The Indian Chief doesn’t need much introduction. It’s one of the all-time icons of motorcycling. The model was first introduced in 1921, amid one of Indian’s many rough patches. With sales down 30 percent, the brand decided that luxury was the path to success. On Labor Day (kind of late in the season to be rolling out a new model, …
Bosozoku – 1981 Honda CB400T
Built by Good Call Works, this bosozuku bike (a subculture of Japanese motorcycling which translates to “violent running tribe”) definitely offers one way to get noticed on your next ride!
1972 Moto Guzzi 850 Eldorado
This bike “needs some fine tuning before being ridden,” according to its seller, but it’s worthy of your attention thanks to its accessories: a full set of Wixom luggage and fairing.
Quail MotoFest – The Bimotas
Every year, the Quail MotoFest (formerly known as the Quail Motorcycle Gathering) features the same ten categories. They also have three rotating featured classes – this year the classes were: 1. Tribute to Yoshimura 2. Celebrating 45 Years of the BMW GS 3. The one I was most excited to see: Italian Innovation by Bimota
2000 Moto Guzzi Quota 1100ES
Moto Guzzi took their well-known 1,064cc twin and threw it in an ADV package to compete against BMW’s GS bikes. The result was as you’d expect – too heavy and under-suspended for serious off-road work, but very capable as a sport-tourer that could also play on fire roads or light trails. This example is well-modified for touring and it’s had …
1971 Moto-Ski Moto-Skeeter 450
Founded in 1964, Moto-Ski was a Canadian snowmobile manufacturer that was acquired by Bombardier in 1971. In ’76, Bombardier moved production to a different facility, but before that happened, they dabbled in mini bike production with a bike called the Moto-Ski Moto-Skeeter.
Harley-Davidson Kit Bike – 1974 Magnacycle
5-22-2025 Update: Eight years later, this Magnacycle is back up for sale – and with a much lower asking price! Also, please note that it’s now being called a 1978 model. Find it (still in Carlisle, Pennsylvania) for $8,500 here on Facebook Marketplace.
1973 Honda CB750 K3
Given the number of CB750s to be found on the internets, you’d be inclined to believe that every single one of the bikes made in the the 1970s survives to the modern day. Unfortunately, quite a lot of them have been tinkered beyond recognition. Finding one that hasn’t been permanently scarred by previous owners’ questionable choices is a challenge. Step …
Guess That Bike Revealed – Made in Japan Edition
This was one of the harder ones that I’ve featured in a while but ToddTCE was able to correctly identify that this comes from a Suzuki XN85!
Quail MotoFest 2025 – The Winners
This weekend was the 15th running of the Quail MotoFest, which featured over 200 motorcycles and over 1,000 attendees! I had the pleasure of riding up and back from Los Angeles and will share some of my personal highlights soon – but let’s start with all of the class winners! Photos provided by Kahn Media Best of Show Award 1937 …
1962 WFM M06
The Warsaw Motorcycle Factory (Warszawska Fabryka Motocykli in Polish) was one of very few motorcycle manufacturers made in Poland. They started production in 1947 under a different name – they were originally focused on automotive repair but they built a small number of 125cc motorcycles for SHL for the Polish government as part of the rebuild from World War II. …
Salvage Title – 2008 Bimota Tesi 3D
The name Tesi comes about because this motorcycle was actually the designer’s (Pierlugi Marconi) Mechanical Engineering thesis – on paper, at least, there are technical advantages to hub-centric steering. The simplified story here is that hub-centric steering completely isolates braking forces from suspension travel, which should improve mechanical performance of both aspects. This is one of the Limited Edition “Concept” …
1999 Kawasaki Drifter VN1500
There’s something strangely appealing to me about metric cruisers from the 1980s to 2000s. On one hand, you might argue that they were lazy attempts to cut into Harley’s dominance of the US market. On the other hand, they may have helped push the game along when Harley didn’t have much competition.
Join Me – The 2025 Quail MotoFest 5/17
5/14 Update: I originally shared this post four months ago but it’s time to bring it back as the Quail happens this weekend! We’ll be leaving Iconic on Friday morning and riding up, hope to see you out there!
80 Year-Old Racer – 1946 Harley-Davidson WR
The WR is an interesting bike in Harley’s storied history. Designed specifically for Class C competition, it featured a 738cc V-twin with several upgrades. Sold as a stripper-spec racing machine, it did not have lights or brakes, and was sold to assist privateer efforts to avoid putting money into a factory team. It was incredibly successful – by 1948, it …