Over a 29-year history of motorcycle production between the 20s and the 50s, the German firm Tornax built about 50,000 bikes. One of them was the K20, which was introduced in 1936.
Cosmetic Custom: 1982 Honda FT500
Single-cylinder machines make for solid flat track builds. The power on these examples are surprisingly well suited for dirt ovals, especially for a road bike engine. Despite this being a 35-year-old machine, it was just recently rebuilt and has been kept pretty immaculate in the roughly 275 miles put on it since the build was completed. With so many ultra …
Gear Review – REV’IT Zircon Jacket
Over the last few months, I’ve had a particular hankering for motorcycle gear that doesn’t necessarily look like motorcycle gear. So when I went to see my buddy Dennis Afanasyev of Beach Moto for something to wear while riding the REV’IT #95, he was quick to suggest the Rev’It Zircon jacket. I’ve made the Zircon part of my regular rotation …
Video Intermission – Ventura to Death Valley
Follow along as Scott Toepfer takes you on a quick trip from Ventura to Death Valley – sea level to sea level – in this short but sweet video that I unexpectedly saw on National Geographic.
In Italy – 2008 Ducati Desmosedici RR
The Ducati Desmosedici RR (or Racing Replica) is the epitome of an elite motorcycle. While its 197hp and 188mph top speed are slightly less stunning in comparison to today’s near 200hp/200mph superbikes, it still boasts some of the finest equipment on the planet and when it was first released a decade ago, a road-going machine like the this was unheard …
Ex-Shriner Ending Soon – 1969 Honda Dream CA77
Post Listing Update: This CA77 did not meet reserve at $2,524 despite 24 bids on eBay. Nowadays, the Shriners are typically riding Harley-Davidsons – currently Harley even offers a Shriners special edition (but you have to show proof that you belong to the fraternity) alongside their Peace Officer and Firefighter special editions. In fact, they’ve become such a pairing that …
NC35 – 1996 Honda RVF400
Post Sale Update: This RVF sold for $8,800 after 41 bids on eBay. One of the best riding 400 sportbikes ever built, Honda’s RVF400 (also known as the NC35) never officially made it out of the Japan. The grey market took care of European countries but it’s rare to find one of these in the US. You may have a …
Video Intermission – Hit and Run Hero
Yesterday’s video was about a motorcyclist who makes us look bad, so today let’s look at a motorcyclist that makes us look good! A rider witnessed a driver hit two cars and then take off, so he chased him down while relaying information to 911.
Rare in the US – Carabela 150SL
Here’s a bike that I know just about nothing about. Can you fill me in? I’ve featured a few bikes made by Carabela in the past – it’s a Mexican motorcycle manufacturer that was best known for their small displacement MX bikes. But this is a street bike with a bigger motor than the usual Carabela – and that’s pretty …
Video Intermission – Unexpected Airtime
Look, it’s pretty obvious here that the rider’s assessment that the “steering locked up” isn’t accurate. I’m not going to kick him while he’s down, so I’ll just leave the video here for you to make your own conclusions.
1 of 1 – 1996 Ducati “649R” SuperTwin Racer
This Ducati 649 SuperTwin is the only example like it in the world, and it was created specially to compete in Mini/Super-Twin 650 class competition. This super short stroke engine has a 90mm bore that makes 85hp and red lines at 13,000 rpm. This machine is built around a 1996 Ducati model, so I assume a 748SP or SPS. This …
Needs Some Work – 1974 Harley-Davidson RR250
Harley isn’t exactly known for its race machines, but as far as word association goes. Nonetheless, here we have a 250cc Harley-Davidson purpose-built racer: the 1974 RR250. Developed during Harley’s time in AMF competition, this bike is supposedly one of 180, though the RR250 was made for a number of years. While this example needs its restoration to be completed, …
UMRA 24 Hour Race – Introduction
I was enjoying a margarita at lunch at Gilbert’s El Indio when my phone lit up with a number from Lake Forest, California. Kawasaki is in Lake Forest, so it must be them, right? They’re probably asking when I’ll be returning the Vulcan S loaner, so I just let it go to voicemail. Another margarita later and I felt bad …
2008 Bimota Tesi 3D Carbonio
Post Listing Update: This Bimota was pulled off of eBay because “there was an error in the listing.” Final sale price unknown. Introduced in 2007, the 3D was the third generation of the Tesi. While it was an improvement over the 2D in many ways, reviewers weren’t excited about the gap between how it looked and how it performed. It’s …
Video Intermission – The Black Falcon
In Paul D’Orleans’ words, The Black Falcon is “the most revered custom motorcycle in recent history.” It was released to a decent amount of fanfare 6 years ago, but with a recent video Paul has been able to capture some details that the public never got to truly understand. So here’s your chance to check out some of the nitty-gritty …