The original XR650R is affectionately known as the Big Red Pig, and it was a desert champion thanks to the monster power and suspension. Those two things also make it a very interesting platform to build a supermoto with.
1970 Royal Enfield Interceptor
In addition to having the classiest name in motorcycling history, the Royal Enfield Interceptor featured a tuned version of RE’s biggest engine at the time. They were only sold in the US and Canada – as a ’70 model, this is a MkII model.
269 Miles – 1984 Kawasaki GPz750 Turbo
Post Sale Update: This GPz750 Turbo sold for $20,700 after 22 bids on eBay in Marlborough, Massachusetts.. Sold for two model years, the GPZ750 Turbo from Kawasaki is generally considered to be the best of the 80s Japanese turbo bikes that had a brief impact in the marketplace. 112 horsepower was good enough for a 10.7 second quarter mile – …
1 of 300 – 2002 Ducati Foggy Monster S4
Post Listing Update: This Monster S4 sold for $8,500 after 7 bids on eBay. However, the sale fell through and it was relisted – it didn’t meet reserve with 34 bids up to $6,000. If you’re looking at the number of championships and individual race wins, Carl “Foggy” Fogarty is the most successful racer to ever rule in World Superbike. …
2005 Aprilia Tuono R
Aprilia launched the Tuono in 2002 as a naked version of the RSV Mille. The model was completely revised for 2005 to reflect the all-new RSV1000 and split into the base “R” and the up-spec “Factory”.
0 Miles – 1994 Honda RC45
Post Sale Update: This Honda RC45 sold for $94,200 + 7% buyer’s fee = $100,794 after 83 bids on Iconic Motorbike Auctions. The zero mile collection out of Arizona continues on the auction site with a US-spec Honda RC45. And when I say zero miles, I mean it – the trip meter is still halfway between 000.0 and 000.1!
5 Miles – 1989 Suzuki GSX-R750RK
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 …