Here’s a Kawasaki Z1 900 that’s been given the Rickman treatment – not as a kit, but from the Rickman factory itself. After careful storage for 20 years, the bike was recently recommissioned with new fuel lines/filters and rebuilt carbs. It’s claimed to be a ‘museum piece’ in outstanding condition, but it could be a classic everyday rider if you …
Original Paint – 1969 Ducati 350 Scrambler
Here’s your chance to stand out from the impending swarm of new Ducati Scramblers that will take the streets – grab yourself a lovely example of one of the originals!
Baby Gold Star – 1971 BSA B50SS
When BSA released the B50 series of bikes in 1971, they ruffled some feathers by calling the Street Scrambler variant the “Gold Star”. The other two options were the Victor Trail dual sport and the B50MX, which was a pure off-roader.
Reader Ride – 1985 Honda CB700SC
Post Sale Update: This Nighthawk sold for $3,200 after 8 bids on eBay. Also known as the Nighthawk S, the Honda CB700SC was an interesting bike designed to avoid the 45% tax imposed on imported bikes of 700cc or bigger. Despite the ‘smaller’ engine, this bike was faster than many of its 750cc competitors, and the press loved it. Honda …
Needs Some Work – 1983 Triumph TSX
One of 371 ever built (just 200 of which made it to the US), this Triumph TSX is a barn find that has just 259 miles. It’s apparently been stored since ’83 and will need some work, but I still thought it was worth sharing. For more on the TSX, check out this profile from Sump Magazine. Find this TSX …
Meet a Reader – John Root
John Root is the man behind Geekbobber, an absolute Triumphphile, and a gentleman you should listen to. Geekbobber was started in 2008 as a collaboration tool after John started his first vintage bike project and wanted to share photos and ideas with his brother and document the build of his bike. 7 years later, it’s evolved into much more – …
Frank Whiteway Replica – Suzuki Titan
Here’s a Suzuki Titan (also known as the T500) that was restored to concours condition into a replica of Frank Whiteway’s TT-winning racer in the production class.
Plated Street Tracker – 1999 ATK 605
ATK made quite a name for themselves by being an American version of Bimota for enduros – taking a well-proven engine and then making an exotic frame to get everything out of the powerplant. In this case, they took a venerable 600cc Rotax and then turned it into one of the best handling bikes of the day.
Ending Soon – 1986 KTM 80MX
Post-Listing Update: This KTM got no interest at the opening bid of $1,500. A rare bird in the US, the KTM 80MX was KTM’s first foray into 80cc youth bikes and they’re quite the collector’s item now. What blows my mind is how much power this tiny bike was capable of putting down – check out this vintage ‘ad’ for …
Needs Some Work – 1978 Ducati 500GTL
The Ducati 500GTL is one of the cheapest ways of getting into the world of classic Ducs. Unfortunately, that’s because the bike didn’t sell very well – about 7,000 were produced over a 8 year run. The bike developed a reputation for being unreliable because it would occasionally lunch crankcases.
1975 Laverda 750 SF
3-8 Update: Reader Jim R has let me know that this bike is now available here on Craigslist for $8,500. Post-Listing Update: This SF2 did not meet reserve with bidding up to $6,100. The Laverda 750 SF2 was not particularly impressive on paper: just 65 horsepower out of 744cc at a time when the “Superbike” category was getting into full …
Worth Motorcycles Build – 1976 BMW R60/6 Cafe Racer
Post-Listing Update: This bike got up to $7,877 before being relisted and then pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. It’s almost like I planned it, but the timing is just pure coincidence. Just a day after I featured Jeremy Malman of Worth Motorcycles in an interview, I see that one of their builds is available on eBay for …
61 Miles – 1958 BSA Catalina Scrambler
In the 1956 Catalina Grand Prix, nearly 1,000 riders came together to fight it out and earn the title of champion. The guy who succeeded was Chuck Minert, who won on a BSA Gold Star. BSA’s West Coast distributor asked for a replica of the winning bike, and the result was the BSA Catalina Scrambler.
Video Intermission – ICON’s Raiden Files
Here’s a video from ICON advertising their Raiden line of clothing. The first 3 minutes are silly, but once the riding starts it’s quite enjoyable to watch:
2009 BMW HP2 Sport
The BMW HP2 Sport is one of the rarest bikes from the last few decades of BMW motorcycles. It certain ways, it was a tough sell. Loosely based on the R1200S, this was a very pricey and exclusive sportbike that put down less power than its competitors but handled like a dream.