The Triumph Hurricane has got quite a story – check out this write-up on Motorcycle Classics for a lot of the details which might explain why these bikes are so damn expensive now. But this one stands out even more as it was the personal drag bike of DT Howard, known for running a motorcycle shop, holding a drag race …
Vintage Benelli Parts Collection
Are you a Benelli restorer? Want to try to get into the vintage parts game? Looking for a reason for your wife to kick you out of the house? Here’s a ‘basement full’ of vintage Benelli parts – all of which are NOS. Find this collection of parts here on Craigslist for $10,000 in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. This bike-uriousity brought …
1981 Yamaha Virago XV750
Post Sale Update: This XV750 sold for $1,136 after 10 bids on eBay. Yamaha’s first V-twin cruiser, the 750 Virago was built from ’81 to ’98, making this a first year example of a cruiser that’s become a popular platform for customization. In fact, the seller of this specific bike was planning on turning into a cafe racer but he …
New Year’s Eve in La Paz, Mexico – Day 1
In my recent reader survey, a lot of you said you wanted more bike trips/ride reports. (I’ll have a full summary of the survey results in a couple of days, I’d like to keep it open for a week) Here’s my attempt to give the people what they want! 3 years ago, a friend of mine called up saying that …
1,482 Miles – 1979 Honda CBX
I try not to feature bikes that are very similar to each other without some time in between, and I recently featured a silver 1979 CBX that had been completely restored. Here’s another beautiful CBX that comes from the opposite side of the spectrum – it’s all original and has been kept in amazing shape for 36 years…
Original Owner – 1975 Honda TL250
Post-Sale Update: This TL250 sold for $3,600 after 33 bids on eBay. One of the few four-stroke trials bikes of the 70s, the Honda TL250 was developed with tremendous input from Sammy Miller – the license plate of the prototype was SAM 1N. Production started in ’75, and approximately 4,000 bikes were eventually sold, most in the US. The 248cc …
Restomodded – 1991 KTM 300/380 EXC
It performs like a new bike but looks like an almost-classic. This 1991 KTM 300EXC has been given the engine, brakes, and suspension from a 2001 KTM 380EXC, creating an interesting package. As part of the mechanical changes, this bike also got NOS plastics, graphics, seat cover, and more. Unfortunately, the front light and fender are not the original KTM …
One Show Entrant – 1976 Honda CB550 Custom
Post-Sale Update: This CB550 sold for $5,000 after 48 bids on eBay. One of the bikes in last year’s One Motorcycle Show, this Honda CB550 has just 200 miles on it since it was built. The motor is out of a 1980 CB650, the forks are shortened units from a 1980 CB750, and the flat slide carbs are out of …
1968 Puch 250 SGS
Imported to the US by Sears under the Allstate brand, the SGS was Puch’s big bike of the day. It featured a distinctive split single engine – two pistons that shared the same combustion chamber. Because of this, it was also known as the Twingle.
1915 Indian C-3 Big Twin
The Indian Big Twin was the last of an era – some even consider it to be the last “real” Indian as it was the end of the F-head engine in a cradle-spring frame. 1915 was the last year of production before Indian stopped racing efforts to help with the war, and debuted the flat head V-Twin dubbed the Power …
9 Miles – 2006 Triumph Bonneville Multi-Union
4 years after Triumph’s 100th anniversary, Paul Smith designed 9 different T100 Bonnevilles, each with a custom paint job. Triumph took two of the designs and sold 50 of each – one was called “Live Fast”, the other is what you see in front of you here, a Triumph Bonneville Multi-Union.
Restomodded – 1975 Kawasaki KZ900
The culmination of a 10 year build, this Kawasaki KZ900 has been modified with Suzuki GSX-R forks, a ZRX1100 swingarm, modern brakes, and more. Probably best to consider this the equivalent of a restomodded 60s muscle car. If you want more details, the seller’s build thread can be found here. Find this KZ900 custom for sale in Reno, Nevada for …
1919 Smith Motor Wheel
Around 1910, Arthur William Wall developed a direct drive motor wheel to power a bicycle – it was the first to be powered by gasoline. 4 years later, manufacturing rights for the motor wheel were acquired by the A.O. Smith Corporation of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and it led to what you see here, the Smith Motor Wheel.
1985 Moto Morini 350 K2
Normally, a 350 from Morini makes people think of the 3 1/2, but the Italian firm released the Moto Morini 350 K2 a decade later.
Picture Intermission – MotoTintype
If you’re a regular reader of Bike-urious (or just a motorcycle fan in general), you’re probably familiar with Paul D’Orleans, also known as The Vintagent. In collaboration with Susan McLaughlin, he’s got a side project called MotoTintype that focuses on a very interesting photography method called wet plate or collodion photography.