Post-Sale Update: After 36 bids on eBay, this Black Bomber sold for $4,550. One of the most influential Japanese motorcycles ever, the CB450 was Honda’s first big bike, and it was quite a shock to the Brits.
2015 Norvin
Take a Vincent engine, slap it in a Norton chassis, and you’ve got yourself a “Norvin”! This example was put together last year and it’s claimed to be in showroom condition.
2007 Aprilia Tuono Factory 1000 R
Post-Listing Update: This Tuono Factory got nowhere at the asking price of $7,500. The Aprilia Tuono Factory was an uprated version of one of the world’s greatest naked bikes, the Aprilia Tuono.
The Other Orange Classic – 1975 Rickman Honda 750
Post Listing Update: This Rickman did not get any interest at the asking price of $18,500. The brothers Rickman made quite a name for themselves back in the day. Perhaps best known for the Rickman Metisse off-road racers, their modus operandi were their beautiful and effective nickel plated steel frames housing any manner of running gear. When the modern and …
2003 Moto Guzzi V11 LeMans Rosso Corsa
Post Sale Update: This Rosso Corsa sold for $6,700 after 32 bids on eBay. For the second straight day, we’ve got a 1-in-50 Guzzi. But this time it’s featuring red bodywork instead of a red frame. Based on the previous generation of the venerable LeMans, this bike was the pinnacle of a model known for classic Italian cafe racer lines …
2009 BMW HP2 Sport
The swan song of the oil cooled BMW boxers is the HP2 Sport. A MCN review of a modified one called the HP2 Sport, “As desirable and pointless as a carbon-fibre Spitfire” although it had higher praise when the bike first debuted. While it was never as fast as anything with a Ducati badge on it for the same money …
“185cc Monster” – 2013 Honda Grom
The seller of this Grom has spent over $10,000 turning it into a “beastly 185cc monster.” It’s got plenty of trick parts, but the best news is that this bike can now finally break the speed limit on the highway!
1991 BMW K1
Prior to the S1000RR, BMW had been trying to get into the sport bike market for years with limited success. While they tried many times, they never succeeded in competing with the Japanese bikes. Maybe the most interesting of all these iterations of German sports bikes was the K1.
NCR Engine in Greece – 1978 Ducati 900SS
Post-Sale Update: After 29 bids on eBay, this 900SS sold for $21,600. NCR was named after its founders, Giorgio Nepoti, Rino Caracchi and Luigi Rizzi. The NCR name became synonymous with Ducati after Mike Hailwood won the Isle of Man on a NCR prepped Ducati 900, and it lives on even though Rizzi left early on and the other two …
1995 Ducati 900SS/SP Custom
Offered exclusively to North American customers, the SP (Sport Production) variant of the 900SS was a limited production bike equipped with upgrades like carbon fiber fenders, adjustable Showa suspension, and more. The limited numbers mean it’s not a common platform for custom builders, but that didn’t stop whomever tackled this bike. How would you say it ended up?
Ending Soon – 1984 Moto Guzzi Le Mans Mark 3
Post-Sale Update: This LeMans sold for $6,500 after 22 bids on eBay. As a child of the 80s who loves straight lines, I always enjoyed the styling (and the giant white Veglia tach)of the Le Mans Mark 3. Those were a few of the 80 changes that Guzzi made between the Mark II and III.
Tube-Framed Buell – 1997 Buell Cyclone
If ever there were a philosophical mis-match in the moto world, it had to be the marriage of Erik Buell and Harley-Davidson Motor Company. An avowed motorcycle racer and sport bike enthusiast, Buell built his first competition motorcycle in 1983 and went on to design and build Sportster-engine based street bikes. Harley began acquiring Buell’s company in 1993 and had …
1960 BSA Golden Flash
Despite the name, the Golden Flash (named for the “Polychromatic Golden Beige” scheme) was only available in black for home-market British customers. Thankfully, this export model has no such problem.
1996 Honda CBR600 Smokin Joe’s
Kids – smoking is bad. But tobacco companies sure have been responsible for some of the coolest racing liveries in history, whether it’s cars or bikes. After Miguel Duhamel won the AMA Championship in 1995, Honda offered a replica paint scheme of the Smokin’ Joe’s livery that graced Miggy’s bike.
Style Meets Speed – 1977 Honda CB750
Take a run of the mill CB750, remove all the bad bits and replace them with good bits and what do you have? A Seeley, most likely.