Founded in ’59 by Leopoldo Tartarini in Bologna, Italjet has built its name on producing small displacement bikes and scooters. For a brief period around the turn of the millennium (2000-2002), Italjet even campaigned its F125 racer in the 125cc World Championship (Moto3). Back in the 1990s, the Italian marque revamped its product line by introducing a handful of new …
1985 Moto Guzzi Le Mans 1000 MKIV
Post Sale Update: This Guzzi sold for $5,995 after 14 bids on eBay. The fourth of five generations of Guzzi’s iconic LeMans, the Mark IV was full of upgrades from previous generations. But one of the modifications was generally frowned upon – a 16″ front wheel. Moto Guzzi didn’t change any other aspects of the steering geometry of the bike …
Winter Is Coming – Yeti 129SS-Kitted 2017 Yamaha YZ450F
This kitted winter weapon started out as a 2017 Yamaha YZ450F. The engine was stripped and built back up by Millennium Technologies using a ported head, cams, and 14:1 compression piston from GYTR, as well as a new crank, rod, bearings, etc. According to the seller, more than $4,500 has gone into the engine alone.
2011 Victory Cross Country Police
Growing up, I thought being a police officer was a super cool job. And the coolest of the cool jobs was to be a California Highway Patrolman, AKA a CHiP. Every morning before I trotted off to attempt my luck at penetrating the many social hierarchies of middle school, I took in an episode of CHiPs. Erik Estrada was my …
Rare Indian – 1976 Indian MS175
Post Listing Update: This MS175 did not get any action at the opening bid of $3,400. It was relisted with an opening bid of $3,000 and then pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. In the midst of their affair with small-displacement runabouts, Indian had a triplet of 175cc bikes called the MI175, MT175, and MS175. The MI was …
Rare Project – 1946 Gazelle
Post Listing Update: This Gazelle was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. Gazelle is a Dutch bicycle company that has an impressive history going back to 1892. In fact, the company was officially renamed “Royal Dutch Gazelle” by Princess Margriet of the Netherlands in 1992 to celebrate their centenary. Like many bicycle companies, Gazelle experimented with the production …
Two-Stroke Triple – 1975 Suzuki GT550
Post Sale Update: This GT550 sold for $5,350 after 5 bids on eBay. While Honda and Kawasaki launched a 4-stroke revolution, Suzuki kept going strong with two-stroke engines, but they needed to replace the aging T500 Titan. So, in 1971 at the Tokyo motorcycle show, Suzuki launched its new model, the GT. The first to be presented was the flagship …
2012 KTM RC8R
Post Listing Update: This RC8R did not get any action at the opening bid of $7,000. I just featured a KTM RC8R last week, so it should be no surprise that this Austrian-bred machine is my kind of weird. 175 horsepower created by two cylinders with no factory electronic aids is a precise recipe for happiness I cannot wait to …
1991 Gilera CX125
Post Listing Update: This CX125 did not get any interest at the opening bid of $7,995. Gilera’s CX125 must have been an absolute show-stopper when the concept version debuted at the 1989 Milan EICMA. Swoopy bodywork paired with a single-sided suspension up front…and on a 125? I refuse to believe the average Italian rider who saw this in ’89 thought …
In Italy – 1977 MV Agusta Ipotesi
Post Sale Update: This Ipotesi sold for $6,501 after 4 bids on eBay. MV Agusta is an Italian manufacturer that used to produce airplanes for the Italian Army during WWII. At the end of the War, MV was out of business, so the two owners, and brother, Vincenzo and Domenico decided to produce motorcycles and put their staff back to …
2006 Ducati Paul Smart 1000 Limited Edition
Post Listing Update: This Paul Smart did not meet reserve despite 39 bids up to $18,300. Paul Smart was a British motorcycle racer who began his career in the 1960s. After building his skills, he won the 1972 Imola 200 on a Ducati 750, which brought him racing recognition and solidified his relationship with Ducati. In 2006, Ducati graced us …
XR750 Tribute #2 – 2009 Harley Davidson XR1200
Post Listing Update: This XR1200 did not get any interest at the opening ask of $7,500. In 1983, Harley-Davidson tried to make a tribute to the mighty XR750 flat-track from the 70’s by releasing the XR1000, a custom evolution of the original Sportster at the time. 25 years later, HD got the idea of doing another tribute bike, but only …
1998 Ducati 916 SPS
Post Sale Update: This 916 SPS sold for $12,700 after 47 bids on eBay. A limited edition of one of the most beautiful motorcycles ever made, the Ducati 916 SPS (Sport Production Special) was more than a pretty face. Thanks to upgrades to the drivetrain and chassis, this was the ultimate 916. 1,058 examples were built in 1998, and this …
1964 Honda CA110 Sport 50
Post Listing Update: This CA110 did not meet reserve despite 44 bids up to $1,750. Honda’s CA110 was one of their little bikes that was ushered in with the “you meet the nicest people on a Honda” campaign, though it’s a bit more special than the C102 Super Cub that has taken over the world. The CA110 was also known …
For Charity – 2002 MV Agusta F4 750
MV Agusta is a future Moto2 Grand Prix team, a current World Superbike team, and long time manufacturer of legendary Italian machinery. I recently transported a Lewis Hamilton F4 for Motorcycle Mover LA, and stared at the bike like a wide eyed child for 10 minutes before touching it. Depending on who you ask, the MV Agusta F4 is often …