According to the seller, this bike was built by “Victory Engineering as a test mule which was also used in two 5 hour endurance races in Brainerd, Minnesota.” I was quite surprised to hear this and called a friend who worked for Polaris (Victory’s parent company) at the time – he confirmed that this is legit and that the seller …
Guess That Bike – Fuel Filler Edition
There isn’t much variation in the world of fuel filler locations when it comes to motorcycling. Here’s a non-standard one – can you determine what bike it’s part of?
Norcati Project in England
A small production company that was trying to create a limited run of Ducati-engined Norton hybrids is unfortuantely selling off their stock to someone who can hopefully keep things going. The main item is the featured bike, though there’s also an unfinished project, some stock Ducatis, and tools like welders, frame jigs, pipe benders, and more…including the UK trademark on …
1993 Horex 644 OSCA
Established in the early 1920s, Horex was a German motorcycle manufacturer that has seen several ups and downs over the decades – including several different owners over some turbulent times. Some partners included Floyd Clymer (who tried to sell these under the Indian name in the 50s) and Friedl Munch (who famously built the Mammut/Mammoth). In 1989, Horex partnered with …
1984 Di Blasi Folding Scooter
Every time I feature a Di Blasi, I feel obligated to share their website, which looks like it hasn’t been touched since the 90s. But beyond that, it’s always cool to see a quality folding two-wheeler!
329 Miles – 1990 Honda NSR50
The NSR50 was in Honda’s lineup for decades before they blessed the USA with a chance to officially try it for ourselves in 2004 with the NSR50R. Before that year, Americans had to either order one directly from HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) or try to import one through the gray market. It was well worth the effort, because Honda used …
1956 Triumph Thunderbird 6T
I have a friend of a certain age – ie, the age at which a man has raised his children past the “they’re going to die if you don’t pay attention to them all the damned time” stage – who, like many men of a certain age, has suddenly decided he is interested in motorcycling. Eager to support him, I …
2021 Ducati Superleggera V4 #425
Over on Iconic, we’ve got one of the most impressive Ducatis ever built – the the Superleggera (Italian for “super light”) variant of the Panigale V4!
2005 BMW R1200ST
Sport tourers were all the rage in the 2000s – especially in Europe. Just about every manufacturer had one, with some leaning more toward the sport side of the equation and others leaning more toward the tourer end. In some cases, manufacturers had multiple takes on the theme, finely splitting hairs in the sport/tourer equation. So, when BMW unveiled the …
1942 Harley-Davidson WLA
This year marks 80 years since the end of the Second World War. Here’s one of the machines that contributed to the Allies’ success: a Harley-Davidson WLA. It’s a pretty famous machine, enough that non-motorcyclists tend to know about it and claim that their granddad or great-uncle or whoever used to have one, and foolishly sold it without understanding the …
In Canada – 1986 Yamaha FZX750S
Here’s a beauty that was never sold in the United States. Indeed, you’ll need to travel north of the border to get your hands on it. The bike may look familiar, however. In the United States, a smaller-capacity, lower-power version was sold as the FZX700 Fazer. That bike’s 698cc engine promised 65 horsepower. And one assumes it wasn’t terribly popular; …
170 Miles – 1995 MZ Saxon Country 500
In 1990 (soon after the fall of the Berlin wall), MZ was privatized. The new owners realized that they needed a four-stroke motor if they were going to sell bikes in Europe and the US, so they called up Rotax and got themselves a 494cc single. Then, they designed a family of bikes around it, like the Silver Star retro …
“Fabbri Special” in Holland – 1960 Rumi 4-Cylinder Special
Moto Rumi decided to build small motorbikes in Italy after World War II to provide transportation for the masses, and they built all their models (from scooters to race bikes) around the same 125cc two-stroke twin engine. The man in charge of two-wheel design (Donnino Rumi) was a sculptor, and you could see that in several of his designs – …
1998 Honda Valkyrie
Controversial statement time: in my opinion, the Honda Gold Wing’s flat six – be it in 1500cc or 1800cc form – is one of the best engines in motorcycling. Possibly THE best. There are caveats to that depending on specific intended use, of course. It probably wouldn’t be the best powerplant for an off-road bike, for example. But, overall – …
1958 Harley-Davidson FL Duo-Glide
Not long after its biggest domestic competitor had gone belly up, Harley-Davidson was feeling many of the same financial pressures that had driven Indian to bankruptcy. Cheaper foreign imports, largely from Britain (the Japanese wouldn’t really hit the scene until the ’60s), were making things difficult. To its credit, Harley decided the answer to its problems was innovation. Among popular …