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Granada Red – 1963 BMW R60/2

In Germany, Standard by AbhiLeave a Comment

Here’s a ‘completely rebuilt’ example of the BMW R60/2 that the seller claims is basically a brand new machine. Additions to the stock bike include Hella bar end turn signals, chrome headlight mirrors, protection around the headlight and tailight, as well as engine crash bars. Find this ‘brand new’ R60 for sale in Pratt, Kansas with bidding up to $11,063 …

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1963 Triumph Thunderbird 6T

In England, Standard by AbhiLeave a Comment

The Thunderbird name has shown up on 3 distinct models of the Triumph line since 1949 – this 6T model is from the original series. For its public launch, three production bikes were ridden from the Meriden plant to a circuit near Paris where they were then ridden over 500 miles at an average of 92 miles per hour. The …

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Ex-Royal Fire Service – 1959 Matchless G3

In England, Standard by Abhi3 Comments

Post-Listing Update: This Matchless G3 did not meet reserve at $4,250. Back when I interviewed Angus Dykman of Northeast Sportscar, he specifically called out a few of his bikes as ones that weren’t available for sale at the time. I found myself absolutely taken with one of the bikes in particular, so I’m surprised to see that this former Royal …

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Couple of Ariel Square 4’s

In England, Standard by AbhiLeave a Comment

The design for the Ariel Square 4 goes all the way back to 1931, soon after Edward Turner created the interesting new four-cylinder motorcycle engine formed from two OHC parallel twins. The design became known as the square four engine, and lent its name to this Ariel motorcycle.

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1938 Norton 16H

In England, Standard, Vintage by AbhiLeave a Comment

Between 1911 and 1954, Norton produced a series of bikes all around a 490cc side-valve engine. These bikes were referred to as the 16H – H stood for Home, as in a domestic model. The 16C (Colonial) was introduced in ’21, and had more ground clearance for roads in poor condition.

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Toaster Tank – 1973 BMW R75/5

In Germany, Standard by Abhi1 Comment

Here’s a low mileage (19k) example of the BMW R75/5 which looks great in original Granada Red paint. It’s being offered by the third owner, who refreshed by the bike in early 2014. The refresher avoided any cosmetics – instead the bike got new tires, suspension, ignition, cables, handlebars, and seals. All work was done by Bombars Beemers, and this …

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1970 Honda CB750 K0

In Japan, Standard by AbhiLeave a Comment

Post Sale Update: Per the comments, this bike later sold for $13,500. Post-Listing Update: This CB750 sold for $15,000 but was then relisted and then did not meet reserve at $11,100. Built by the multiple show-winning restorers at Vintage Motorcycle Rescue, this K0 CB750 is an excellent example of an early die cast CB.

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1979 Benelli Quattro

In Italy, Standard by AbhiLeave a Comment

The Benelli Quattro – named for its four-cylinder engine, was built under Alejandro de Tomaso’s leadership in an attempt to revitalize Benelli and to directly take on the Japanese (particularly Honda’s CB500 Four). In fact, de Tomaso bought a CB500 for his engineers and told them to ‘get inspiration’ from the bike, though the styling was handled by Paul Martin …

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The Raider – 1968 Suzuki T-305

In Japan, Standard by AbhiLeave a Comment

Also known as the Raider, the Suzuki T-305 was a small two-stroke twin that produced 37 horsepower at 7,500 rpm and was capable of 94 miles per hour. Here’s a reasonably priced example that was recently restored – the only flaw is that the speedometer is broken. This bike has 28,342 miles and looks like a fun runabout with the …

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1979 Honda CBX

In Japan, Standard by AbhiLeave a Comment

In the late 70s, the big four Japanese companies kicked off a horsepower war by stuffing big engines into their usual frames, creating the notion of superbikes. When it came to Big Red’s turn, Honda decided to push boundaries and utilize their first 6-cylinder engine in a production motorcycle. Benelli actually beat Honda to the punch in terms of 6-cylinder …

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Dealer Display – 1975 Suzuki RE5

In Japan, Standard by AbhiLeave a Comment

Suzuki called the RE5 the future of motorcycling, thanks to its innovative rotary engine and distinctive styling. This is the ’75 model, which had more interesting design characteristics like the ‘tin can’ instrument cluster. The ’76 (and final model) was a little neutered in an attempt to make the bike more conventional.

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1973 Benelli Tornado 650S

In Italy, Standard by AbhiLeave a Comment

Post Listing Update: This Tornado was relisted a couple of times, but bidding never got higher than $3,975 and the reserve was not met. Benelli is one of the very few motorcycle companies that has been around for over 100 years. An Italian firm (though it’s got more of a Chinese flavor nowadays) that has a great history in small …