For decades, Harley’s XR750 was the machine to beat. From 1972 to 2008, the XR was responsible for taking home 29 out of the 37 possible AMA Grand National Championships, leading to some referring to the machine as the “most successful race bike of all time”. The XR750 was also famously Evel Knievel’s go-to choice when performing jumps/stunts. Before it …
Introducing Ride the Classics
View PostZuma-Powered, Composimo-Built – Custom Honda Ruckus
At any given point you can find dozens of custom Honda Ruckus examples floating around on Craigslist and eBay. Extended swing-arm conversions and bespoke paint jobs are pretty run of the mill modifications and I’ve never given much thought or attention to bespoke Ruckus examples, but today’s thoroughly modified build is a different story altogether.
Never Started – 1985 Kawasaki GPz750 Turbo
Post Listing Update: As expected, this Kawi did not get any interest at the BIN of $100k. Considered by many to be the best of the Japanese turbo’d bikes from the 80s, the GPz750 was sold for just two years. This example is from the second year of production, and it stands out because it has never been started before.
Triumph and Tribulations – Exploring the UK
Every summer, Vy and I take a motorcycle trip – we try to alternate between staying in the US or going out of the country. In 2017, we took 12 days to explore England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. I’ve shared the story in several parts over the last few months, so here’s one place where you can catch it …
Land-Doo – Custom Sea-Doo Trike
Built by placing a Sea-Doo body on a homemade frame (isn’t that a sentence that inspires confidence?), this custom trike would be an amusing way to get around town before you were inevitably arrested and tested for a DUI.
Triumph and Tribulations – Exploring the UK, Day 12
June 28th, 2017 – London, England to London, England: ~25 miles Missed Day 11? June 27th, 2017 – Birmingham, England to London, England: ~130 miles Just like that, we’re at the last day. Vy and I spend some time in London to see the usual sights, and of course we bring Baby Jack along for our tourism spree: As our …
Video Intermission – Kawasaki’s Science of Supercross
A couple of years ago, Kawasaki started to produce content to be shared during televised Supercross races. They call it the Science of Supercross. I call it a great way to advertise. As you probably have noticed, the 2018 Monster Energy AMA Supercross championship has started up again – the 4th race of the season happens on Saturday in Phoenix …
Magazine Feature – 1978 Honda CB400A Hawk Hondamatic
In 1976, Honda debuted the “Hondamatic” transmission on their popular CB750. It was designed to help bring in new riders who may have been intimidated by the requirement of using a clutch, but Honda quickly figured out that newbies may not necessarily want to start on the big 750. So two years later, the Hondamatic transmision found its way to …
135 Miles in England – 1989 Norton Commander
Just 253 examples of the Norton Commander were ever built, and this one stands out as it only has 135 miles. The Commander was offered in two variants: P52 was for police, and P53 was for civilians. You’d probably expect the police version to be the rarer of the two, but in this case you’d be wrong.
World Record Sale Price – 1951 Vincent Black Lightning
View Post1961 Panther M100 Deluxe
Post Sale Update: This Panther sold for $10,000 after 33 bids on eBay. Introduced way back in 1932, the Panther Model 100 kept evolving until 1963, by which point the Model 120 had taken over. Both models featured the distinctive “Sloper” motor, named for the angle that is so evident at a side view. The 598cc single produced 23 horsepower, …
Video Intermission – Harry’s Garage – Collection of Dakar Winners
One of the founders of Evo Magazine, Harry Metcalfe now runs a YouTube channel simply called “Harry’s Garage” in which he walks you through special vehicles, many of which he owns himself. Like any good petrolhead, he’s got a soft spot for motorcycles in addition to cars, and in this 23-minute long video he shares his collection of 6 bikes …
“Cavallo Nero” – Pro-Grade 1975 Ducati 860 Build
Bryan Fuller is one of the better-known names in the custom car and motorcycle worlds. In addition to owning Full-Bore Publishing – an outfit that publishes various how-to-build books – Fuller also now owns Fuller Moto, a renowned customs shop that builds bespoke two and four-wheelers, and also offers hands-on classes to pass on their skills. The Atlanta-based shop has …
1957 White Shooting Star 250
White International was an American company that imported bikes from overseas and rebranded them under their own name, similar to what Sears, Montgomery Ward, and later, Harley-Davidson did. In this case, the bikes being re-branded were Hungarian-built Csepel/Pannonias.