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1978 Yamaha RD400E

In Japan, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

Post Sale Update: After 26 bids on eBay, this RD400E sold for $4,191.41. When Yamaha bumped up displacement of the RD350 to make it the RD400, they also tamed the bike a bit. It was still a silly hooligan bike, but the powerband was a bit wider and the overall ride was slightly more comfortable. A hooligan bike for grownups, …

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1947? Indian Papoose

In America, Scooter, Small Displacement by Tom WackerLeave a Comment

I’m an Indian fan, and I’d never heard of this model. I was skeptical until I did some research and lo and behold, there it was. The Papoose was actually a rebadged Corgi model built by Brockhouse Engineering in England. The model was a civilianized version of the Welbike which was developed during WWII for British Special Forces to use …

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1963 Triumph TS20 Cub

In England, Off-Road by Tom WackerLeave a Comment

The first Triumph Tiger Cub was born in 1954 as a little brother to the TR6. By 1963 the Cub was available in several variants including the TS20 Trials which was advertised as being as close to the Triumph ‘works’ bikes as possible. 340 of the Triumph TS20s were built in 1963 with all but 10 being shipped to the …

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87 Miles – 1974 MZ TS150

In Germany, Small Displacement by AbhiLeave a Comment

If you want a city commuter that will really stand out from the crowd, consider this piece of East German history. TS stood for Telescopic Fork and Swingarm, letting you know that this bike was fully suspended. MZ offered the TS line in a few displacements – this was the medium sized 150. Somehow, this little bike has just 87 …

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1960 Gilera 150 Sport

In Italy, Sport by Tom WackerLeave a Comment

Gilera was a pre WWII Italian manufacturer that survived the war. In fact, in the immediate aftermath of the war Giuseppe Gilera decided that Italy needed cheap reliable transportation to help with war recovery. Enter the Gilera 125 that became the 150 in 1952 when Italian law required a minimum of 150CC to enter the freeways. The 150 sport would …

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1968 Greeves Challenger

In Off-Road by Tom WackerLeave a Comment

Bert Greeves first brush with motorcycle manufacturing came in 1954. By 1960 his lightweight Greeves 250CC dirt bikes were dominant in England using a Villers motor. In 1964 Greeves introduced his own motor in the Challenger. The rest is history, for the rest of the 60’s Greeves dominated the 250 class world wide. Greeves was a big proponent of “Race …