I recently sat down with Axcess Racing Team owner Dr. Laura Ellis for an interview about starting her team (that won the championship its first year!) and other race-related topics. It became increasingly clear to me that starting up a racing team, even one using “entry-level” production bikes is beyond taxing. It’s for this reason that makes coming across a …
Guess That Bike – Movie Prop Edition
I just watched a movie (I won’t say which one it was because then you could look up the bike) and the opening scene involves a motorcycle. Can you guess which one it is?
In Italy – 2006 Moto Guzzi MGS-01 Corsa
Post Listing Update: 30 bids on eBay got up to $22,300, but that wasn’t enough to meet reserve. Moto Guzzi Sport, Number 1 – that’s what MGS-01 stood for. Doesn’t matter what you called it, it was an unexpected taste of what Guzzi would be capable of if they wanted to rub shoulders with Ducati or Aprilia in the exotic, …
Mostly Correct – 1947 Indian Chief
Post Sale Update: After being relisted, this Chief sold for $22,000 with 42 bids. One of the best looking cruisers in history is the ’47 Chief, which is part of the reason why they aren’t cheap. This matching-numbers example was given a full mechanical restoration. You can tell what the seller was going for when he says “the paint came …
1987 Cagiva Alazzurra SS 650
Post Listing Update: Despite being relisted several times, this Alazzurra could not get interest at the asking price of $4,500. In 1985, Cagiva bought Ducati to jump start their entry into the big bike market. Cagiva immediately took the Pantah and evolved it into the Alazzurra, and in 1986 they released a fully-faired version called the SS 650.
YZ426 Motor, CRF250R Frame – BBR 426 Hybrid
One of only three ever made, this Brown Brothers Racing “YZ426S” is a truly fascinating hybrid motocrosser. Marrying the lightweight aluminum-frame from the (early-2000’s) nimble Honda CR250R with the Yamaha YZ426F’s proven power plant to deliver this high-performance made-to-order dirt-goer that sold for $20k back in the early 2000’s. Combining the best of both worlds, it’s not hard to see …
No Reserve – 2007 KTM 300 XC-W
Post Sale Update: After 70 bids on eBay, this KTM sold for $3,000. The seller says that 5 years ago he asked the editor of Dirt Rider magazine what the “best off-road bike was” and the answer he was given was a two-stroke KTM 300. The editor expressed a popular opinion – many experience off-road riders consider this to be …
Video Intermission – Ride For Your Life
Reader Larry G sent me a link to this short documentary about Mike Duff, a Canadian motorcycle racer who had a near-fatal accident. Presented by the National Film Board of Canada, it quickly tells the story of a man who won’t let injury or fear get in the way of his quest of being a champion.
Big Cafe Racer – 1976 Honda Goldwing
When you think about cafe-builds, Honda likely comes to mind, however the name: Goldwing, probably not so much. Nonetheless this unusual cafe example boasts the classic 999cc GL1000 Goldwing powerplant from 1976. This old school Honda-tourer has undergone a complete rebuild from the ground up with all the metal being blasted and repainted before piecing together this odd two-wheeler. As …
Street Legal H2R Replica – 1974 Kawasaki H2
Post Listing Update: This H2R replica was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. Kawasaki has brought back the H2R name with their new missile-on-wheels, but for fans of two-stroke machinery the three letters represent a legendary racer based on the H2 triple. This is a restomod replica with a custom frame and modern components in the suspension, brakes, …
Rare Hungarian Enduro – 1965 White Scrambler 250
The White Motorcycle Company is just one of dozens of now defunct manufacturers that have been forced to close their doors over the years by bad luck and less than ideal circumstances. The White MoCo was based in Hungary and produced several different models with the intentions of importing to the US market. Unfortunately someone’s major oversight in 1967 resulted …
Hammarhead Woodsman – 2009 Royal Enfield Bullet G5 Classic
Post Listing Update: Lowering the asking price to $7,300 wasn’t good enough to get any interest. 6-11-2017 Update: Nearly a year later, this bike is back up for sale on eBay. The asking price is a pinch lower – find it still in Brooklyn with a BIN of $7,300 or best offer here on eBay. Anyone who’s perused Bike-urious before …
Guess That Bike – Rare V-Twin Edition
We’re going international for this one! My buddy Dennis from Beach Moto is currently in Europe enjoying the Isle of Man TT, having also enjoyed the Mugello GP a week ago. He just sent me a picture of an interesting motorcycle he saw and I want to see who can identify it first! I’ve (poorly) photoshopped out some obvious details, …
Terry Prince-Made – 1949 Vincent Rapide
In the international Vincent motorcycle community, you’d have a hard time coming across many names with a greater expertise than Terry Prince. Prince, who grew up riding, racing and wrenching on British machines, knows these bikes ridiculously well, in part because he himself was one of the people behind several Vincent-Egli creations before going on to spend his career doing …
1 of 9 – Bandit9 Eve
Bandit9 is by far one of the most creative companies building motorcycles today. Their designs are objectively unique and creative as hell. Though Bandit9’s bikes are technically small production runs, these machines are still pretty rare and incredibly well priced considering the quality and character of their motorcycles.