The Skorpion was an example of what an international economy can achieve – a East German manufacturer brought together Japanese motors (from Yamaha) and a British design firm (called Seymourpowell) to create something that worked well on paper and on the road. It wasn’t a huge commercial success, but nowadays it’s definitely a cult classic.
No Reserve Project – 1967 Honda CB450P Police
I have a weakness for older ‘service’ bikes, like this previously featured Honda Dream Fire Bike and today’s featured Honda CB450P Police Special, which may have also been officially called the Honda CP450. According to the AMA, just 25 were imported to the US to pilot an entrance into the police motorcycle market.
2016 Honda CB500F
Back in 2015 I mentioned a wonderful blog called Rolling Physics Problem by Greg Shamieh (a frequent commenter here at Bike-urious). He’s selling his CB500F – what he calls “the great grandson of the famous CB450 ‘Black Bomber’ – only with the benefit of more than 50 years of technical evolution.”
In Poland – 1943 BMW R12
The BMW R12 was an evolution of the iconic R7 concept and it was the first motorcycle in the world with hydraulically damped telescoping forks. BMW produced roughly 36,008 over a production run between 1935 and 1942.
Flying Dragon Tribute – 1972 Honda CL350
In ’72 and ’73, you could order an incredible set of alternate bodywork for CL350 or CL450 models – an idea that came from Honda’s paint department because they figured us crazy Americans were obsessed with tie dye, and some would want a similar scheme on their motorcycles. The Flying Dragon was born, but it didn’t sell well. That just …
1983 Benelli 900 Sei
When the Sei was introduced (as a 750), it was the first production motorcycle featuring a six cylinder engine. By ’78, the Sei got a bump up to 900 and a redesign that included many parts from Moto Guzzi (De Tomaso owned both companies at the time). You had to pay to play – MSRP was $5,406 in ’83 – …
1959 Zundapp Super Sabre
Powered by a 250cc two stroke, the Super Sabre was the top of the line Zundapp at the time.
1991 Moto Guzzi 1000S
Post Listing Update: This 1000S did not meet reserve with 65 bids up to $25,400 on eBay. In 1990, Moto Guzzi released the 1000S, styled to look like an update of the ’75 750 S3. It sold poorly but the classic styling has held up over the years and unlike the average Guzzi, the resale values for this model are …
1953 AJS Model 20
When Triumph introduced the Speed Twin in 1938, every other English manufacturer knew they had to offer two-cylinder motors of their own. AJS was the last of the major Brit builders to join the party (that pesky World War got in the way) when they released the Model 20 (and its Matchless twin, the G9) ten years later. Designed by …
2023 Moto Morini Seiemmezzo STR
Moto Morini is back in the US! They’re starting with a lineup of three bikes – a scrambler, an adventure tourer, and this one – a naked street bike called the Seiemmezzo (Italian for “six and a half” as it’s got a 649cc engine) STR.
516 Miles – 2022 Harley-Davidson/LiveWire ONE
I’ll be frank – I’m not particularly interested in the LiveWire myself. But sharing this gives me an excuse to ask/answer an interesting question: in Q2 of this year, how many bikes do you think LiveWire (which H-D spun off as its own entity) sold?
664 Miles – 2002 Kawasaki ZRX1200R
I’m a big fan of the ZRX and I think it’s a great example of a modern classic that you can enjoy every day. Here’s an example that’s barely been enjoyed (at least in terms of riding) as it has just 664 miles on the odometer. I’ll be curious to know if the next owner rides it or keeps the …
1960 NSU Super Max
After World War II, NSU found themselves with factories that had been destroyed. But they were able to persevere and in 1952 they released the Max, one of the most popular quarter-liter bikes of the 50s – 97,120 bikes were sold. Fast forward four years and NSU introduced the Supermax, which featured a 18 horsepower single good for a top …
1954 Royal Enfield Meteor
Nowadays, Royal Enfield offers up a parallel twin engine in their Continental GT and INT650 models, but back in the company’s heyday the p-twin of record was the Meteor (and its successor, the Super Meteor). It was introduced in the early 50s because the US market wanted bigger engines – RE responded with a 692cc OHV twin that was basically …
1980 Moto Guzzi V50 II
When Moto Guzzi first released the V50 in the late 70s, they were met with a tepid response from an American market that preferred bigger bikes and expected smaller bikes to be cheaper. Guzzi updated the V50 to the “II” generation in 1979, giving it dual-point ignition, a larger sump, and Nikasil coating on the cylinder bores.