Post Listing Update: This CB did not meet reserve despite 36 bids up to $6,050 on eBay. The Honda CB750 was successful in ways that the brand could have only dreamed of. Four cylinders have long been known for pushing the boundaries of affordable performance, but that legacy began with the CB750. Its solid platform has remained relevant even today. …
2004 BMW R1150R Rockster
BMW announced the Rockster prototype in 2002 with asymmetrical headlights and an attention grabbing paint scheme. Despite being a parts bin bike, it caused enough of a stir to go into production. Though heavily based on the standard R1150R, the Rockster was the first boxer engine to have twin spark cylinder heads that later became standard fare. Other differences from …
2003 Yamaha FZ1
The Yamaha FZ1 is an under-appreciated bike. Introduced in 2001, it gave you the power of a modified R1 engine (145 hp) with all-day ergonomics. Low-end power suffered compared to the competition, but it was silly amounts of fun over 8,000 rpm.
2018 Husqvarna Svartpilen 401
Post Sale Update: This Svartpilen 401 sold for the BIN of $5,125 on eBay Next week I’ll be at the launch of the Husqvarna Svartpilen 701, but the little brother 401 has been available for some time. I prefer it over the Vitpilen 401, and Nathan agreed in his review of both bikes last year. Here’s one with less than …
Restored – 1963 Harley-Davidson Aermacchi 250 Sprint H
Post Sale Update: This Sprint sold for $3,500 after 27 bids on eBay. The Harley-Davidson Sprint H is a classic moto built from the Italian-American partnership of HD and Aermacchi. The H was a sport model that was introduced in 1963 with a small amount of additional off-road capability thanks to 18″ wheels and a bigger air filter. An increase …
1980 Honda CB750K Custom
The greatness and pedigree of the Honda 750 is well documented, but the DOHC version is not as coveted. The engine stepped away from the original 750, which was designed to (from the side) look like a Triumph twin. This is one of the reasons the SOHC 750 was and, is sought after by café bike enthusiasts. One could argue …
Dutch Police – 1952 Sparta NL250
Post Listing Update: This Sparta did not meet reserve with 20 bids up to $1,136. Sparta was a Dutch company that started as a bicycle manufacturer called Verbeek & Schakel. They started building motorcycles in ’31 with Sachs motors, and they would go on to use Villiers, JLO, and Victoria motors, including the 9 horsepower Victoria two-stroke engine in this …
First Ride Review – 2019 Kawasaki Z400
View Post1953 Bianchi Bianchina
Post Listing Update: This Bianchi did not meet reserve despite 16 bids up to $3,300. While the “Bianchina” name was also used for a car made by a spinoff of Bianchi (called Autobianchi), in this case it applies to a 2-stroke 125cc motorcycle with an elegant pedestrian slicer.
Rare Project – 1961 Norton Manxman
Post Listing Update: This Manxman did not meet reserve despite 39 bids up to $4,450 on eBay. Built just between November 1960 and October 1961, the Norton Manxman is a rare bike that was built for export only – most came to the US, though another significant chunk went to Australia.
What Do You Want To Know? 2019 Kawasaki Z400
UPDATE: Here’s my review! At the Long Beach International Motorcycle Show, Kawasaki debuted several models for the US market. The one I was most excited about was the new-for-2019 Z400 ABS. To oversimplify, it’s a naked version of the Ninja 400. That’s good news to me, as I love naked bikes and I think the Ninja 400 was excellent. This …
1964 DKW Hummel 115
Post Sale Update: This DKW – sold for $8,700 after 22 bids on eBay. In the early 1960s, Zweirad Union was comprised of DKW, Victoria, and Express. The first two companies shared a model that was boringly named either the DKW Type 115 or the Victoria Type 155. Both bikes got a much more interesting nickname from the public: the …
Post-War Unisex Scooter – 1951 Aermacchi Cigno 125
Post Listing Update: This Cigno did not meet reserve despite 31 bids up to $4,250 on eBay. Following the Second World War, Europe was in dire need of cheap, economical transportation. A bevy of companies pivoted to fill the new gap in the market. One of them was Aermacchi, which shifted to making bikes and scooters after producing aviation equipment …
2016 Victory Empulse TT
Post Sale Update: This Empulse sold for the BIN of $7,999 on eBay. Before Victory failed in their quest to compete with Harley-Davidson, they had the goal of beating HD to market with an electric motorcycle. They did in fact succeed, licensing some Brammo hardware and pushing them to market back when Scarlett Johansson was the only person who had …
Russian Project – 1973 IZH Planeta 3
Post Sale Update: This IZH sold for $1,575 after 46 bids on eBay. IZH was best known for making the AK47 assault rifle, though they did have a civilian division that also made cars and motorcycles – production of the latter started in 1927. Here’s an example of one of their most successful bikes, the Planeta.