Special” was a limited edition that officially had the model name of “Z50RD” – the D was for “Dealer”. Honda gave two examples to each of their top dealers, though some called it the “Chrome Edition” …
1961 Zweirad Union Victoria Type 115
Post Sale Update: This Tin Banana sold for $8,600 after 25 bids on eBay. In 1961, Zweirad Union released the Type 115/155 – the name was dependent on if you got the Victoria or DKW model. At the time, those two firms were 2/3rds of the Union, the other company was Express. Whether it was the DKW or Victoria, this …
Restored Desert Racer – 1968 Steen Hodaka SS 100
Throughout his lifetime, John Steen made a number of significant contributions to the motorsport world – from being a successful off-road racer to an early pioneer in the synthetic oil market to helping pave the way in the mini bike scene to producing his namesake, Hodaka-powered two-wheelers. John Steen may have passed away in 2007, but the mark he left …
1963 Harley-Davidson Scat
Post Listing Update: This Scat did not get any interest at the opening bid of $4,225. During WWII, a large part of the German Army motorcycle fleet was provided by DKW, a Saxony automobile and motorcycle manufacturer created in 1917. One of their major successes, the 125 RT, was known for its high reliability and performance. At the end of …
1960 Cushman Eagle
Post Listing Update: This Eagle did not get any interest at the opening ask of $5,500. Founded in 1903, Cushman was a Nebraska-based company that specialized in the construction of small engines destined to be installed on bicycles or carriage. At the time, the demand for that kind of engine was very high, which kept the company pretty busy. Right …
13 Honda Z50s
Post Listing Update: This lot of Z50s did not get any action at the opening bid of $19,000. I can’t imagine who would want to buy this, but someone is offering a collection of 13 Honda Z50s ranging from 1979 to 1999. They’re all claimed to be in “great original condition”, but what do you do with this? Start a …
Rare 4-Speed With Clutch – 1971 Honda CT70 HKO
Post Listing Update: This CT did not meet reserve despite 19 bids up to $4,300 on eBay. Thanks to the success of the Z50 “Monkey”, especially in Europe and the US, Honda knew there would be room to create another mini-bike with a slightly larger engine. Keeping the simple and positively childish concept for their new creation, Honda built the …
1969 Honda Z50A “Monkey”
In 1961, at the Tama Tech Park in Japan, a Honda-owned motorsport theme park, one of the attractions included the use of kid-size bikes called the Z100. Due to the way people looked while riding it – with arms and legs stuck out at sharp angles – the name of “Monkey” was quickly given to the bike. Seeing the success …
“American” MXer – 1974 Indian MT100
Decades before Polaris Industries acquired Indian Motorcycle, the manufacturer traded hands numerous times, giving rise to a number of very…non-Indian Indians. For a time Brockhouse Engineering sold rebadged and slightly modified Royal Enfields under the Indian name. The company was later sold off again, this time to AMC, which proceeded to sell rebadged AJS and Matchless bikes as Indians, though …
Kitted Cub – 1966 Honda C100 with Roadster Kit
While Honda found success with its small step-through models in most markets, the Japanese marque struggled to sell scooters in the same numbers in the US. Honda looked to change this with the introduction of what it called the “Custom Group”, consisting of four different add-on kits (the Roadster, Rally, Boss, and Student) designed to make little runners like the …
1938 DKW Diamant
Post Listing Update: This Diamant did not meet reserve with just 2 bids up to $1,500. In Sweden, one of the most popular early motorcycles was the DKW-powered Diamant. Per the seller, the Diamant was “sold for about 400kr ($50), which represented about 2 months of salary for an industrial worker.“
1958 Laverda 100 Sport Lusso
Post Sale Update: This Laverda sold for $6,100 after 30 bids on eBay. Sport and Luxury in the same model name, what a combination! Laverda’s 100 Sport Lusso was built in two series, and this ’58 model is from the latter. In the second series, this lovely Laverda 100 was available in “Gran Turismo” or “Sport Lusso” trims.
“Eris Speedcub” – 1998 Honda C90 Custom
I always enjoy when custom builders utilize cheap, small displacement donors for thoroughly involved projects, and this Honda is a wonderful example of such. This little runner started its life as a very used 1998 Honda Cub C90 that was stripped down to the frame. The headstock off a modern pit bike was sourced, prior to being chopped up and …
First Year in North America – 2003 Honda Ruckus
Post Sale Update: this Ruckus sold for $1,151 after 13 bids on Goodwill. The Honda Ruckus is a very unique modern scooter which combines distinctive styling, a CVT transmission, and excellent fuel economy (114 mpg) to become a popular in-town runabout. Here’s an example with just 660 miles that’s been donated to a Goodwill, so you can feel good about …