Episode 5 ended on a cliffhanger where it looked like one of the Rivians was about to ruin the front suspension. Looks like it was just an editing trick, as Episode 6 starts off without a hitch – at least for the trucks. I give that a huge thumbs down for fake drama. Thankfully, the episode quickly moves to some …
Never Ridden – 1969 American Eagle 405 Talon
Founded by Frank Hipkin in the mid ’60s, Sprite Motor Cycles (later known as Sprite Developments) as a small British off-road motorcycle company that built trials bikes and scramblers, usually as a kit. One of their bigger efforts was the 405 Talon, and it was exported to several countries under different names: the BVM 405 in Belgium, Alron 405 in …
1998 Ducati 900SS Final Edition
The Ducati Supersport is back, but nearly two decades ago the iconic air-cooled SS line came to a halt with a one-year run of 800 bikes. Ducati called it the FE, for Final Edition. All of the bikes got silver paint as well as a couple of treats like an Ohlins rear shock. 300 of the 800 examples were sold …
1991 Yamaha FJ1200
Post Listing Update: This FJ did not get any action at the unmet opening bid of $3,900 on eBay. When the Yamaha FJ1100 was introduced in 1984, the press went nuts. Rider Magazine called it “the best large displacement sport motorcycle of 1984, and maybe even the best in its class in the history of motorcycling,” and other mags called …
¡Iberian Espectacular! – Day 12
June 13th, 2018 – Zaragoza, Spain to Andorra la Vella, Andorra: ~220 miles We visit Andorra and check out a fantastic motorcycle museum.
1971 BSA Firebird Scrambler
Post Sale Update: This Firebird sold for $5,000 after 12 bids on eBay in Bakersfield, California. BSA and Triumph released the new 1971 range to much fanfare…but journalists were underwhelmed. As Frank Westworth stated in a Bennetts review, “The press hated the brave, new, etc 1971 Beezers. They hated the style. They hated the colours. They hated the old engines, …
¡Iberian Espectacular! – Day 11
View Post1981 Suzuki DR500
Post Sale Update: This DR500 sold for $2,010 after 44 bids on eBay in Glenwood, Iowa. Yamaha’s success with the XT500 was hard for competitors to ignore – Suzuki’s attempt at fighting back was the DR500. Many riders who sampled both bikes felt like Suzuki had a superior package, however Yamaha was much more commercially successful, and that’s what makes …
21 Miles – 2003 BMW R1100S Boxer Cup
Post Listing Update: This R1100S did not get any action at the BIN of $10,000. The base model R11S was a wonderful all-around streetbike similar to the Honda VFR800. BMW went above and beyond with a couple of limited editions, including the Boxer Cup Replika as featured today. BMW created a spec series to race these bikes, and 300 examples …
Picture Intermission – Museu de la Moto in Andorra
View PostNew In Crate – 2006 Suzuki RM250 Ricky Carmichael Edition
2005 marked the last time that a two-stroker won an AMA Supercross championship, and the feat was accomplished by Ricky Carmichael on a Team Makita Suzuki. To commemorate the feat, Suzuki announced a limited edition model for the following year.
1993 Aprilia RS125 Extrema
When Aprilia replaced the AF1 125 pocket rocket, they did so with a model name that continues on today: RS. I briefly mentioned the significance of those two letters in my recent First Ride review of the RS660, but the RS125 was never officially sold in the US so the history is not well known here. The first generation (1992-1995) …
¡Iberian Espectacular! – Day 10
View PostHonda-Powered Custom with Hossack Front End
When Shane A submitted this to me via email, the subject line was simple and very accurate: “This one is wild.” The seller calls it a Honda Z5-Hossack, as it looks to be the 5th variant of his fascinating customs that utilize a Hossack front end.
Guess That Bike Revealed – Front Wheel Edition
Congratulations to RoHorn, who was the first to identify that this front wheel came from a Böhmerland!