Post Sale Update: this Hodaka sold for $1,504 after 37 bids on eBay in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Debuting in 1964, the Ace 90 was Hodaka’s first model. The company made it a priority to upgrade parts throughout production in a manner that allowed owners of older models to easily upgrade their bikes, as well. Between 1964-1970, Hodaka sold over 24,000 …
No Reserve – 1986 Honda Z50RD Christmas Special
Post Sale Update: sold for $6,800 after 20 bids on eBay in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. 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 …
No Reserve – 1982 Honda CR80R
Post Sale Update: this CR80R sold for $2,235 after 19 bids on eBay in Powell, Ohio. Honda introduced the CR80R Elsinore in 1980, and it truly looked like a half size 250. The engine was up to snuff, though handling left quite a bit to be desired. So two years later, they added the Pro-Link monoshock, new 31mm air forks, …
1963 Torpado Sport
Post Listing Update: this Torpado did not meet reserve with 14 bids up to $1,259 on eBay in Mesa, Arizona. Founded in 1950, Torpado (or Moto Torpado) focused on small displacement motorcycles utilizing 32cc and 48cc engines. Here’s one of the latter, with a 48cc Minarelli two-stroke motor.
Wrong Exhaust – 1968 Honda SS125A
Post Sale Update: This SS125A sold for $1,525 after 37 bids on eBay in Trenton, New Jersey. Built between 1967 and 1969, the Honda SS125A wasn’t a huge sales success – and that’s why it’s an interesting and rare find nowadays. It was based on the CS125, a bike that was only sold in Japan.
No Reserve – 2000 Aprilia RS50
Post Sale Update: This RS50 sold for $2,950 including buyer’s fee after 4 bids on Iconic Motorbike Auctions in Santa Monica, California. In my review of the Aprilia RS660, I mentioned that we had a rare-in-the-US RS50 over at Iconic. Well, it’s now running and up for sale on our auction site!
The First Ducati – 1949 Ducati Cucciolo
The first motorcycle model ever released by the Italian firm, the Ducati Cucciolo was introduced in March 1946 out of the Borgo Panigale factory. One year later they were winning races with Glauco Zitelli at the helm, and a year after that the Cucciolo was being imported into the US.
Honda-Powered Custom with Hossack Front End
When Shane A submitted this to me via email, the subject line was simple and very accurate: “This one is wild.” The seller calls it a Honda Z5-Hossack, as it looks to be the 5th variant of his fascinating customs that utilize a Hossack front end.
1964 REX KL35
10-18-20 Update: Four years later, Robert VanSlyke notes in the comments that this REX is again up for sale. The asking price is down to $2,500 and it’s moved from Idaho to Arizona. It’s titled and still a runner – find it in Cave Creek, Arizona here on Facebook Marketplace. 9-12-16 Update: John K notes that this REX is back …
1988 Honda ZB50
Post Listing Update: did not get any bids at the opening ask of $2,500 on eBay. Only sold in the US, Canada, and western Europe in 1988, the ZB50 was supposed to be a street sister to the Z50R dirt bike, but it ended up being too expensive for Honda to build and the US only got 3,058 examples before …
843 Miles – 1982 Honda MB5
Post Sale Update: after being relisted, this MB5 sold for $1,925 after 8 bids on eBay in Longmont, Colorado. The Honda MB5 was only imported to the United States for one year, and for a while it did not leave a lasting impression. However, riders that grew up with these (or had a friend that used one as a first …
No Reserve Chappy – 1974 Yamaha LB80
Post Sale Update: This little Yamaha sold for $1,610.58 after 26 bids on eBay. Also known as the “Chappy”, here’s a cute little step-through scooter that was releasedto compete with Honda’s tiny trail bikes – the most common options were the LB50 and this LB80, the latter of which features an oil-injected 82cc engine and a 2-speed, 2-stage transmission.
Rare in the US – 1993 Honda QR50
Post Listing Update: This QR50 did not get any action at the BIN of $2,100 on eBay. Built as a rival to Yamaha’s PW50, the Honda QR50 was never officially sold in the US. It was, however, sold in Canada in 1983 and 1984, so a few have made their way across our northern border. Much like the Yamaha, this …
389 Miles – 2009 Aprilia RS125
Finding a plated modern RS125 is hard enough in the United States, but this example stands out even further thanks to the fact that it has just 389 miles. It does beg the question – what would you do with a bike like this? It’s best on a track but it’ll lose value with every miles. Are these collectible enough …
No Reserve – 1986 Suzuki GSX-R 50
Post Sale Update: This Norton did not meet reserve with 27 bids up to $5,475 in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. Over on the auction site we’ve got an example of the hardest of the Japanese minibikes to find in the US, as it was only produced for 2 years as a JDM bike only.