Post Sale Update: This RK sold for $41,100 + 7% buyer’s fee = $43,977 after 141 bids on Iconic Motorbike Auctions. A collector friend in Arizona is letting go of some of his “zero mile bikes” over on Iconic Motorbike Auctions. The first one is a Suzuki GSX-R750RK, which is arguably the most special of the Gixxers as it was …
CA Titled – 1991 Kawasaki KR-1S
Post Listing Update: This KR-1S did not get any action at the BIN of $17,000. In the late 80’s, Kawi had some success with their KR250 road racer, and released the Kawasaki KR-1 as a wonderful little two-stroke race rep. It was quite successful, triggering increased competition from the big 4, and it set off a 250cc 2-stroke war among …
Restored – 1956 BSA Golden Flash
We recently saw a Golden Flash that had been turned into a scrambler – so here’s a concours restoration for you purists.
137 Miles – 2008 Bimota Tesi 3D Limited Edition Concept
Post Sale Update: This Tesi sold for sold for $31,619 on Iconic Motorbike Auctions in Santa Monica, California. The name Tesi comes about because this motorcycle was actually the designer’s (Pierlugi Marconi) Mechanical Engineering thesis – on paper, at least, there are technical advantages to hub-centric steering. The simplified story here is that hub-centric steering completely isolates braking forces from …
1967 Velocette Venom Clubman
Post Sale Update: This Velocette sold for $15,655 after 15 bids on eBay in Trenton, New Jersey. Introduced in 1955, the Velocette Venom had a distinctive claim to fame – in 1961, a factory-prepped Venom Clubman was the first motorcycle to average over 100 MPH over the course of 24 hours. The challenge was completed at the 1.7 miles concrete …
Back in Black – 1980 Kawasaki Z1R
Post Sale Update: This Z1R sold for $18,050 after 30 bids on eBay in Buford, Georgia. 1-26-21 Update: 3+ years later, this Z1R is back up for sale and the new owner has bravely gone with a no reserve listing. He purchased it on eBay the last time it was featured here, and has since covered approximately 600 miles with …
Yoshimura Equipped – 1986 Suzuki GSX-R750
Though the model debuted in 1985, Suzuki’s legendary Gixxer line did not make its way to the US until 1986. The changes were minor – better headlights, a revised belly pan, and 25mm longer swingarm, but Americans were probably too busy drooling over the first true street-legal race replica sold in this market to notice.
1989 Ducati 851 SP3
Post Listing Update: This SP3 did not get any action at the BIN of $18,000 on eBay. The 851 was a quantum leap for Ducati, with a new trellis frame, 4-valve heads, liquid cooling, fuel injection, and a dry clutch – it formed the blueprint for decades of Ducati Superbikes. As Steve Rose put it in his 851 Buyer’s Guide …
1987 Honda NS125R Adriatico
One would assume that a Honda sold in their home market of Japan would also have been built there, but this oddball was actually built by Honda Italy and then exported to Japan. In the early 80s, the 125cc market was fiercely competitive in Italy due to licensing regulations. The local government placed high taxes on imported motorcycles, so Honda …
1982 Honda CX500 Turbo
Post Listing Update: This CX500 Turbo sold for $10,141 after 22 bids on eBay in Beaverton, Oregon…however the sale appears to have fallen through as the bike was later relisted and then did not meet reserve with 24 bids up to $8,600. Depending on how you define “production”, Kawasaki was the first motorcycle manufacturer to roll out a turbocharged motorcycle. …
2002 Moto Guzzi V11 Scura
A few days ago I featured a Scura with just four miles on the odometer in Germany. That’s all well and good, unless you a.) don’t live in Germany or b.) want to ride. Here’s one in Las Vegas that’s ready to go.
4 Miles in Germany – 2002 Moto Guzzi V11 Scura
Take the Moto Guzzi V11, add some higher spec components, black paint scheme, and limited production numbers, and you get the Scura. Approximately 700 examples of the Scura were built, and this one stands out because it has just 6 kilometers!
1963 Moto Morini Corsaro
In 1959, Moto Morini introduced the Corsaro (Italian for Pirate), a 125cc sportster that produced 7.5 horsepower.
1974 Kawasaki H2 750
Post Sale Update: This H2 sold for $15,988 after 45 bids on eBay in Ballston Spa, New York. The seller of this Widowmaker is the son of the original owner, who bought it new from a Kawasaki dealership in New York and rode it for just two years and 1,784 miles. “He married and started a family and the bike …
836cc Kit – 1972 Honda CB750
Post Sale Update: This CB750 sold for $8,500 after 16 bids on eBay in Santa Clarita, California. The seller of this CB says that “I wanted to build a motorcycle that I can enjoy and ride without having to worrying about dust & road debris. The plan was to build it correct to its year but with a budget in …