In 1960 Moto Guzzi set out to re establish itself in the most profitable Italian market segment by introducing the 125 CC Stornello. Using a brand new four stroke pushrod single, the Stornello made an instant impact in the eighth liter class of Italian bikes. In 1961 Guzzi added inclined valves and a hemispherical combustion chamber (yes, it’s a hemi) …
1969 Honda Z50 Mini Trail
Designed and built originally as an attraction at a Japanese amusement park, when Honda officials saw the reaction of all ages, they decided to market the bike to the world. Starting in 1964, the Z50 turned out to be a very successful seller for HMC. Commonly called the ‘Monkey Bike’ based on how adults looked riding this teeny bike it …
1950 Powell P81 Custom
Post Sale Update: After being relisted, this P81 sold for $3,050 with 20 bids on eBay. Powell Manufacturing switched from making radios to motor scooters in the mid 1930’s in their Compton, California plant. They went to full war production in 1942 (they built an ultra lightweight for American Airborne troops) but picked their scooters back up after the war. …
1968 Honda S90
Post Sale Update: After 37 bids on eBay, this S90 sold for $3,050. We all know how Abhi feels about the S90. I am somewhere near the same. My best buddy on earth had one back in the day, and I just loved it. It still gives me the warm and fuzzies when I see a picture of one. The …
1947? Indian Papoose
I’m an Indian fan, and I’d never heard of this model. I was skeptical until I did some research and lo and behold, there it was. The Papoose was actually a rebadged Corgi model built by Brockhouse Engineering in England. The model was a civilianized version of the Welbike which was developed during WWII for British Special Forces to use …
87 Miles – 1974 MZ TS150
If you want a city commuter that will really stand out from the crowd, consider this piece of East German history. TS stood for Telescopic Fork and Swingarm, letting you know that this bike was fully suspended. MZ offered the TS line in a few displacements – this was the medium sized 150. Somehow, this little bike has just 87 …
34 Bikes – Cushman Collection
Some Cushman nut has accumulated 34 scooters spanning 56 years of the company’s history. You’ll also get thousands of extra parts, boxes of original literature, and signs up to 8 feet long. Now he wants to get rid of it all in one fell swoop. Feel like starting a Cushman museum?
Needs a Taillight – 1984 Honda Motocompo
Post Listing Update: This Motocompo did not get any interest at the opening bid of $3,000. One of the true cult classics of scooters, the Motocompo was designed to fit into the trunks of Honda’s subcompact cars of the time. To minimize dimensions of the scoot when it needs to be stored, the handlebars and seat can be folded in …
1978 Yamaha GT80F
The first bike of many a young rider, the Yamaha GT80 was one of the many small trail bikes offered by the Japanese.
Ultimate Little Racer – 1996 Honda RS125R
Post Listing Update: This RS125R was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. There are very few bikes that get riders riled up like Honda’s RS125R. If you’re just looking at displacement, you might struggle to understand why that is. But the many fans of the little racebike tell a story of momentum, agility, and absurd levels of excitement. …
1969 Honda CL90
In the mid 1960’s America went completely crazy for dirt motorcycles and those that looked like they might be dirt capable. The CL designation from Honda meant Scrambler, and that was a higher rear fender, braced handlebars and a high mounted exhaust. The CL 90 was a full brother to the legendary S 90 and aimed at entry level riders. …
Built to Teach – 1990 Honda CB125T
Post Sale Update: After 33 bids on eBay, this CB125T sold for just $601. For just one year, Honda made 2,000 examples of a 125cc twin specifically designed for US rider’s education schools. They were built without VINs so they should not be street legal, yet this example is claimed to have a VIN…
Uber Rare Project – 1965 Hummel 155
Hummel is a division of DKW, the well known German motorcycle works. DKW had begun producing motorized cycles in 1919 and in 1932 became a partner in Auto Union. The introduction of the Hummel 155 in 1965 caused a considerable stir in the European motorcycle press. The Hummel was never exported to the US.
1969 Indian Boy Racer
In 1968 Floyd Clymer bought the Indian Motorcycle name and some of the tooling with the idea of resurrecting the legendary marquee. Clymer was a legend in the motorcycle world before he bought Indian as a publisher of books and magazines, including Cycle. He was a car dealer, a motorcycle dealer and distributor, and mostly successful at all of them. …
Restored Cheetah – 1961 Puch DS60
Puch called it the DS60, though you may have seen it in the US as the Cheetah – it was sold through Sears Allstate department stores. Pre ’65 models featured a twistgrip shift, later bikes went to a foot shifter. These aren’t too hard to find (I’ll share three with you in this post), but it’s rare to see a …