Moto Guzzi learned from their mistake of putting a 16″ front wheel on the Mk V Le Mans, so the Mk5 went back to the usual 18 incher. Many other small but helpful improvements came together to form the last generation of Le Mans’, in a very color-matching design.
Toaster Tank – 1973 BMW R75/5
Here’s a low mileage (19k) example of the BMW R75/5 which looks great in original Granada Red paint. It’s being offered by the third owner, who refreshed by the bike in early 2014. The refresher avoided any cosmetics – instead the bike got new tires, suspension, ignition, cables, handlebars, and seals. All work was done by Bombars Beemers, and this …
Heavily Farkled – 1958 BSA Super Rocket
In the 50s, BSA was considered to be a manufacturer of reliable motorcycles, though general consensus was that they were falling behind in performance to Triumph and Norton. Birmingham Small Arms fought responded with the BSA Super Rocket, which has to be fast just based on the name, right?
Slippery Sam Replica – 1976 Triumph Trident 150V
Just a couple of days ago I featured a nifty custom Trident 150V, and I was stunned to find another in such a short timeframe: a production class racer based on the T150 Triumph Trident, “Slippery Sam” was bequeathed its unique name during the 1970 Bol d’Or 24 Hour Race when an oil pump failed, covering Percy Tait in black …
Off-Roader – 1951 Ariel Red Hunter
The Red Hunter was produced in varying displacements between 1932-1959. Over time, the bike evolved into a popular touring mount for the road – but this bike apparently never got the memo as it’s been turned into quite a unique off-roader.
2015 Triumph Thruxton Ace Special Edition
I used to always let the Thruxton slip under my radar, but as I’ve spent more and more of my time finding bikes for this site, I’ve come to appreciate how this bike looks. Here’s a limited edition twist on the Thruxton, the Ace Special Edition. Just 325 were brought to the US last month, and an extra $700 gets …
Nice Price – 1984 Honda Interceptor
The Honda Interceptor VF750F was the direct result of changes to the AMA Superbike rules. Because race bikes had to be production based, the VF750F was the first replica racebike to come out of Japan. Why is this important to you, the motorcycle aficionado? Because Honda kept the bikes surprisingly similar while still maintaining street legality. And why is it …
Harley-Suzuki Hybrid
Should I call it a Harzuki?
1972 Yankee Z500
Post Sale Update: This Z500 sold for $4,465 after 10 bids on eBay. In the early 70s, John Taylor of Schenectady, New York started building the Yankee Z500, an American dual-sport designed to compete with the best bikes coming out of Europe. Yankee Motor Company started by importing machines from OSSA, the Spanish off-road powerhouse, and then moved to modifying …
2006 BMW R1150GSA Special Edition
For the last year of production, BMW released just 350 Special Editions of the venerable R1150GSA. Of those, only 177 were imported to the US. This example has some excellent upgrades to complement what is my favorite paint scheme BMW offered on this series of the GS.
1970 Honda CB750 K0
Post Sale Update: Per the comments, this bike later sold for $13,500. Post-Listing Update: This CB750 sold for $15,000 but was then relisted and then did not meet reserve at $11,100. Built by the multiple show-winning restorers at Vintage Motorcycle Rescue, this K0 CB750 is an excellent example of an early die cast CB.
Company Killer – 1998 Bimota V-Due
The V-Due is one of the most interesting things that ever came out of Bimota. It came out to tremendous fan-fare as the first two-stroke with fuel injection – yielding a greater power to weight ratio than anything else available on the market. But the fuel injection was awful, and the bikes were incredibly difficult to ride. Combine that with …
Auction Preview – Bonhams Grand Palais Paris
So the giant auctions in Vegas have come and gone, but the circuit keeps going. In two weeks (February 5th), Bonhams is having an auction in Paris with some very cool motorcycles up for sale. As usual, here’s some of my favorites. This time I’m highlighting 7 – not necessarily what I think are the best buys, but rather bikes …
Japanese Harley – 1959 Rikuo VLE
Post Listing Update: After being relisted, this Rikuo VLE did not meet reserve at $9,200. During the Great Depression, Harley-Davidson was on the verge of bankruptcy – partially due to the 1921 Safeguarding of Industries act which imposed a 33.3% tariff on American products like Harleys that were threatening UK manufacturers. Because this pretty much shut Harley out of the …
1946 Indian Chief Roadmaster
The Indian Chief had three model lines – the Clubman, the Sportsman, and the top of the line Roadmaster. The Roadmaster (which Polaris has brought back) was the full touring option, which came with extra chrome, a Sport windshield, twin spotlights, saddlebags, and Indian’s “Chum-Me” seat which allowed you to bring “your best friend along, too.”