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1993 Horex 644 OSCA

In Germany, Japan, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

Established in the early 1920s, Horex was a German motorcycle manufacturer that has seen several ups and downs over the decades – including several different owners over some turbulent times. Some partners included Floyd Clymer (who tried to sell these under the Indian name in the 50s) and Friedl Munch (who famously built the Mammut/Mammoth). In 1989, Horex partnered with …

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329 Miles – 1990 Honda NSR50

In Japan, Small Displacement, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

The NSR50 was in Honda’s lineup for decades before they blessed the USA with a chance to officially try it for ourselves in 2004 with the NSR50R. Before that year, Americans had to either order one directly from HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) or try to import one through the gray market. It was well worth the effort, because Honda used …

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1973 Honda CB750 K3

In Japan, Sport by Chris CopeLeave a Comment

Given the number of CB750s to be found on the internets, you’d be inclined to believe that every single one of the bikes made in the the 1970s survives to the modern day. Unfortunately, quite a lot of them have been tinkered beyond recognition. Finding one that hasn’t been permanently scarred by previous owners’ questionable choices is a challenge. Step …

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Salvage Title – 2008 Bimota Tesi 3D

In Italy, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

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 suspension travel, which should improve mechanical performance of both aspects. This is one of the Limited Edition “Concept” …

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1988 Honda Hawk NT650

In Japan, Less than 5k, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

Honda was ahead of its time when it debuted the Hawk GT, also known as the NT650. It was one of the world’s first modern naked bikes but it was a commercial failure. Over the years, many riders have realized what the Hawk offered, and it’s become a cult classic.

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1973 Kawasaki Z1

In Japan, Sport by Chris CopeLeave a Comment

You won’t be buying this bike. Which is just fine with the seller. He’s priced his acceptable-but-definitely-not-showroom-condition Z1 at $79,000 precisely because he doesn’t want to sell it. “I am only listing it at my wife’s insistence,” the seller explains. “I promised her I would list it, but would only sell it for the price listed.”

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1997 Honda Dream 50

In Japan, Small Displacement, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

Over on the auction site we’ve got an example of one of my favorite small-displacement four-strokes: the Honda Dream 50. This is an homage to their CR1100 race bike, Honda’s first 50cc GP racer. It was built for a couple of years in the Japanese market (and then for one year in the US with a race-only variant). This is …

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1974 Laverda 1000 3C

In Italy, Sport by Chris CopeLeave a Comment

Laverda is one of those ‘rabbit hole’ brands, as in: you can spend a lot of time wandering down internet rabbit holes when learning about it. You find some interesting things down there, though. Can you guess how this Italian motorcycle ties to flamboyant dancing in 1700s Spain? We’ll start a little closer to the present, in Breganze, Italy, in …

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1953 BSA Gold Star 500

In England, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

One of BSA’s most famous bikes of all time was the legendary Gold Star – they were used for a variety of disciplines including road racing, trials, scramblers, dir track, hillclimbs…you name it, and that’s why the seller of this bike calls it “possibly the most versatile motorcycle ever built.” I like this particular example as this 72-year-old appears to …

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2003 Derbi GPR50R

In Less than 5k, Small Displacement, Spain, Sport by Chris CopeLeave a Comment

Until I came across this bike, I had never heard of Derbi – the Spanish (or Catalonian, depending on your geo-political perspective) brand that started producing small-capacity bikes in the early 1940s. The story of the company started, however, in 1922 when Simeón Rabasa i Singla opened a bicycle shop in Mollet del Vallès, near Barcelona. That business would go …

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1981 Ducati Pantah 500SL

In Italy, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

One of the lesser-known bikes in Ducati’s history is the distinctively-styled Pantah 500SL, a replacement to the 350/500 parallel twins that stunk up the marketplace. They’re hard to find in original or restored condition – this is one of the latter. Basic specifications included 45 horsepower at 9,000 rpm, a top speed of 115 miles per hour, and a wet …