The YA6 was the first Yamaha to feature “Autolube” oil injection, which led to a Safety & Engineering award from Auto & Motor Sport magazine. The Autolube concept was incredibly successful and was a mainstay of Yamaha’s line for years. The YA6? Not so much, it’s a rare find nowadays.
New In Crate – 2006 Triumph Bonneville Multi-Union
British designer Paul Smith is known for his style of ‘classics with a twist’, which is what made him a fitting choice for a partnership in 2005 when Triumph asked him to take their classic Bonneville…and add a twist. He responded with 9 different one-off designs which were for sale through Smith’s shops. While I don’t care for any of …
1978 Yamaha XS750
In 1973, Yamaha released the TX750 – an incredibly smooth parallel twin that journalists loved…until the fancy Omni-Phase balancer that kept the twin as smooth as a four started eating up crankshafts. Even though Yamaha fixed the issue pretty quickly, the reputation of unreliability had already stuck – the bike was out of the market after 1974. Still, Yamaha knew …
Stored in a Church Basement – 1982 Yamaha XJ650
Built from 1980 to 1983, the XJ650 Maxim was actually quite distinctive from a standing standpoint when it was introduced, though it’s easy to consider it typical of the time. In ’82, Cycle Magazine said “…after the wide proliferation of special styling, it’s easy to forget what a landmark bike the Maxim was…The 650 was striking, controversial, sensational, and wildly …
1994 BMW R100R Mystic
Available only in 1994 and 1995 in the US, the Mystic was a factory custom based on the BMW R100R. The changes were entirely cosmetic, but they were not insignificant. Nowadays a ‘special edition’ just means new paint – the Mystic had several restyled parts.
1951 BMW R51/3
In a lot of my posts, I talk about the history of BMW motorcycles. Sometimes though, we can see actual history in these machines. One such bike is the R51/3.
Picture Intermission – The BMW R68
With less than 1,500 examples produced, the R68 is BMW’s rarest postwar motorcycle. Because of that, many riders don’t get the chance to enjoy one in person – so here’s the next best thing.
1930 FN Sahara M70
Post-Listing Update: This Sahara was pulled off of eBay before the listing ended. In 1923, FN brought out a new unit construction single that quickly usurped the popularity of their four cylinder powerplant. Initially, the singles were popular with sportier riders, but FN wanted more of a standard model – hence the M70. In 1927, two French army officers (along …
1991 Suzuki Bandit GSF400
Post-Sale Update: Well, that was quick. This Bandit was snapped up for the BIN of $2,200 within 30 minutes of this post. Americans typically think of the Bandit as a 600 or 1,200, but Suzuki also made them in 250 and 400 variants – the latter of which was exported to the US for only a couple of years. The …
31 Miles in 30 Years – 1955 BMW R25/3
View PostCover Girl Survivor – 1975 Honda 550F
Today’s mid-size motorcycles are sporting 800-900cc engines, but there was a time when the class was closer to 500cc. After Honda’s stunning success with the first-gen 750F, the next stop would be the smaller 500K in 1971. True to Honda fashion, this was a new design, not a shrunken 750. The finished product was a jewel to behold and a …
Verde Legnano Special Edition – 2015 Moto Guzzi V7 Racer
In 1971, Guzzi introduced the instant-classic V7 Sport, and they made the first 150 models extra special with green bodywork and red frame. The initial bikes were known as Telaio Rosso (red frames), and some people consider them to be the prettiest Guzzis ever built. You may not agree, but you can’t deny that they were special. To commemorate that …
God Save The Queen – 1977 Triumph Bonneville Silver Jubilee
For some reason, Triumph decided to honor the 25th Anniversary (Silver Jubilee) of Queen Elizabeth’s reign with a limited release of the Bonneville. They sold 1,000 examples each in the US and UK and another 400 for the Commonwealth of mostly former British colonies.
Start a Classic BMW Collection!
None of these bikes are individually a smoking deal or anything, however it’s cool to see one guy cranking out restorations (and we’ve seen the R50 Hot Rod before!)
In Belgium – 1970 Velocette LE Police
Post-Sale Update: This Police Velo sold for $4,026 after 22 bids on eBay. The Velocette was a commercial flop but it did have some success with British police officers – leading to the nickname of “Noddy bike”. Here’s an example that served with the London Metropolitan police force before it was acquired by a Dutch rider in 2010.