After World War II, Maico built a series of motorcycles with their own engine designs – the biggest was the Taifun (Typhoon), a two-stroke twin that you could get with a 350cc or 400cc engine. It was unveiled to the world at the 1953 Frankfurt show.
$1,750 – 1973 Yamaha TX500
Built between ’73 and ’78, the TX500 was Yamaha’s first medium-displacement four stroke motorcycle and the little brother to the TX750. The 500 was well-equipped with an electric starter, front disc brake, and a 5-speed transmission – all improvements over what was offered by competition like Triumph’s Daytona 500. Unfortunately, little issues meant that journalists never fell in love with …
60 Miles – 1975 Benelli Tornado 650S
View Post2007 Ducati GT1000 SportClassic
Despite the retro styling, the Ducati GT1000 was basically a decade ahead of its time and the retro-styled rebirth motorcycle manufacturers are going through. They’ve turned into cult classics which now have blue book values at or above the original MSRP!
1983 Suzuki GR650D Tempter
I haven’t featured a Tempter in years, but now you get two in one week. As a quick refresher, this bike was only available in the US for two years – this is the higher-level “D” model which comes with two-tone paint, adjustable front air forks, and alloy wheels. According to a ’83 review from Cycle World, the GR650 produced …
In Italy – 1967 Gilera 202 Super
In 1909, Giuseppe Gilera was just 22 when he started Moto Gilera. Over time, Gilera grew into a marquee manufacturer. World War II got in the way but in the 50s, riders on Gileras won the 500cc World Championship 6 times in 8 years. To help pay racing bills, the company sold a series of small street bikes, like this …
Rare Project Ending Soon – 1929 La Mondiale
View Post1964 Pointer Super Lassie
Post Sale Update: This Super Lassie sold for the opening bid of $2,500. A Japanese aircraft manufacturer, Kawanishi (eventually rebranded as Shin Meiwa) was looking to expand their product portfolio so they got into motorcycles. I’ve really struggled to find good information on the brand, but it seems that they started motorcycle producion in 1946, called themselves Pointer in the …
Rare in the US – 1983 Suzuki Tempter GR650D
This Suzuki is rarely seen in the US as it was only offered here in ’83 and ’84. In other markets it was called the GR650 (and available until ’89), for some reason it was called the Tempter in America. It’s a fairly straightforward UJM but it featured one interesting innovation: a ‘dual-stage’ flywheel with an centrifugal clutch that would …
Award Winning Restoration – 1955 BMW R50
This R50 was given a ‘ground-up restoration’ in 2008 and it has 3,500 miles on the odometer since the work was performed. The bike won Best in Class and Best in Show at the 2012 Dayton Concours d’Elegance and followed that up with an “Award of Excellence” at the same show the next year.
1922/3 Ner-a-Car Model A
Designed by Carl Neracher in 1918, the Ner-A-Car was sold as a cheap automobile alternative. Approximately 10,000 were built and sold in the US, and another 6,500 were built and sold in England under license. I’ve featured one of the latter before – here’s one of the former.
1951 Nimbus Model C Sport
Do you remember Travis Scott, the Nimbus Nut? Well, it looks like he’s been able to import yet another Nimbus to the United States, and this time it’s one of the rare Sport versions.
Rare Project – Gilera Gina Macho
5-10 Update: This Gilera is back up for sale, but the opening bid is $1.00 and there’s no reserve! Someone’s getting a new project – find it here on eBay. Post-Listing Update: This rare Argentinian did not meet reserve with bidding up to $600. Gina is a combination of GIlera and ArgentiNA, as this bike was a partnership between “Italy’s …
Well Preserved – 1974 Yamaha RD250A
Post Sale Update: After being relisted, this RD250A sold for a best offer of $4,900. A little bit of trivia for you – Yamaha’s RD250 had 6 gears in the transmission, but you could only access 5. Removing a blanking plate allowed you to get the 6th gear. The asking price on this example is steep ($5,800) but they seller …
Restored – 1955 BSA Bantam D3
Post-Sale Update: Well, that was quick. Within a few hours, this Bantam sold for the BIN oF $5,500. After World War II, Germany was scheduled to pay the Allies $23 billion as part of reparations. A very small part of this compensation was DKW’s design for the RT125, which ended up becoming one of the most copied motorcycles in history. …