The Bimota Tuatara YB6 was claimed to be the fastest production motorcycle of its time – though Kawasaki would claim otherwise with their ZZR1100. Still, this bike was an absolute rocket, capable of a solid 175 miles per hour thanks to a tuned Yamaha FZR1000 engine.
Bitsa Bike – 1980 Moto Guzzi Custom
Bitsa is a slang term that refers to a bike that’s been put together with “bits of” one bike and “bits of” another. This custom Moto Guzzi definitely qualifies, as it has pieces from multiple late 70s and early 80s Guzzis. As long as you’re not a stickler for originality, who cares? This bike looks good.
1 of 200 – 2003 Aprilia Tuono Racing
The Aprilia Tuono Racing (before the Italian company started applying the ‘Factory’ moniker on their high-performance bikes) was a limited edition, highest-spec version of the naked Tuono. Think of it as the RSV-R without a fairing and with wider, flatter bars.
Orange Crush – 1974 Laverda 750 SFC
10-1 Update: This Laverda 750 SFC did not meet reserve at $50,000 the last time it was listed. It’s now back up for sale with bidding up to $35,100 (and yes, the reserve not yet met) here on eBay. Say hello to the Laverda 750 SFC, a limited-production, street-legal racer that was the most iconic bike to ever come with …
1950 Vincent Rapide Series C
The baby brother to the legendary Black Shadow, the Vincent Rapide was sold from 1936-55 in 3 distinct ‘Series’. The final run was the Series C, which commenced in 1949. It offered the Rapide as a base model and the Black Shadow as the higher state of tune.
1981 Moto Guzzi CX100 LeMans
Post Sale Update: After 18 bids on eBay, this CX100 sold for $5,202.61. The successor to the legendary 850cc Le Mans, the Moto Guzzi LeMans II CX100 was created to satisfy the American mantra of “no replacement for displacement” and as competition to the BMW R100RS. Guzzi took the engine and lower fairings from the 1000SP sport tourer, and threw …
A pair of Moto Guzzi 1100 Sports
One of my favorite Guzzis, the 1100 Sport was a beautiful deviation from what people expect from the Italian firm. This is one of the earlier models, which comes with gigantic 40mm Dell’Orto’s instead of electronic injection (denoted as the 1100i). The engine produced 90 horsepower and the 5-speed transmission was geared very tall, so you could hit nearly 140. …
1969 Norton Commando Fastback 750cc
Some people are confused about how the Fastback name came about for the Commando. It’s just the base model bike, however Norton decided to differentiate with the Fastback name once they started offering other Commando models like the Interstate. This specific Fastback (VIN: 126797) is in a wonderful shade of original Forest Green, a color that did not sell well …
1 of 3 – 1957 Moto Islo Grand Sport
Isodoro Lopez was founder of Moto Islo, a Mexican motorcycle company that started by building economical forms of transport, but also ended up partnering with Frank Cooper of Maico fame to create enduros to be imported to the US. But ignore all that for a moment. Lopez was passionate about racing, so he worked to create four racers to compete …
1947 Vincent Rapide Series B
The baby brother to the legendary Black Shadow, the Vincent Rapide was sold from 1936-55 in 3 distinct ‘Series’. The middle run was the Series B, which ended in 1948. The Rapide’s 998cc V-twin was good for 45 horsepower. By the standards of the 50’s, this motorcycle was absolutely incredible. Top speed was about 120 miles per hour, and you …
Tiny Trellis – 1986 Yamaha SDR 200
Post Listing Update: This SDR was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. Here’s a bike I’ve never heard of before – the Yamaha SDR 200. Originally built solely for as a JDM bike, a small amount of SDRs turned into grey-market motorcycles and were imported into Europe and the United States.
1986 Ducati 750 F1
Post Listing Update: This F1 did not meet reserve despite 5 bids up to $10,655. Ducati’s last stand before being sold to the Castiglioni brothers, the 750F1A featured hand made aluminum tanks, floating rotors, and other features designed to make it a race bike for the street. Raw and uncompromising, it was slightly down on power but an excellent handler …
1979 Ducati 900 Super Sport Darmah
Post-Listing Update: Despite bidding up to $15,200 on eBay, this Ducati 900 Super Sport Darmah did not meet reserve. After the classic 750 GT of the 70s, Ducati looked to evolve with a simpler engine, and they ended up with the first ‘square case’ bevel twin – the 860 GT. It was a commercial flop, so just a few years …
1995 Triumph Speed Triple Challenge Replica
Post Listing Update: This Speed Triple did not get any interest at the opening bid of $6,500. Triumph released their iconic Speed Triple in February of 1994 – in that year they also started a one make series called the Triumph Speed Triple Challenge. Here’s a video of the inaugural race
Tenni Green – 2012 Moto Guzzi Griso SE
The Moto Guzzi Griso SE is a special edition of the venerable Griso, that is set off by beautiful Tenni paint reminiscient of Guzzi’s racebikes of the 1950s. The SE got several extras, including spoked wheels, the beautiful paint (and brown leather seat), and blacked out parts all over the place. Mechanically, you also got adjustable suspension, and giant Brembo …