Just for 1990, America got a taste of Honda’s NSF50F two stroke “sport” bike. Despite the diminutive size, it’s a street legal bike with a claimed top speed of 55 miles per hour. It makes me think of a MB5 that got updated with liquid cooling and then painted by a Miami coke dealer. I want one.
1970 Rickman Triumph Metisse
Most of you know the story of brothers Don and Derek Rickman, who started out in the early 60’s building custom frames for British scrambles bikes and later road racers. Their frames were light and rigid, and they incorporated some innovations such as oil-in-frame, eccentric swingarm adjustment,and larger diameter telescopic forks. The frames were very popular with racers, enough so …
Incomplete Restoration – 1973 Benelli SS250 SuperSport
In 1962, Benelli and Motobi merged, and Benelli acquired Motobi’s engine designs in the process. Over time, the Motobi motor evolved into 175, 200, and then 250cc variants. Like General Motors did with Chevy/Oldsmobile/Pontiac etc, Benelli and Motobi practiced a bit of brand engineering: the Motobi motor ended up powering a motorcycle known in the US as the SuperSport and …
Early Model – 1977 BMW R100RS
The BMW R100RS arguably launched the idea of the sport touring motorcycle, but I don’t feature many non-limited edition examples just because they’re fairly common place. But did you know that the earliest examples of the legendary model were all silver/blue with blue pinstriping and blue anodized calipers? Or as some of you may remember it – this was the …
2006 KTM 625 SMC
KTMs’s excellent history with dirt bikes served them well when they decided to become one of the few OEMs to offer supermotos from the factory floor. One of their best offerings was the 625 SMC – here’s an example that’s got a few choice farkles, as well.
Partial Restoration – 1960 Ducati Bronco
If they’ve even heard of it at all, riders are usually familiar with the Ducati Bronco as a 125cc bike. But it was also available in 85cc and 98cc variants – here’s one of the tiny ones that is close being completely restored. Who’s ready to finish the job and get a little Italian jewel n the process?
331 Miles – 1983 Harley-Davidson XR1000
Post Sale Update: This XR sold for $20,303 after 32 bids on eBay. The XR750 is one of Harley-Davidson’s most iconic motorcycles – though it was never intended to be street legal. But what if Harley took a XR motor and shoved it in a Sportster frame? Willie G himself had a similar thought, and the XR1000 was born. It …
2 Miles – 1969 Benelli Dynamo
4-14-17 Update: Two years later, this bike is back up for sale with a whopping 50% more miles! That might be a bit of an overreaction as the total mileage is still just 3. But now you know it runs and the new listing has much better photos. So, find this Dynamo for sale in Stockton, New Jersey with bidding …
728 Miles and Ending Soon – 1997 Ducati 900 SuperSport
As the seller points out, a ’97 900SS isn’t particularly rare. And I think the yellow looks much worse than the usual red. But…I could get over my disdain for yellow with this bike, because it’s very pristine thanks to the low mileage.
1969 Ducati 450 Scrambler
Post Listing Update: This Scrambler was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. Ducati of the ‘60s and ‘70s had a history of being between extreme financial peril and a rosy business outlook. The Scrambler series was conceived and delivered during one deep, dark period of potential business failure and had a significant impact on the very next period …
102 Miles – 2005 Beta 450RR
In 2005, Beta stated selling enduros to complement their trials bikes. It was called the RR model range, and they used KTM RFS motors between 250cc and 525cc. Here’s a 450cc example with just 102 miles.
1960 Cushman Allstate Jetsweep
“Like a new 1959 car . . long, low, sleek . . smart 2-tone colors” {Quotes from the 1959 Sears Catalog Advertisement page 1066} The 1960 Allstate Jetsweep was a rebadged Cushman 722 Pacemaker offered between 1957 and 1960. Sears and Cushman had a long term relationship that saw tens of thousands of Cushman scooters sold under the Allstate banner.
Street Fighter – 2005 Ducati 999R
Whenever Ducati puts the letter “R” at the end of a model, you know that bike is going to be special. That was indeed the case with the 999R, which Ducati built for AMA homologation. In 2004, Ducati sold just 50 examples of it in the states. More were sold in 2005 at a $29,995 MSRP – $7,000 more than …
Early BMW Hybrid – 1983 BMW R80ST
The R80ST was the street-only version of the R80GS. It had slightly different styling, and the seat was slightly lower. It used the same air-cooled boxer twin engine with a dry clutch that put out 50hp at 6500 rpm. The 5-speed tranny drove the rear through the same Monolever shaft drive. Wheels were 19″ front, 18″ rear, for the street.
1970 Moto Guzzi Ambassador
Moto Guzzi first started testing the by now iconic longitudinal 90 degree V-Twin in 1966. Released as the 700 CC V-7 in 1967 it was updated in 1969 as the 750 CC Ambassador (or V-7 Special in Europe) Incredibly to me Guzzi was in state receivership for financial reorganization at the time. To say that the Ambassador sold well (particularly …