On August 15th, the RM Monterey Auction will take place at the Portola Hotel in (surprise) Monterey, California. I thought I’d check out some of the lots on offer and share my personal highlights with you. Then I realized that they’re only selling one bike, so my job got a lot easier. Thankfully, that one bike is very interesting…
BEAR – 1964 Norton Atlas 750 Racer
Professionally built by Les Cook as a ‘rolling advertisement’ for his Norton shop, this Norton Atlas 750 Racer competed in the AHRMA BEARS series. What’s a BEAR, you ask? It stands for British European American Racing Series, and it’s for “certain two-cylinder machines built up through 1968 and competing under Formula 750 specifications.”
Guess That Bike – Kickstarter Edition
Last week I stopped by the Deus Ex Machina shop in Venice and encountered a beautiful one-owner example of a rare bike. I was going to upload it to my Instagram account, which is pretty much just pictures of “bike” things I see as I go about my day, but then decided it’d be more fun to see if any …
Rothman’s Edition – 1994 Honda NSR250R SP MC28
Post Listing Update: This NSR was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. Honda’s NSR250R was sold from ’87 to ’99, and was pretty much the defining 250 racer replica over all those years. To celebrate Honda’s success in racing in the 250cc and 500cc classes, they would occasionally release a limited edition of the NSR in Rothman’s livery. …
1975 Norton Commando 850 John Player
So it’s not the legendary John Player race rep, but this beautiful Commando features original paint in the John Player livery. This specific example has about 13,000 miles and is in excellent original condition. It’s being offered by the second owner, who has detailed service records since new. Both the electric starter and kick starter work, and you’ll get the …
2000 Magni Sport 1200S
Any time I can feature a bike that’s unique enough to be written up by Jason over at OddBike, I’ll always take the opportunity. Today’s deserving bike is the Magni Sport 1200S, an Italian sportbike with the heart from a Suzuki Bandit 1200.
Motorcycling Gold – 1967 Honda CL160 Scrambler
Alchemy was a medieval attempt at science that was all about the attempt to convert base metals into gold. That, presumably, is the inspiration behind Alchemy Motorcycles, a San Diego based firm that specializes in the restoration and customization of vintage motorcycles. Here they’ve worked their magic on a Honda CL160, a relatively rare bike that shared the engine from …
Semi Senna – 2002 Ducati 748S
Post Listing Update: This 748S did not meet reserve with 22 bids up to $4,100. Ever since Ducati officially partnered with the estate of Ayrton Senna for the 916 Senna and established the distinctive grey body on red wheels paint livery, Ducati fans have been adding the Senna name to any bike that came from the factory in similar colors. …
1980 BMW R80 Cafe Racer
This bike started as a BMW R80, but recently received a full frame off restoration during which it got a 1,000cc engine (thanks to a Siebenrock Power Kit), various upgrades, and a lovely front fairing – it kills me that there’s no picture of this bike from the front. With parts from Boxer Metal, Motogadget, and Tomaselli, this bike looks …
Moto Guzzi Custom Segarra Replica
The longer I’ve run this site, the more I’ve realized how often motorcyclists get involved with airplanes (or maybe it’s vice-versa). So I wasn’t surprised to learn about George Dockray, a former aircraft mechanic who built this absolutely stunning Moto Guzzi, a replica of vintage race bikes built by Manel Segarra out of Cartagena, Spain. George noticed that Segarra’s bikes …
1994 Honda VFR400R
Post Listing Update: This VFR got no interest at the BIN of $9,000. Just a few days ago, I featured one of the greatest 400cc sportbikes ever built – the Honda RVF400. Seems like a lot of you enjoyed that one, so here’s another example of the breed, though this one (VIN: NC301107468) offers two distinct features: it has plenty …
To the Top of Alaska, Day 3
June 6th, 2014 – Fort Bragg, CA to Portland, OR, ~550 miles
1974 Ducati 750GT
Ducati’s first V-Twin, the 750GT featured a 60 horsepower 748cc twin, which was good enough to push the 407 pound (dry) bike up to 125 miles per hour. Original MSRP was $1,995. Want to learn more? Check out a lengthy write-up here on Motorcycle Classics about what makes the 750GT special. This specific bike (VIN: 753616) is quite clean and …
1989 Kawasaki KR-1S
In the late 80’s, Kawi had some success with their KR250 road racer, and released the Kawasaki KR-1 as a wonderful little two-stroke race rep. It was quite successful, triggering increased competition from the big 4, and it set off a 250cc 2-stroke war among the Japanese – unfortunately us Americans didn’t get to enjoy these little demons. Well, 25 …
Picture Intermission – “Secret” Motorcycle Museum in France
I had a day to kill in Paris, so naturally I was trying to find something to do with motorcycles. An internet search revealed something that was too far for me to see, but I thought you guys would enjoy it. Long story short, a gentleman named Christian Pelletier was driving on a rural road when he saw a sign …