When Vy and I took a little tour of the Western US last year, we had the pleasure of meeting Rick Van Vooren. He’s the man behind a Honda restoration shop called Rickstoration, and from what I saw when we visited, I’d have no concerns about buying a bike from him. I bring all of this up because he’s letting …
Super Single Racer – 2009 Honda CRF450R
I’ve featured super single racers before, but it continues to mesmerize me how what once was a purpose built off-road machine can be converted into such a highly competent track weapon. Not only are these bikes solid racers, but they’re remarkably fun to pilot. With a weight around 250 lbs and the grunt of a single cylinder power plant, they …
Keystone Framed Factory Hillclimber – 1923 Harley-Davidson Twin-Cam
Hillclimbers are some of the most interesting historically significant motorcycles out there. As high-dollar auctions like Bonham’s and Mecum have demonstrated, the right hillclimber in good condition can be worth a literal fortune. One of my favorites is the 1928 Excelsior Big Bertha Hillclimber that sold at a Vegas Mecum auction earlier this year for $117,500. This 1923 H-D Twin-Cam …
Video Intermission – “Britten – Return to The Island”
A couple of weeks ago I let you know that two Brittens will be running in the Retro Parade at the Isle of Man Classic TT Festival. I shared the start of a video series being done around the black/yellow CRS bike, but today we’ve got a video that should whet your appetite about the blue/pink bike. It’s a quick …
XRV750 – 1990 Honda Africa Twin
If that lead photo doesn’t make you want to buy this bike and travel, something might be wrong with you. The seller is a bit of an Africa Twin nut – I featured another one of his ATs for sale a couple of weeks ago. It’s been modified to better suit taller riders, it has relatively low mileage for this …
Ural Destroyer – 2014 Yamaha Bolt w/ Ural Hack
People don’t buy side cars the way they used to. As a result, manufacturers aren’t inclined to allocate resources to better develop these passenger-friendly scoots, no new sidecar advances are made and sales remain low. It’s a vicious cycle. Ural is one of the only factory options when buying a bike with a sidecar today, the only problem is, to …
Maintained By Sonny Angel – 1975 Norton Commando 850
This will be the second time in two months that I bring up Sonny Angel and his dealership, as they were responsible for the maintenance of this Commando for two and a half decades.
SFC750 Spec Race Replica – 1974 Laverda SF2
Post Listing Update: This SF2/SFC did not meet reserve with 13 bids up to $13,100. I love this bike, and the seller tells a great tale as he details his history with his SF2-turned-SFC750 replica. I highly recommend that you click on through to the listing just to see how obviously passionate he is about his Laverda.
Pikes Peak Competitor – 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 650R
Part of the charm and appeal of Pikes Peak IHC is the wide array of different classes of vehicles that are permitted to take part in the competition. Just about anything you can imagine on two or four wheels races up the iconic Colorado mountain with everything from factory sponsored racers with dozens of support staff and crew, to individuals …
1980 Ducati Darmah SSD
The Darmah was first introduced at the ’76 Bologna Motorshow before it would see production the following year. The Darmah was created in an effort to bounce back after the commercial failure that was the ’74 860 GT which had some reliability problems and wasn’t the snazziest looking Italian two-wheeler. The Darmah SSD boasted a few bar-raising features like its …
1974 CZ 250 Enduro
In a period review, Motor Cycle News out of England called the CZ 250 Enduro “possibly one of the best trail bikes ever.” Most of CZ’s competition, especially the Japanese, built trail bikes by starting with street-oriented models. CZ started with their last-gen MX bike and used that as their platform instead. The result was excellent.
Triumph and Tribulations – Exploring the UK, Day 3
View PostUnrestored – 1963 Norton Atlas
The Norton Atlas was produced from 1962 to 1968 before being replaced by the iconic Commando. The Atlas’s 745cc air-cooled twin was married to a four-speed chain-drive transmission that resulted in 55hp at 6,500RPM. One of the biggest selling points for the Atlas was its Featherbed frame. Interestingly the Atlas was first produced for export only, having been designed to …
1949 Indian Super Scout
America’s oldest moco has offered a wide range of Scout models in its more than 100-year history. The 1949 Super Scout would be one of the last models produced by Indian before closing its doors four years later. In addition to its Scout 250 (which is in fact powered by a 440cc Overhead-valve 4-stroke vertical twin engine, though some sources …