Triumph got a lot of mileage out of their iconic 955cc triple, which at the turn of the century was powering the Speed Triple, Daytona, and the Sprint sport-tourer. It’s an oft-overlooked bike, which means you can get yourself a nice example for a decent deal.
1995 BMW K1100LT Special Edition
Adorned in “Navana Violet” paint, this Special Edition flying brick is well setup for touring and with just 28k miles on the odometer, it’s got plenty of life left as a one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple mile eater.
In England – 1999 BMW R1100RS 75th Anniversary
For BMW’s 75th anniversary, the Germany company created a limited run of the R, GS, RT, and the RS. Differences were limited to the special paint scheme and fancy paperwork called the “Edition Folder” for the owner. The RS also got ABS, heated grips, and luggage to complete the package.
1951 Ardie B251
Ardie was founded in 1919 by Arno Dietrich, an ex-Premier technician, and they stayed in business until 1958. They enjoyed some racing success in the 20s and 30s, but this B251 was a 246cc tourer sold between 1951 and 1953.
Oxymoron – 2010 KTM 990 SMT
The idea of touring on a supermoto bike doesn’t make much sense to me, but KTM somehow made it work with their SMT model – a motorcycle that Visordown called “the most sensible KTM in ages.” Here’s a pretty example of an uncommon bike that gets bonus points in my book because the seller has created an excellent example of …
1995 Triumph Trident 900
When John Bloor brought Triumph back from the dead in 1991 with the factory in Hinckley, he made the wise decision to over-engineer the first models to help break in the new Triumph with a good reputation. Because of that, these ‘early’ modern Triumphs are workhorses that can be picked up for decent prices, as long as you can deal …
Rare Fairing – 1971 Moto Guzzi Ambassador Project
I normally wouldn’t be terribly excited to feature an Ambo project, but the fairing on this bike is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The seller can’t identify it beyond saying it’s a “very rare fairing that was made for early Guzzi’s.” Do any of you know who made this fairing that looks like it contains rocket launchers?
Go Touring – 1971 Bultaco Metralla Mk2
Post-Listing Update: This Metralla tourer was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. The Metralla is a legend in the world of classic bikes, but because they were the fastest two-stroke bike you could buy at the time, most people used them in racing or sport riding applications. Here’s an example with a rare factory fairing that’ll allow you …
In Canada – 1989 BMW K100RS Special Edition
The BMW K100RS SE, or Special Edition, was a limited run of the K100RS that featured a lovely blue and white paint job, hand drawn pin stripes, and color-matched hard luggage. It’s also famous for being the motorcycle that introduced ABS to the market.
Bitsa BMW – 1970 BMW R90
The seller of this BMW calls it a R90/5 – which was not an official model from the BMW factory. He has bestowed that name on this bike because it has a R90/6 engine transplanted into the R60/5 frame. That’s just one of many modifications that makes this bike a ‘bitsa’.
Turbo Tourer – 1985 BMW K100RT
Now you can tell people the “T” in RT stands for Turbo. Unfortunately, this bike needs a new clutch – but the asking price is less than what the turbo must have cost to put on, so I’m thinking this is an excellent winter project for someone in New England.
Rotary Tourer In England – 1989 Norton Commander
There’s a lot of cool stuff going on with the Norton Commander – just 253 examples were built, it uses a Wankel rotary engine, it’s got some Yamaha parts in it…and it just looks so delightfully 80s!
Euro Model – 1984 BMW R100RS
The BMW R100RS has established itself as one of the best classic touring bikes ever made. Here’s one that stands out in the states because it’s a Euro model that was originally sold in Bahrain. The original owner brought the bike with him as he moved to England and then Phoenix, Arizona. Now it’s with a new owner who’s had …
2004 BMW K1200GT
I’ve featured a few high dollar BMW’s lately so I thought it might be time to feature a bike that I still think is dollar for dollar the best bargain on a BMW out there. If you think you know another, put it in the comments section. I’d love to hear your opinion. Another runner-up was the ugly duckling R1200ST.
25th Anniversary – 2007 Honda VFR800
In 2007, Honda celebrated the 25th Anniversary of their venerable sport tourer with a special red/white/blue paint job. I always thought this paint scheme looked amazing, though the stock black wheels were a mistake – they should have been white! This example is in great shape and comes with some modifications that every sixth gen viffer should have.