Post Listing Update: This H2C did not meet reserve despite $37,600 after 55 bids on eBay. This is apparently quite the week for high dollar classic Kawasakis! As you may remember from a post back in April, legendary Kawi collector Rick Brett is liquidating his collection. He was selling most bikes through his website, but it looks like he saved …
1969 Norton Commando 750
Post Listing Update: This Commando did not get any interest at the opening bid of $11,500. The end of the 60’s was kind of a turning point in the world of motorcycling. British and European bikes were falling behind the Japanese manufacturers in terms of technological and mechanical innovations. In 1967, Norton-Villiers (ex-Associated Motor Cycles) released the mighty Norton Commando …
Brian Birch Built – 2003 Ducati 999
Born in Blacksburg, Virginia, Brian Birch was always fascinated by cars, motorcycles, and what makes them tick. At the age of 18, Birch got his first bike, around the same time he enrolled to study mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech. While earning his degree, Birch filed his first patent — a design for a rear (swing-arm) track-stand that later won …
Never Registered – 2015 MV Agusta Dragster 800 RR
The good folks over at Federal Moto occasionally sell bikes, but usually it’s one of their highly-modified builds that you’ve probably seen on the usual internet sites or maybe at a show like Handbuilt or Mama Tried. This time around, however, they’ve got a basically-new exotic Italian that’s completely stock.
Ending Soon – 1991 Yamaha XT600E Supermoto
Post Sale Update: This XT sold for $3,545 after 16 bids on eBay in Columbia, Maryland. In a big trailie comparison story in the 1990 issue of Motorcyclist, the Yamaha XT600 was described as follows: “After ending up king of the dirt last year, Yamaha’s XT600 turned away from its roots and focused on the street. Electric starting, a swoopy …
1 of 136 – 1972 Rickman Enfield Interceptor
Post Sale Update: This Rickman did not get any interest with the BIN of $18,000. In the early 70s, an aspiring Floyd Clymer (who owned the name of Indian Motorcycles at the time) thought that the 736cc engine from the Mark II Royal Enfield Interceptor was an absolute jewel, and he ordered 200 to use in an hybrid sport-tourer to …
1983 Honda CX650 Turbo
Post Sale Update: This CX650 Turbo sold for $4,600 after 2 bids on eBay in San Diego, California. With the appearance of the Japanese brands on the motorcycle market at the end of the 60s, a race of performance and technology started between different bike manufacturers. The first battle was about power and the aim of creating high cc bikes …
Guzzi-Based Greatness – 2001 Ghezzi-Brian SuperTwin 1100
Post Listing Update: This Ghezzi-Brian did not get any interest with the BIN of $30,000. Last week Abhi featured a beautiful 2004 Moto Guzzi MGS-01, and as exotic and rare as it is, it’s got nothing on the machine it was derived from. Ghezzi-Brian is a company you’ve probably never heard of before. The boutique Italian outfit specializes in producing …
Ridiculously Recherché – Custom 2002 Ducati MH900e
The Ducati MH900e (Mike Hailwood 900 Evoluzione) is a stellar example of what happens when vintage and modern elements are skillfully and successfully merged. Designed by Pierre Terblanche — who’d previously penned the 749/999 — the MH900e was produced to pay homage to Mike “The Bike” Hailwood’s legendary 1978 TT win, and the NCR-prepped machine the feat was achieved on. …
Modernized GP Classic – Upgraded 1984 Yamaha RZ500
The mid-1970s were an exciting time for GP racing. In ’75 ,Yamaha managed to steal the crown from MV Agusta before going on to claim back-to-back-to-back world titles in ’78, ’79, and ’80 – feats achieved by Kenny Roberts. By the dawn of the ’80s, the tuning fork company’s marketing department started kicking around the idea of introducing a high-performance …
Needs To Be Registered – 1982 Hesketh V1000
9-20-18 Update: Mat G-S notes that this Hesketh is back up for sale with a slightly lower asking price. You can now find it with a BIN of $26,000 here on eBay. Post Listing Update: This Hesketh did not get any action at the BIN of $29,000. By 1981, England was almost irrelevant in the international game of motorcycle production. …
BikeShed Shown – 2004 Aprilia RSV1000 Custom
Released in 1998, the RSV1000 was a game-changing model for Aprilia. Beforehand, the largest machine in the Italian marque’s lineup was a 250. In its roughly half-decade of production an array of different RSV variants were produced, including a few higher-spec R and SP models. While most people would’t look at the full-faired Italian V-Twin as an ideal donor, Gareth …
2006 Ducati Paul Smart 1000LE
In every motorcycle manufacturer’s history, there is an event that changes everything, something that creates a before and an after, something that will define the brand and the image it will have for the rest of its activity. Ducati has a strange story. Founded in 1926 in Bologna, the Italian brand was at the time specialized in the production and …
Well Modified – 2018 Husqvarna 701 Supermoto
If you’ve never had the chance to ride a supermoto, you are seriously missing out. OEMs don’t help much in this case – there are very few factory supermotos available off the dealership floor. The best current option is from Husky, and if you’re in the market you’re going to want one from 217 at the latest, as that’s when …
1974 Kawasaki Z1
Post Listing Update: This Z1 did not meet reserve despite 11 bids up to $8,003. Just like Honda has its CB750, BMW has its GS, and Suzuki has its GSX-R, Kawasaki has the Z1. Every big motorcycle manufacturer has been shaped by their capability to innovate and to create some bikes that changed the market forever. While still in the …