Post Listing Update: This Vesco prototype did not meet reserve despite 27 bids up to $3,600 in Luttrell, Tennessee. This Yamaha RD started as a 250, though it was “converted to RD350 specs” by none other than Don Vesco. Don used it as a development mule to create his “Cafe Royal” fairings.
Out of Office – Touring the Northeastern US
View Post1970 OSSA Stiletto 250
Post Listing Update: This Stiletto did not meet reserve despite 4 bids up to $5,500 on eBay in Carlsbad, California. Nowadays, the word “stiletto” typically refers to heels. But a stiletto is actually a thin dagger, and that’s why it shares a name with this slender OSSA MXer.
Restored – 1978 Kawasaki Z1R-TC
Post Sale Update: This Kawi did not meet reserve despite 26 bids up to $15,855 on eBay in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Kawasaki Z1R-TC was the first ‘production’ turbocharged motorcycle, and was an absolute game-changer. Only 500 of these bikes were produced: 250 in the first generation in the usual baby blue color, and 250 in the second generation with …
Ending Soon – 1976 Honda CB400F
Post Listing Update: This CB400F did not meet reserve despite 5 bids up to $4,534 on eBay in San Francisco, California. The CB400F wasn’t as fast as its competition, but it was smoother, quieter, and more efficient. It also had some of the most beautiful production exhaust headers ever built. As you may have seen in my review of the …
1979 Honda CB750F Super Sport
Post Sale Update: This Super Sport sold for $3,150 after 15 bids on eBay in Olathe, Kansas. 6-19-2019 Update: Eight months later, this CB750F is back up for sale, and the reserve has been met even though the bidding is nearly $1,000 less than the last sale price. How will it end up? The listing ends soon, so find this …
Coast to Coast in 50 Hours – Day 3
View PostCalifornia Highway Patrol in Australia – 1938 Harley-Davidson ULH
Post Listing Update: This ex-CHP Harley did not meet reserve despite 32 bids up to $25,655 on eBay in Gosford, New South Wales, Australia. This ex-CHP Harley has made its way across the Pacific, and it’s now available in Australia.
Street-Legal Sumo – 2013 Honda CRF450R
Thoroughly transforming any stock two-wheeled offering into a high-performance track weapon never comes cheap. Aftermarket parts, Baja Designs LED headlight kit, engine and suspension tuning, cosmetic mods: it all adds up quickly. For this reason, purchasing an example that somebody else has already gone through the trouble and expense of upgrading can save you a massive amount of money. That’s …
Guest Ride Report – An Introduction to Cornerspin
Although there are a lot of good riding and racing schools in Southern California, it’s not true that all such schools are on the left coast. Consider Aaron Stevenson’s Cornerspin and its brother Cornerspeed. Cornerspeed is held at Virginia International Speedway. Cornerspin is held at Aaron’s compound in North Carolina, and it’s described as “road racing in the dirt”!
1 of 760 – 1972 Yankee Z500
In the early 70s, John Taylor of Schenectady, New York started building the Yankee Z500, an American dual-sport designed to compete with the best bikes coming out of Europe. Yankee Motor Company started by importing machines from OSSA, the Spanish off-road powerhouse, and then moved to modifying OSSA engines in their own custom frames. Eventually, they combined two OSSA 250cc …
800 Miles – 2005 Honda CBR600RR
Back when the 600cc Supersport class dominated showroom floors, updates came every couple of years in the form of trickle down parts from the 1000cc class and the latest developments from racing. Two years after its introduction, the 2005 Honda CBR 600RR got the same treatment. The face remained familiar, showing a clear lineage to the RC211V. But underneath, it …
Video Intermission – Bike-urious does 1000 Miles in 24 Hours
It’s been a while since we’ve created a video for you to enjoy, so I’m excited to share this tale of Nathan trying to join the Iron Butt Association. I’m a big fan of the IBA, and I challenged Nathan to complete their entrance ride: 1000 miles in 24 hours. He was feeling pretty cocky about it, so I made …
Cycle Garden Restoration – 1973 Moto Guzzi Eldorado Police
Post Sale Update: This Eldo sold for $9,000 after 15 bids on eBay in Centerport, New York. The seller of this bike used to work at Cycle Garden, and while he was there he restored this ex-police bike. “Through the years I collected all the original parts to restore it to its Police original. Some parts were replaced since this …
Gear Review – Shoei GT-Air II
The new Shoei GT Air 2 is an all-rounder, full-faced sport-touring helmet with some nifty integrated tech capability. Essentially it’s a lot like a non-modular version of the Neotec 2 with a little more X-14 influence. Shoei took what the public liked about the GT Air 1 and ran with it.