Post Listing Update: Despite 36 bids up to $4,109, this ST did not meet reserve on eBay. For two years, BMW created a street-focused variant of the R80GS. They only sold 5,963 examples of what was named the R80ST, and approximately 15% of them were exported to the US. This fairly original example has just 14,230 miles.
1964 Lube-NSU Condor
Founded in 1947 by Luis Bejarano Morga, Lube was a relatively popular Spanish motorcycle manufacturer that utilized NSU motors starting in 1952. In their best years, they sold almost 1,000 bikes a year and it went out of business in 1967. This Condor is from 1964, the last year for NSU powerplants.
1 of 10 – 1921 Megola Touring 640cc
Megolas are fascinating for many reasons, but the obvious one is the 640cc 5-cylinder radial engine built into the front wheel. Yet, that’s somehow not even the craziest thing about this powertrain. It has only one gear, and no clutch. So you either had to bump start it or get the front wheel spinning with the bike on the center …
Ending Soon – 1960s Ariel Leader
Post Sale Update: This Leader sold for $4,676 after just 3 bids on eBay. For good or bad, the Ariel Leader was appropriately named – it may have even been too far ahead of its time. It was never officially sold in the US, but a few examples from the 1958-1965 production run have made it across the ocean.
1 Mile – 1971 Honda CB350
Post Listing Update: This CB350 was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. With over 250,000 units, the CB350 was one of Honda’s most popular bikes. Despite the high production numbers, I can’t imagine there are very many left like this one, which has never been ridden and shows just 1 mile on the odometer. The original owner acquired …
Magazine Feature – 1978 Honda CB400A Hawk Hondamatic
In 1976, Honda debuted the “Hondamatic” transmission on their popular CB750. It was designed to help bring in new riders who may have been intimidated by the requirement of using a clutch, but Honda quickly figured out that newbies may not necessarily want to start on the big 750. So two years later, the Hondamatic transmision found its way to …
1961 Panther M100 Deluxe
Post Sale Update: This Panther sold for $10,000 after 33 bids on eBay. Introduced way back in 1932, the Panther Model 100 kept evolving until 1963, by which point the Model 120 had taken over. Both models featured the distinctive “Sloper” motor, named for the angle that is so evident at a side view. The 598cc single produced 23 horsepower, …
1957 White Shooting Star 250
White International was an American company that imported bikes from overseas and rebranded them under their own name, similar to what Sears, Montgomery Ward, and later, Harley-Davidson did. In this case, the bikes being re-branded were Hungarian-built Csepel/Pannonias.
Restored – 1975 Honda Gold Wing GL1000 K0
I’m still working on my review of the newest entry into the Honda Gold Wing family, but here’s the opposite end of the spectrum – the first year of the legendary touring line. This example was given a “ground up restoration” and it looks excellent.
Ending Soon – 1955 Triumph TRW
Post Sale Update – This TRW sold for $7,300 after 26 bids on eBay. Built for the British military to utilize in WWII, the TRW arrived a little late: by the time Triumph had released the final version (3rd) of the model, the Allies had already won the war! Despite that, Triumph was able to sell nearly 16,000 units – …
No Reserve Restoration – 1970 Kawasaki Samurai A1
Post Sale Update: This Samurai sold for $3,550 after 24 bids on eBay. From the same seller as the KH400 from a couple of days ago, here’s a lovely restored Samurai. The model was introduced in 1967, but a couple of years later the rounded styling was boxed off. In 1970, the model featured a two-tone paint job of Pearl …
Philippine Import – 1966 BMW R50/2
Post Sale Update: After being relisted, this sold for $4,550 with 36 bids on eBay. This bike isn’t perfect, but it’s got an interesting history that I think is worth sharing. It was originally sold to the Philippines through the local distributor, Hahn Manila. Import fees were motorcycles were quite high so to get around that, imported bikes were torn …
Free Shipping From Belgium – 1956 Automoto Type APGL
Post Listing Update: This Automoto did not meet reserve with 43 bids up to $1,740. Founded in 1902, the French firm of Automoto built bicycles and motorcycles. They merged with Peugeot in 1930 but still created two-wheelers under the same brand name until 1962, when Automoto was shut down. They primarily focused on upmarket bikes with bigger motors, and after …
Restored – 1972 Suzuki T500 Titan
Post Listing Update: This Titan did not meet reserve despite 20 bids up to $6,200. Riders often like to reminisce about how much fun it could be to hit the violent powerband of a two stroke motor, but there were a few companies who thought that smokers were also ideal platforms for relaxed every day riding as well. Suzuki’s best …
Catalog Bike – Sears Puch Sabre
Back in the 60’s and 70’s you could order motorcycles from the major department stores, like Sears and Montgomery Wards. Generally, the bikes were rebadged small-displacement singles sourced from Europe. One such example is this Puch Sabre, a 50cc tiddler sold by Sears Roebuck.