Post Sale Update: This Griffon sold for the opening bid of $2,500 in Missoula, Montana. Greeves introduced the Griffon MX bike in 1971…and it was greeted with a lot of excellent competition from excellent bikes like the Yamaha DT1, Bultaco Pursang, and Husky 250CR. Two years later, Honda would release the 250 Elsinore and blow everyone else away. But the …
Guess That Bike – Prototype Edition
I walked into my office at Iconic Motorbikes today to discover a copy of BiG MACHINE, a Japanese motorcycle magazine that I love to look at but can barely understand. While flipping through the March 1996 issue, I saw some photos of a prototype that I thought was interesting. Can you figure out what it was?
Rare In The US – 197x Kawasaki W3 650
While variants of the W1 and W2 were sold in North America, the final W model (the W3) never officially made it across the Pacific. It was also known as the RS650, and it featured upgraded suspension, minor cosmetic tweaks, and standard dual disc front brakes during its ’73-’74 production run. In fact, it was the first Kawasaki to feature …
Zero Miles in Canada – 1987 Yamaha YSR50
Post Listing Update: This YSR was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. The photos are bad and the asking price is significant, but this is a rare zero-mile example of the famous YSR minibike. What will it sell for?
Ending Soon – 1973 Harley-Davidson Z90
Post Listing Update: This Z90 did not meet reserve with 15 bids up to $2,650 on eBay in Park Ridge, Illinois. Built between 1973 and 1975, the Z90 was one of a series of small Harleys built by Aermacchi in the 70s. The bike may actually be best known as the ride of Kelly Leak (played by Jackie Earle Haley) …
228 Miles – 1979 Harley-Davidson Sportster
Post Sale Update: This Sportster sold for $4,900 after 22 bids on eBay in Concordia, Kansas. For 1979, Harley-Davidson updated the Sportster with a new frame and swingarm that was derived from the units in the limited-production XLCR. Other changes included cast iron valve guides and a disc brake in the rear.
2004 Honda NSR50R
Post Sale Update: This NSR50R sold for $5,243 on Iconic Motorbike Auctions in Santa Monica, California. 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. Before that year, Americans had to either order one directly from HRC (Honda Racing Corporation) or try to import one …
1975 Benelli Sei 750 by Manfred Demharter
The German importer for Benelli in the 1980s was a gentleman named Manfred Demharter. Manfred didn’t just sell bikes – he liked to race them, too! Because of that, he often built (or sourced) custom frames to stuff Benelli six-cylinder engines into.
Tony Serra’s Championship Winner – 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250
At the age of 81, Tony Serra retired from roadracing in November of last year – right after he won his sixth club level class championship at Willow Springs. That concluded a career that covered seven decades, and it made him the world’s oldest club racing champion. His championship-winning bike is now up for sale for the very reasonable price …
1.8 Miles – 1990 Honda RC30
Post Sale Update: This RC30 did not meet reserve at $77,100, however the high bidder and seller agreed on a price of $90,000 including buyer’s fees on Iconic Motorbike Auctions. Walter – this one’s for you! From the same seller as the 5-mile Suzuki GSX-R750RK and the 0-mile Honda RC45 comes this Honda RC30 with just 1.8 miles on the …
1986 Ducati 750 F1A
Post Sale Update: This F1A sold for $11,800 after 41 bids on eBay in Lancaster, Massachusetts. Ducati’s last stand before being sold to the Castiglioni brothers, the 750F1A featured hand made aluminum tanks, floating rotors, and other features designed to make it a race bike for the street. Raw and uncompromising, it was slightly down on power but an excellent …
1954 Vincent Rapide Series C
The baby brother to the legendary Black Shadow, the Vincent Rapide was sold from 1936-55 in 3 distinct ‘Series’. The final run was the Series C, which commenced in 1949. It offered the Rapide as a base model and the Black Shadow as the higher state of tune. The Rapide’s 998cc V-twin was good for 45 horsepower – the Black …
Custom Flat Tracker – 1947 AJS Model 18
Producing just 28 horsepower, the Model 18 was never designed to be quick, but it was easy to ride, comfortable up to about 60 miles per hour, and returned excellent gas mileage. Here’s one that sacrifices a little bit of comfort for a whole lot of style.
2 Miles – 1983 Hesketh V1000
By 1981, England was almost irrelevant in the international game of motorcycle production. So Thomas Alexander Fermor-Hesketh (how’s that for a name?), an actual Lord and Baron who had already started a racing team, decided to start his own motorcycle company. You can guess where he got the name from – enter the Hesketh V1000.
1958 Maserati 50/T2/SS
Over on the auction site, we’ve got a beautiful little motorcycle I had never heard of before. If you haven’t either, let me share some of my research with you!