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1973 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport

In Italy, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

Post Sale Update: This V7 sold for $14,699 after 31 bids on eBay. Nowadays, Moto Guzzi offers several variants of the modern V7. They don’t sell particularly well, but they do hark back to one of Guzzis most iconic motorcycles of all time – the original V7 Sport. It was an instant classic that was created by Tonti to honor …

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1969 Honda Z50 Mini Trail

In Japan, Off-Road, Small Displacement by Tom WackerLeave a Comment

Designed and built originally as an attraction at a Japanese amusement park, when Honda officials saw the reaction of all ages, they decided to market the bike to the world. Starting in 1964, the Z50 turned out to be a very successful seller for HMC. Commonly called the ‘Monkey Bike’ based on how adults looked riding this teeny bike it …

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0 Miles – 1978 Harley-Davidson MX250

In America, Off-Road by AbhiLeave a Comment

In the late 70s, Harley was in a phase of small-displacement bikes while under the control of AMF. They decided to dabble in the world of motocross, and had their Italian branch, Aermacchi, build the Harley-Davidson MX250. It was the first (and only) HD MX bike, and it only lasted for one year. This example is claimed to be in …

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1961 Ducati Elite

In Italy, Sport by Tom WackerLeave a Comment

In 1959 Ducati brought out it’s most sophisticated bike to date-the 200 Elite. It was the first of Ducati’s ‘sport production’ motorcycles based on their successful single cylinder racers of the 50s. The product line would morph into the ‘Supersport’ line, but the motor was destined for another calling. It was the basis for the ‘motocross’ line which we know …

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Silver Shotgun in Holland – 1971 Ducati 350 Desmo

In Italy, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

By the time Ducati had released the Mark 3 Desmo, they had an impressive variety of trim levels. In ’71, they added to the line up with their first ever motocross bike (the R/T), and a street bike with silver fiberglass bodywork. Two Wheels Magazine in Australia called the latter the “Silver Shotgun”, and the nickname has stuck through the …

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Chang Jiang CJ750 with Sidecar

In 3 Wheels by Ted CloughLeave a Comment

Chang Jiang is a Chinese company that manufactured motorcycles (among other things) from the 1950’s through the 1970’s. Exact dates are hard to come by, but that is not really relevant. The CJ750 was their primary model. It was based on the 1956 Soviet IMZ M-72, which was in turn based upon the 1938 German BMW R71.

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1950 Powell P81 Custom

In America, Small Displacement by Tom WackerLeave a Comment

Post Sale Update: After being relisted, this P81 sold for $3,050 with 20 bids on eBay. Powell Manufacturing switched from making radios to motor scooters in the mid 1930’s in their Compton, California plant. They went to full war production in 1942 (they built an ultra lightweight for American Airborne troops) but picked their scooters back up after the war. …

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Start of a Legend – 1981 BMW R80G/S

In Dual-Sport, Germany by AbhiLeave a Comment

Hindsight has shown that the introduction of the GS model line was one of the best things BMW did for their Motorrad business. But at the press launch in 1980, journalists (and the public) shared a general sentiment of “what’s the point of a large, heavy dual-purpose bike?” Modern cynics still have the same complaint as the bike seems to …

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1968 Honda S90

In Japan, Small Displacement by Tom WackerLeave a Comment

Post Sale Update: After 37 bids on eBay, this S90 sold for $3,050. We all know how Abhi feels about the S90. I am somewhere near the same. My best buddy on earth had one back in the day, and I just loved it. It still gives me the warm and fuzzies when I see a picture of one. The …

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1 of 100 – 2007 Ducati SportClassic 1000 Special Edition

In Italy, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

Post Listing Update: This Special Edition was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. Current values of Ducati’s SportClassic line show that they have become quite collectible – and the most collectible of them all is the limited production “Special Edition.” Just 100 were built, and they were all for North America. 90 were sold in the US, and …