In 1953 Japanese musical instrument maker Nippon Gakki decided to use some idle manufacturing capacity to build motorcycles. Named after one of the founders of the company, Yamaha produced their first motorcycle the YA1 based heavily on the DKW 125 design liberated from post war Germany. By 1957 Yamaha had developed a 250 CCtwo stroke twin cylinder that became the …
Meet Tim Huber!
Editor’s Note: I’m always looking for ways to share more motorcycles with you, and the best way to do that is to have more people contributing. So with that in mind, I’d like to introduce you to Tim Huber! I’ve seen Tim’s work on several other motorcycling sites like EatSleepRIDE, RevZilla, and RideApart, and I’m sure he’s going to add …
2 of 17 – 1941 Harley-Davidson TA Knucklehead Trike Projects
Post Listing Update: These TA projects did not meet reserve with bidding stalling at $51,350. This won’t be cheap or easy to finish, but it’s a hell of a find that someone needs to take care of. The Wheels Through Time museum has 2 of the 17 Harley TA bikes ever built, but they’re incomplete. What’s a TA, you ask? …
Video Intermission – 2017 Quail Motorcycle Gathering Winners Timelapse
More content from the Quail coming soon, but for now here’s a teaser of all the winning bikes!
1972 Honda CB175
Introduced in 1969 the CB175 was one of three ‘175’ models available from Honda. The CL Scrambler, the CD Motorsport and the CB Supersport. Good savvy marketing from Honda allowed them to sell essentially the same motorcycle in three variants.
Ending Soon – 2007 BMW R1200S
Post Sale Update: After 25 bids on eBay, this R1200S sold for $5,750. “Born in heaven, raised in hell.” That was one of the slogans BMW used when they introduced the R1200S, an evolution of the R1100S that fell much more on the ‘sport’ side of the sport-touring equation. It was the sportiest boxer twin BMW had ever built, and …
1965 Montesa Impala Sport 250
Post Sale Update: After being relisted, this Impala Sport sold for the BIN of $10,500. Montesa was formed in 1944 by Pedro Permanyer and Paco Bulto. After some significant success in racing and sales Bulto left the company (leading to the formation of Bultaco) in 1958. By 1960 Montesa had brought out it’s first Impala, a 175 CC. 1965 saw …
2000 AXR 1200 Cafe Sportster
View PostMotorcycle.com Is Hiring!
Of the many top-tier motorcycle publications online, Motorcycle.com (aka Motorcycle Online) might just have the most dedicated group of followers (who often refer to themselves as MOrons, playing off Motorcycle Online. They’ve recently announced that they’re looking for a new Associate Editor. So if you’ve always wondered what it would be like to work in the motorcycle industry, here’s your …
1972 Benelli 250 Super Sport
Post Listing Update: This Benelli did not meet reserve despite 31 bids up to $4,150. Here’s a beautiful Benelli that features one of the last uses of the “Power Egg” motor.
Ending Soon – 1993 Ducati 900SS Cafe Racer
This 900SS was cosmetically customized by the seller – he finished a month ago but needs to sell this for financial reasons. What do you think of it?
Video Intermission – The Glory Days of British Motorbikes
Timeshift is a documentary on BBC that covers topics through Britain’s history. One of their hour long episodes was dedicated to the British motorcycle industry, and it’s well worth a view for those of you that love Britbikes. Learn about the glory days, mods and rockers, and even how two wheelers helped during World War II.
1977 Yamaha XS750
Yamaha officially entered the ‘big bore’ wars in 1973 with the TX 750 twin. Using two balancers that made the twin as smooth as any four it made an immediate impact on the market, until the balancers started failing and Yamaha couldn’t give the TX away. Fast forward four years to 1977 and Yamaha was back in the big bore …
1974 Hodaka Road Toad
When it comes to naming motorcycle models, Hodaka might win. Rat. Super Rat. Dirt Squirt. Combat. Wombat. Wombat Combat. Ace. Road Toad. Hodaka was a Japanese motor builder for Yamaguchi motorcycles in 1963 when Yamaguchi went bankrupt. PABTCO, based in Athena, Oregon went looking for a replacement to fill the void left in their sales niche. The fact that PABTCO’s …
Guess That Bike – Shorty Exhaust Edition
I stopped by Robb Talbott’s museum on my way up to the Quail, and I couldn’t stop staring at this pair of exhausts. Who knows what bike they are from?