BMW’s R1200GS is a wonderfully competent adventure mount, though beyond bolstering its off-road and/or touring capabilities, the GS doesn’t much lend itself to customization. Still, that didn’t stop London’s Original Cafe Racer Co. from stripping down the popular dual-sport and giving it the cafe treatment.
Restored – 1973 Maico 501
Post Listing Update: This Maico did not meet reserve despite 18 bids up to $7,900. When it was released, the Maico 501 featured the largest two-stroke single cylinder engine ever stuffed into a production bike. The press ate it up, though racers were actually able to go faster on the 400s and 450s. But for pure ‘shock and awe’ purposes, …
Italy’s Answer to the Virago – 1987 Ducati Indiana 650
Post Listing Update: This Indiana was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. 11-13-18 Update: Contributor Mat G notes that this bike is back up for sale – now it’s got a $2,000+ discount. Find it in Carnation, Washington for $4,200 here on eBay. In the early ’80s, Yamaha introduced the Virago, prompting the rest of the big four …
1969 Kawasaki C2TR
Post Sale Update: This C2TR sold for the BIN of $2,650. Nowadays with “dual-purpose” bikes we see imposing bikes with high-power engines, but this was not the case a few decades ago. Indeed, the image of dual-purpose bikes changed in 1984 with the release of the R80G/S, first all-road bike with such a big engine. Before that, these kinds of …
Unusual Hack in England – 1999 Ducati 996 with Sidecar
Post Listing Update: This Ducati hack did not get any interest at the asking price of $13,626. Normally when you think of modifications made to a Ducati 996, the list includes rearsets, a tail tidy, and suspension. This one’s packing a little extra – a Watsonian Squire sidecar.
Owned by Reg Pridmore – 1998 Honda CBR1100XX
Post Sale Update: This Super Blackbird originally sold for $4,200, but it was immediately relisted and then sold for $3,003.22 after 16 bids on eBay. From 1990 to 1996, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-11 was the world’s fastest production motorcycle, and Team Green benefited from all sorts of press and rider excitement about that fact. Honda decided to steal the crown, …
1973 Honda ST90
Post Sale Update: This ST90 sold for a best offer of $1,400 on eBay. After the huge success of the Monkey in the US, Honda decided to release a slightly bigger version of their baby-bike, the CT70. The CT, also called Dax in other countries, is a mini dirt bike that was used both for leisure in American families as …
New In Crate – 1981 Honda CBX
Post Sale Update: sold for $28,000 (plus a 10% buyers fee) after 81 bids through Obenauf Auction Service in Johnsburg, Illinois. In my recent recap of October sale prices, someone opined that “CBX prices are officially insane” because of a 3-mile example that sold for $15,100 on eBay. Well, here’s one that may go higher, as it’s still new in …
Video Intermission – Deconstructing a 1974 Harley-Davidson FXE
Wired magazine is starting a new video series called “[DE]CONSTRUCTED” in which they take apart something piece by piece and explain how it works. The first episode focuses on Matt Dawe as he disassembles a ’74 Harley Shovel. It’s 34 minutes long, arguably created for newbies, and they don’t take apart the motor (like you might see with a Hagerty …
1980 Honda CX500/CX650 Custom
Every year, retired master tech Kevin Murphy takes decent examples of Honda’s CX platform and restores them. He also takes bad examples and turns them into customs. He’s got an annual tradition of building a Honda CX custom for Daytona Bike Week, and each year a reader sends me a link when he puts up another bike for sale. This …
2003 Honda RC51 RVT1000R SP2
Post Sale Update: This RC51 sold for $5,000 after 1 bid on eBay. The RC51 combined Honda reliability with the joy of a V-Twin engine, beating Ducati at its own game with multiple World Superbike Championships and a AMA Championship. In 2002, Honda made some revisions to create the SP2 variant.
Serial #1 in Canada – 1990 Yamaha TDR250
Post Listing Update: This TDR was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. With a retuned TZR250 two-stroke motor good for nearly 50 horsepower in a dual-sport frame, Yamaha’s TDR250 was unlike anything available in the US at the time – especially because Yamaha never officially sold it here! A few were sold to our northerly neighbor of Canada, …
Silent Video Intermission – Manufacturing the Rover Imperial
Rover was best known for cars and trucks (such as the Land Rover), but the company started with bicycles and motorcycles. In 1902, they introduced the Imperial, and they would go on to build over 10,000 bikes from 1903-1924. Here’s a delightful video showing how an Imperial was put together, along with some bonus footage of test riders at the …
Coast to Coast in 50 Hours – Day 1
My father likes to say that there are three kinds of people: those who learn from their own mistakes, those who can learn from the mistakes of others, and those hopeless souls who don’t even learn from their own mistakes. As I found myself starting yet another road trip behind schedule, I tried to quantify how disappointed he’d be in …
1982 Honda CX500 Turbo
Who doesn’t love turbos? They just make everything better. Why? Because as Jeremy Clarkson once famously said, “exhaust gasses go into the turbocharger and spin it, witchcraft happens and you go faster“. I would strap one onto just about anything with an engine, including a motorcycle. But turbocharging bikes isn’t anything new, in fact several manufacturers beat me to it. …