Moto Morini’s heyday with production bikes was in the 70s with the legendary 3 1/2, but they weren’t able to retain the magic and after a decline in the 80s the company was sold to Cagiva. During that slide, they released a spiritual successor with top notch components and a dry weight of just 330 pounds. It was called the …
Needs An Engine – 1969 Streamliner
Built by Bob Braverman (Editor for Cycle Guide, pioneer of slot car racing, and all-around motorcycling legend), this Streamliner was created for a magazine project (presumably for Cycle Guide as he didn’t start Cycle Rider until 1973). I don’t know what you’d do with this nowadays but it’s cool and I hope someone finds a good use for it!
1990 Honda Transalp XL600V
In the late 80s, Honda offered both an AT and a TA – the Africa Twin and the Transalp. Both were ahead of the times, though the latter was more street-biased. Consider it a jack of all trades sort of bike with a cult following. The US only got the Transalp between ’89 and ’91, and it was much more …
16K Miles – 1988 BMW R100GS
In 1980, BMW released the R80GS, the first dual-sport motorcycle with a large engine that was comfortable and could perform in the city as well as in the dirt. It still stands as a reference today. In 1987, BMW went one step further in the development of their most successful trail model and released the R100GS.
In England – 1983 CCW-Armstrong Rotax 250 GP
We’ve covered some of the fascinating early 80s Armstrong GP bikes before – our former contributor Tim Huber once explained that Armstrong was the first firm to bring carbon fiber frames/swingarms to the GP grid in 1984 with bikes like this. This was one of the privateer race machines and it’s one of two bikes bought by Svend Andersson to …
1962 Tote Gote Model B
The Tote Gote was developed by Ralph Bonham, who built it to make his life easier while on hunting trips in Utah. Production ran from 1958-1970 and over that run a wide variety of models were created but the core concept was the same: Briggs & Stratton engine in a rugged steel frame for people that wanted some cheap utility …
Sean Wotherspoon Edition – 2021 Vespa Primavera 50 With 60 Miles
Every year, Vespa partners with someone to create a limited edition of one of their scooters – typically with cosmetic changes only. In 2020, they partnered up with Sean Wotherspoon to create a multi-colored version…every time I look at it, I think of a VW Golf Harlequin!
Video Intermission – Dreamcycle Motorcycle Museum
As you likely know by now, I’m one of the owners of Iconic Motorbike Auctions. We have a few international divisions, one of which is in Canada (specifically, Sorrento, British Columbia) and it’s run by a wonderful gent named Mark Lane. In addition to handling things for Iconic up in BC, Mark has a motorcycle museum (Dreamcycle) and he runs …
49 Miles – 1979 Honda Express II
The second generation of the Honda Express, the NA50 was sold between ’79 and ’81. It shared the 49cc two stroke and automatic transmission of every other Express model, but featured a slightly bigger gas tank and a more comfortable seat and handle bars.
CB1100R Motor – 1982 Bimota HB2
The successor of the uber-limited HB1, the Bimota HB2 replicated the formula of Honda engine inside a Bimota frame. This time Bimota used the engine from the CB900F, and produced a much more reasonable number of examples – 193 of them. But this one may be a one-of-one, as the original owner decided to go a slightly different route with …
2000 Vee Two Squalo
Over on the auction site we’ve got a very interesting Australian/Italian hybrid built by Brook Henry of Vee Two – meet the Squalo!
1979 Dunstall/Suzuki GS1000 Competition Special
Paul Dunstall is a legend in the classic motorcycling world. Originally a motorcycle racer, he set up a workshop where he turned Nortons into world-beaters with engine and cosmetic modifications. Fast forward to the 1970s, Dunstall’s business had expanded to a point where he was shipping complete bikes directly to dealers in the US. At this point, he was splitting …
Still New – 1997 Moto Guzzi California 75th Anniversary
Moto Guzzi turned 75 years old in 1996, and they celebrated with their loyal customers by releasing a special edition of the California which was limited to just 750 examples worldwide.. The special edition was $400 extra for a MSRP of $11,390.
Mini Racer – 2019 Honda Grom
Last month I went to an event at Honda’s HQ and I saw a Grom with Tyga’s full bodywork kit on it. Said kit costs about $2k (painted, before shipping), but here’s a barely-ridden example with the kit already installed for a similar amount of money.
Press Release – Suzuki GSX-8T and GSX-8TT
In what feels like a rare occurence in the world of motorcycling, a company has just announced a good-looking motorcycle! Suzuki recently shared a press release for the upcoming GSX-8TT, a retro-styled standard based on the platform that has already provided the popular GSX-8R sportbike.