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 …
In Italy – 2006 Moto Guzzi MGS-01 Corsa
Post Listing Update: 30 bids on eBay got up to $22,300, but that wasn’t enough to meet reserve. Moto Guzzi Sport, Number 1 – that’s what MGS-01 stood for. Doesn’t matter what you called it, it was an unexpected taste of what Guzzi would be capable of if they wanted to rub shoulders with Ducati or Aprilia in the exotic, …
Terry Prince-Made – 1949 Vincent Rapide
In the international Vincent motorcycle community, you’d have a hard time coming across many names with a greater expertise than Terry Prince. Prince, who grew up riding, racing and wrenching on British machines, knows these bikes ridiculously well, in part because he himself was one of the people behind several Vincent-Egli creations before going on to spend his career doing …
Bored Out and Turbocharged – 1982 Suzuki Katana
Thanks to a 1,400cc motor and a Rajay F40 turbo, this Katana has enough juice to back up the iconic angular styling.
Street Legal – 2007 Husqvarna SMR450 with CR500 Motor
5 years ago, I saw one of my favorite posts of all time on BikeEXIF – a crazy person had stuffed a CR500 motor into a Husqvarna supermoto to create a “Husqvonda.” It was a street-legal monster that was said to put down “80-85 horsepower to the rear wheel.” The bike isn’t in show condition any more, but it’s still …
Rare German – 1982 BMW Krauser MKM 1000
Post Listing Update: This Krauser did not get any interest at the opening ask of $28,000. The Krauser name is best known for luggage, but in the early 80s Mike Krauser decided that he wanted to build a world-beating road bike. He started with his favorite road bike at the time, a BMW R100S, and then developed an incredible frame …
Graves Built – 2008 Yamaha R6
If you follow production-based motorcycle racing in the US, you’re probably familiar with Graves Racing Services. For anyone who doesn’t know about them, GRS is a Southern California based company who offers factory-level components and services to the public, along with providing support to professional race teams. For example, the bikes of Cameron Beaubier (R1) and Garrett Gerloff (R6) feature …
One Owner, 170k Miles – 2005 Honda VFR800
Honda’s VFR lineup has typically enjoyed a reputation of being good sport-touring bikes for those who want to cover lots of miles in a day but do it with a some agility. This bike is a monument to that stereotype as the original owner put 170,000 miles on it since he bought it new. The owner was a Honda mechanic …
First Generation – 2008 KTM RC8
In 2008, KTM released the 1190 RC8 with big plans of tapping into the flagship Superbike market along with some grand WSBK ambitions. The RC8 would see another seven years of production, receiving various tweaks and upgrades in that time but KTM would ultimately fail to get the traction they had hoped for in the market along with a less-than-stellar …
Ducati Forks – 2007 Husqvarna SMR450 Custom
SMR stands for Super Moto Race, which should tell you everything you need to know about this bike. Though it was street legal from the dealership, this bike would be wasted on most public roads. It’s for the most aggressive curves you can find – hopefully within a few minutes of your house, otherwise you should be trailering it! These …