Post Listing Update: This Harley did not meet reserve with 3 bids up to $5,908. In 1977, Harley-Davidson built a limited edition of just 631 bikes across 6 models – they dubbed these motorcycles the Confederate Edition and they are some of the rarest Harleys ever built. Presumably due to political correctness, no Confederate Editions are on display at Harley’s …
May 2016 Result Highlights
View PostPicture Intermission – Glen Helen AMA MX National
Last weekend, Glen Helen Raceway hosted an AMA Motocross National event. I’ve featured the work of photographer Joe Bonnello plenty of times before – most recently a Ducati 350 roadracer he photographed that was recently up for sale. Joe’s a legend when it comes to MX photography, and he took some great shos from the weekend – check out a …
2005 Husaberg FE550e
In 1987, Husqvarna was bought by Cagiva and it became part of MV Agusta. Many engineers from Husky’s development team decided to stay in Sweden and they founded Husaberg in 1988. They were competitive in racing but sales were lackluster, and in ’95 the brand was sold to KTM. By 2003, KTM was producing Husabergs themselves. You know KTM’s slogan, …
Needs Some Work – 1958/9 Parilla Olimpia
After World War II, Giovanni Parrilla built his first motorcycle (it was based on a Norton). This evolved into the company of Moto Parilla, which was best known for their “high-cam” engines in the US. Here’s one of their lesser known models, the Olimpia (which is one of the few bikes I know that was offered with 2-stroke and 4-stroke …
Video Intermission – Indian Motorcycles: Passion For Speed
Last fall, a group of engineers from Indian Motorcycles decided they would tackle the land speed races at El Mirage with a Scout and a Dark Horse. Indian decided to tag along and create a series of short videos chronicling the process. They call it “Passion For Speed.” I call it a decent excuse to avoid working.
2003 Honda CBR954RR
Produced for just two years, the 954 generation of the Honda Fireblade was commercially overshadowed by the competition from Suzuki and Yamaha, but I always thought it was the most “practical” literbike you could buy at the time. That inherently might have been the problem – who was looking for practical supersports? I fell in love with the Fireblades after …
1994 Ducati E900 Elefant
Ducati was sold to Cagiva in 1985, and one of the things the latter did with this infusion of bikes and technology to try and compete in the Paris-Dakar rally. They created the Elefant, which won the rally in 1990 and 1994. In the US, the bike was branded as the Ducati E900 – this may give you a hint …
Video Intermission – Dan Dutra’s Ariel Cyclone at the 2016 Quail
The Cyclone was one of Ariel’s most famous motorcycles, partially due to the fact that Buddy Holly owned one – it sold for $450,000 two years ago and it’s now on display at the Buddy Holly Center. Bike-urious reader Dan Dutra is the proud owner of one of the rare Cyclones and he brought his out to the Quail Motorcycle …
950 Miles – 1968 BSA Firebird Scrambler
Some Beezer fans consider the Firebird Scrambler to be the best bike that BSA made, which might make sense considering it was the last new design they created before they went out of business in 1973. It wasn’t as popular as the Gold Star but by this point BSA was in dire straits financially, and they couldn’t support the marketing …
1964 Pointer Super Lassie
Post Sale Update: This Super Lassie sold for the opening bid of $2,500. A Japanese aircraft manufacturer, Kawanishi (eventually rebranded as Shin Meiwa) was looking to expand their product portfolio so they got into motorcycles. I’ve really struggled to find good information on the brand, but it seems that they started motorcycle producion in 1946, called themselves Pointer in the …
Rare in the US – 1983 Suzuki Tempter GR650D
This Suzuki is rarely seen in the US as it was only offered here in ’83 and ’84. In other markets it was called the GR650 (and available until ’89), for some reason it was called the Tempter in America. It’s a fairly straightforward UJM but it featured one interesting innovation: a ‘dual-stage’ flywheel with an centrifugal clutch that would …
3 Bikes – Police Motorcycle Collection
6-1-16 Update: The seller has let me know that the HD has sold. He’s now asking for $4,500 each for the remaining two, or $8,000 for both. Here are three police motorcycles being sold in a package deal – you’ve got an American, and Italian, and a Japanese bike. Sounds like the start to a bad joke (or the opening …
Video Intermission – 2016 Handbuilt Motorcycle Show
Early in May I went to Austin to check out MotoGP and the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show. Here’s my recap of the latter if you need a reminder. The guys at Revival Cycles, who put the show together, released a short highlight video that I only discovered a few moments ago. Enjoy!
Needs Some Work – 1962 Tohatsu Runpet
Post-Listing Update: No one seems interested in this Tohatsu – it keeps getting relisted at a lower opening bid, with no action. As of 6-14 it’s got a unmet opening bid of $550, find it here on eBay. Founded in 1922, Tohatsu is now best known for their outboard motors. But in the 50s and 60s, they produced some excellent …