While Alabama-based Motus Motorcycles don’t have the same name recognition that bigger manufacturers possess, this small American moco founded in ’08 nonetheless makes some impressive top-shelf bikes. Their first bikes so far are the MST and MSTR, and luckily enough the example for sale today is the R-spec which is the elite version of an already stunning Sport-Tourer powered by …
1981 Moto Guzzi V50 Monza
When Moto Guzzi first released the V50 in the late 70s, they were met with a tepid response from an American market that preferred bigger bikes and expected smaller bikes to be cheaper. To help the model stand out, Guzzi released a sportier version in 1980 called the Monza. There were significant changes, the wheelbase was lengthened slightly, the forks …
A Good Story – 1948 Norton International Manx
Norton has a long and storied history building and racing motorcycles. The International was built in 350 and 500cc variants from 1931 to 1957, with a break for that big war. As it evolved, so did its engine, frame and suspension. In its final form, it used the “Featherbed” frame, famous for it’s roadholding ability.
4 Miles – 2002 Moto Guzzi V11 Le Mans
Post Sale Update: After 22 bids on eBay, this Le Mans sold for $8,000. Sonny Angel Motorcycles is a family owned dealership in National City, California that goes back to 1953 – his story was documented in this article on Motorcycle Classics. I bring him up today because this featured Guzzi was sitting on the showroom floor from 2002 until …
Ending Soon – 1968 Minarelli P4 Competizione
Post Sale Update: After 27 bids on eBay, this P4 sold for $4,651. Minarelli was founded in 1951 as a motorcycle manufacturer, but within five years they narrowed their focus to just building two-stroke motors. Over time they went back to building complete bikes, including some factory racers. One of their best known powerplants was the 49cc P4, which was …
Black and Blue – Yamaha XS650 Street Tracker
Flat Tracker builds have become increasingly popular lately but like cafe racers they’ve moved into the territory of being over saturated. This custom Yamaha however is the type of tracker-build that inspires dozens of others, albeit usually of a lower quality. While this one-off machine is fully street-legal, it does a fantastic job of looking like it belongs on a …
Mandello del Lario Mutt – 1975 Moto Guzzi 1000
View PostNumber 2 – 2009 Bimota DB7
6-24-17 Update: Almost a year later, Tim Huber notes that this bike is back up for sale – you can find it with an asking price of $22,000 here on Craigslist in Henderson, Nevada. Post Listing Update: This DB7 did not reserve with bidding ending up at $16,100. The DB7 was Bimotas first superbike after their rebirth in 2003, and …
Kosman Framed and S&S Powered – 2005 Harley-Davidson Street Tracker
Pretty much anything with an S&S engine powering it is going to be pretty impressive. Most bikes lucky enough to house one saw their builder(s) go all out in an effort for the rest of the machine to be on par with the excellence of its powerplant. According to the seller, this professionally-built tracker was the sister bike to the …
1 of 12 – 2009 NCR Ducati Mike Hailwood TT
Post Listing Update: This NCR did not meet reserve at $74,600. 6-21-17 Update: Apparently, that sale fell through as the bike was relisted again in November 2016 for $110,000 with no takers. Half a year later, Tim Huber has noted that this bike is back up for sale, though it’s now in an auction format instead of a Buy-It-Now. Let’s …
1 of 99 – 2006 MV Agusta F4 1000 Veltro Strada
MV has produced quite a few (arguably too many) special editions of the F4 over the years, but one of the most interesting was the Veltro. It was offered in two flavors – Pista (race) or Strada (road). 23 of former were built, while there were 99 examples of the latter. The general consensus among F4 fans seems to be …
Upgraded – 2003 Ducati 999S
The Ducati 999 was a controversial motorcycle and was greeted by mixed reviews upon its being debuted with much of the fuss being over the 999’s appearance, in particular the headlight. Regardless of its aesthetics the V-twin powered triple-nine did achieve its fair share of success in the racing-world with back-to-back WSBK championships in 2003 and 2004 along with a …
Rickman x Triumph “Britmota”
The now-defunct U.K.-Rickman motorcycles are probably best known for their chassis used on dirt-going two-wheelers but after establishing themselves in the 1960’s Scrambler-scene they embarked on their next series of projects: frames for road bikes/cafe racers. Because brothers: Derek and Don Rickman (of Rickman motorcycles) weren’t able to get the engines they wanted from major British-manufacturers they instead decided to …
2000 Moto Guzzi V11 Sport
Moto Guzzis are an acquired taste. If you’ve ever ridden one, you would immediately know what I mean. Their owners can be a quirky group, but you have to give them credit for their loyalty, and they tend to rack up the miles. The V11 was Guzzi’s attempt to grab a piece of the “sportbike” market in the late 1990’s.
Ending Soon – 1986 Suzuki RG500 Walter Wolf
There are a few iconic race/sport-oriented motorcycles that have stood the test of time far better than the majority of two wheelers and the Suzuki RG500 Gamma is a prime example of this. To this day, the RG500 retains its off-the-charts “cool-factor” with its fascinating bodywork and design, not that it wasn’t impressive from a mechanical or engineering standpoint for …