Some bikes are pretty recognizable, and even more are very easy to date to a decade. The Honda CA72 and CA77 are pretty easy. There can be no doubt they belong to the 1960s and the Dreams have a pretty easily recognized profile. The CA (American) series was the first ‘large displacement’ twins that Honda mass exported starting in 1961. …
Ducati Motor – 1976 Condor A350
“Swiss Army Knife” is a term given to something versatile. So what would a Swiss Army Bike be like? In this case, it’s made by a company called Condor and it features a Ducati motor. Condor actually started producing bikes for the Swiss military back in 1893, but the A350 was built between ’73 and ’79. 3,000 were produced, and …
1953 BSA B33
Post Sale Update: This B33 sold for $8,853.53 after 20 bids on eBay. I look at this and other classic British singles, and I know I see something that isn’t really there. Like a dream, or maybe an icon, that is honored in my mind. If not common Brit singles were at least routine when I started riding in the …
Collection of 20 – Harley/Aermacchi 2-Strokes in Canada
Twice in a week, we’ve got a collection of 20 Italian bikes in Canada. This time it’s a little less glamorous, but it’s still an interesting option for the small percentage of you that are into the Aermacchi/Harley bikes.
Be a Hero – 2009 Suzuki SFV650 Gladius
Suzuki introduced the Gladius as a replacement for the very successful SV650. While it was an objectively better bike in most ways, the American market did not take kindly to it and it was recently replaced with…the SV650 again. Apparently Suzuki sold at least one Gladius, because someone is trying to sell his and he’s resorted to trying to convince …
In Canada – A Collection of 20 Classic Italians
A seller in Canada is letting go of his entire collection of Italian motorcycles. There’s big bikes, scooters, and even a brand I’ve never heard of before (Sertum). They’re current on display at his home and all of them were runners before they were put in show mode. With that said, the seller has ridden several within the last 2 …
1968 BSA B25 Starfire
Introduced in 1968, the BSA B25/Triumph TR25 was another ‘badge engineered’ entry from the brain trust at BSA/Triumph. The two models were mechanically the same with only trim and badging to differentiate between the two. The B25 Starfire was essentially a C15 wrapped in handsome new trim. Somewhat underpowered, somewhat ‘fiddly’ it was the quintessential English 250 CC single. Very …
1951 TWN Triumph BDG 250
In 1886 Siegfried Bettmann founded Triumph Bicycle factory in Coventry, England. They would go on to make more than a few motorcycles, part of the fabric of motorcycle history. In 1896 Herr Bettmann founded another bicycle factory in his native Nuerenberg, Germany and it was also Triumph Bicycle. By 1902 Triumph (England) started making motorcycles and Triumph (Germany) started in …
3 Miles – 1982 Ducati 600TL Pantah
Post Sale Update: This 600TL sold for $9,500 after 2 bids on eBay. When Ducati evolved the Pantah 500SL into the 600SL, they also decided to offer a stripped down variant called the TL. The bodywork was significantly different, but it did not sell well and the model last just one year. According to the dealer that the seller bought …
1953 NSU Lux
Built between 1951 and 1956, the NSU Lux was a popular standard – 78,845 were built in those few years. That’s not a small number, but very few are currently in this kind of condition.
1980 Kawasaki KZ1000 A4 MkII
Post Listing Update: This Kawi was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. An evolution of the KAZ900, the KZ1000 was the fastest production bike when it was released in 1976 (as a ’77 model) thanks to its 83 horsepower, 1,015cc inline four motor. The bike might be most famous for the police variant, which gained popularity on the …
17K Miles – 1984 BMW R65
Post Sale Update: After 22 bids on eBay, this R65 sold for $3,900. The R65 has been one of the less popular Beemers over the last few decades, and I couldn’t really tell you why. Is it the relative lack of power compared to the rest of the BMW family? If having “just” 50 horsepower isn’t a problem for you, …
1954 Horex Regina 350
Horex introduced the Regina in 1953, and it was available in 250, 350, and 400cc variants. Production lasted until Daimler took over Horex in 1960.
1951 Indian Brave
Did you know that you have 11 choices to describe your personal relationship on Facebook? And that one of them is “It’s complicated”? I’d really like to give you a background and lineage on this Indian Brave but, well, it’s complicated. If anybody has a definitive history of the Indian Brave, I’d love to know. I’ll tell you what I …
Last Iron Barrel – 2008 Royal Enfield Bullet 500
Classic Motorworks is moving to Fort Worth, Texas, and it looks like the owner is using the move as an opportunity to sell some stuff. One of the things he’s getting rid of is the last 500cc iron barrel Bullet ever built. According to the seller, Classic Motorworks was the exclusive importer and distributor for Royal Enfield in the USA …