Post Sale Update: This Honda sold for $8,800 plus the 7% buyer’s fee for a total of $9,416 on Iconic Motorbike Auctions. In 2014, Honda updated the CB1100 with a new dash and a six-speed transmission. The styling remained the same – bodywork that was designed to evoke the classic lines of the CB750. But a company in Japan called …
1992 Goodman HDS 1200
In the earlier 90s, a gentleman named Simon Goodman (the grandson of the founder of Velocette) out of Great Britain built 17 examples of what he called the HDS 1200: a hybrid that combined a Norton Featherbed-style frame with a Sporster 1200 motor.
1995 Triumph Daytona Super III
In the early 1990s, famed engine experts Cosworth assisted Triumph in their quest to build a faster version of the Daytona 900. It was a rare bird, as just 805 examples of the “Super III” were sold, 179 of which made it to the United States.
Trials Bike – 1954 Matchless G80CS
The CS (Competition Suspension) was the top of the line G80 model (except for the super-rare Typhoon G80TCS). Matchless’ marketing suggested that all you had to do to race was remove the lights – so with this bike you’ve already got the first step taken care of.
1980 Kawasaki Z1-R
The Kawasaki Z1R was the brainchild of Wayne Moulton, known as the “Father of the Japanese Cruiser.” His belief was that a solid motorcycle could be moderately tweaked to form four versions, one of which is a sport-tourer. So he took the KZ1000 and turned it into this! The first year of production was 1978, and all the bikes were …
1991 Bimota YB10 Dieci
Bimota’s 10th model with a Yamaha engine, the appropriately-named Dieci was built between 1991 and 1994 with just 224 examples leaving the factory. An even smaller portion were equipped with a passenger seat and pegs. Bimota scooped up the engine from a FZR1000 and then tweaked it to yield nearly 150 horsepower.
2002 Moto Guzzi V11 LeMans
Back in 2001, Moto Guzzi introduced the V11 LeMans as a spiritual successor to its iconic 850 racer. The bike featured the marque’s tried-and-true transverse 1100cc V-Twin – per MCN, “If you want an old-school Italian heavyweight with 21st century components, finish and style, look no further than the Moto Guzzi V11.” Here’s an interesting one that comes with all …
Bumblebee in Canada – 1989 BMW R100GS
The black and yellow livery of the R100GS earned it the affectionate name of “bumblebee,” and today we’ve got a lovely Euro-spec example (kick starter and larger carbs) up north with lots of upgrades and extras.
1991 Yamaha Super Tenere XTZ750
Right now you can walk into a Honda or Yamaha dealership and get a modern Africa Twin or Super Tenere. But in the US, the same couldn’t have been said a couple of decades ago. You can occasionally find ’90s examples of the AT and ST thanks to grey market imports, but the latter is much harder to source.
100th Anniversary – 2003 Harley-Davidson V-Rod
In 2001, Harley-Davidson released the V-Twin Racing Street Custom (VRSC). You may remember it as the V-Rod. A muscle bike that was used as a base for drag racing, Harley got some attention with this bike because the Revolution v-twin engine was jointly developed with Porsche. For 2003, Harley-Davidson celebrated their 100th Anniversary with special variants of their most popular …
Race Report – The Honda Grom Prix, Part 2
The teams were set, practice was done, the bikes were ready, and the air horn had sounded: it was time for the three-hour endurance race that Honda was calling the Grom Prix! Time for you to guess how I finished…and then you can read on to see how accurate you were!
Race Report – The Honda Grom Prix, Part 1
View PostIconic’s East Coast (Bristol RI) Party – 7/3
Over the last few years you guys and gals have seen that I’m posting a lot less on Bike-urious, and I’ve mentioned that the reduction in productivity is because I’m a co-founder in another company that’s taking up almost all of my time: Iconic Motorbikes. Iconic has recently opened up a “Moto Resort” in Bristol, Rhode Island and we’re having …
Looking for a Stark VARG?
Back in late 2021, I was at the press launch for the 2022 Ducati Multistrada Pikes Peak (here’s my review, if you’re interested). A conversation at dinner with a reviewer from Forbes (which may have been slightly alcohol-influenced) led me to put a deposit on the Stark VARG electric motocross bike. Almost three years later, that bike is now available …
No Reserve Black Bomber – 1966 Honda CB450
The Honda CB450 Black Bomber is easily one of the most significant motorcycles to ever come out of Japan. Produced for just three years, it was the company’s first ‘big bike’ (and the first production bike with DOHC). At the time, it was considered to be one of the best bikes ever built, though it didn’t sell as well as …