Post Listing Update: This Gilera did not get any interest at the opening bid of $2,500 on eBay in Vista, California. Gilera had a licensing partnership with a manufacturing plant in Argentina that produced bikes under two different names – Gilera and Gina, a combination of GIlera and ArgentiNA. It combined “Italy’s finest design engineers and the genius of Argentina’s …
Video Intermission – BMW – The World’s Biggest Motorbike Factory
How long do you think it takes BMW to make a (previous-gen) S1000RR? 2 hours. Learn that and more in this interesting (and weirdly-dramatic) documentary about their plant in Berlin.
New In Crate in Germany – 1984 Ducati 900 MHR
Built to celebrate Mike the Bike’s comeback triumph at the ’78 Isle of Man TT, the Ducati 900 MHR (Mike Hailwood Replica) was initially produced solely for homologation purposes. As such, just 200 were built in 1979. But demand was so high that Ducati decided to keep production going, and by the end of the run in 1986 the Italian …
Picture Intermission – Kawasaki Z H2 Design Sketches
While you’re waiting for my review of the new Kawasaki Z H2 to go live on Cycle News (UPDATE: here’s that review!), I thought you might enjoy a small peek behind the curtain because we don’t always get to see this kind of thing when a new motorcycle is released. Here are some design sketches that Kawasaki was willing to …
Steyr-Daimler-Puch 250 Racer
2-10-20 Update: Another 3+ years later and this Puch is up for sale again. It’s since moved to the Midwest and the price has dropped once more. You can now find it at Throttle Stop in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin with a BIN of $8,000 or best offer here on eBay. 8-15-17 Update: 4 years later, this gorgeous racer is back …
1 of 30 – 2007 Harley-Davidson Elvis Presley 30th Anniversary
Post Listing Update: This tribute to Elvis did not meet reserve despite 17 bids up to $25,100 on eBay in Middlebury, Connecticut. In honor of the 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death, the CEO of 11 Harley-Davidson dealership (including Graceland Harley-Davidson) created a Signature Collection of 30 Softail Deluxes that were styled to look like Elvis’ black 1957 FLH.
New In Crate – 2000 Honda CBR929RR
Post Sale Update: This CBR929RR sold for $9,900 after 55 bids on eBay in Chicago, Illinois. Technically the fifth generation of the CBR900RR, the 929 was a solid improvement on a legendary motorcycle but by this point Yamaha and Suzuki had released new versions of the R1 and GSX-R1000, leaving Honda lagging behind. Because of that, the CBR929RR didn’t sell …
Guess That Bike – NZ Museum Edition
Ted Clough is on an amazing 3-week trip in New Zealand, and he’s challenging you to identify this motorcycle that he’s found in a museum. Can you figure out what it is?
1947 Indian Chief
Post Listing Update: This Chief did not get any interest at the opening ask of $22,500 on eBay. In 1947, Indian sold approximately 12,000 examples of their legendary Chief, the only bike that they offered immediately after World War II. This one has been restored and is ready for a new owner to enjoy it on the road!
1964 Moto Beta XTR 100
Yes, this is the same Beta that you can get an impressive off-roader from nowadays, but 50 years ago they offered a complete range of small dual-sports and street bikes. The seller calls this a MC 100, but I really think it’s a XTR – any Moto Beta experts out there know for sure?
1,000 KM in Costa Rica With Elephant Moto
2019 marked something new for Vy and I – the first time that we went on a motorcycle trip that was primarily organized by someone else!
Rare in the US – 2004 Honda FTR223
Post Listing Update: This FTR did not meet reserve with one bid at the opening ask of $1,999 on eBay in Bethany, Oklahoma. Nowadays, the “FTR” model is heavily associated with Indian and the FTR1200. But Honda beat them to the punch with a motorcycle that was never officially sold in the US, their own Flat Track Racing inspired FTR223! …
1972 Kenny Dreer Norton VR880 Commando Sprint Special
Post Listing Update: This VR880 did not meet reserve despite 23 bids up to $23,100 on eBay in East Meadow, New York. Yet again, Norton Motorcycles is in trouble. But instead of focusing on the negative, let’s go back in history to a time when someone was trying to save the name. That someone was Kenny Dreer, who started restoring …
“TT Special” – 1969 AJS 250 Stormer
Post Listing Update: This Stormer did not get any interest at the opening bid of $7,500. The AJS Stormer was a bit of a flop, as it was a last ditch effort by Norton-Villiers to dump excess inventory of Starmaker engines. Because of that, I rarely see them come up for sale – let alone customized ones like this “TT …