Post-Sale Update: After 14 bids on eBay, this Maico MC440 GP sold for $5,050. I’ve been having a recent surge in readers interested in Maico’s, so here’s one for you nuts. The Maico MC440 GP is one of the greatest vintage MX motorcycles ever built – and this is an almost mint, nearly all-original example. You’ll get plenty of goodies …
Production Racer – 1938 DKW SS 250
Post-Listing Update: Despite 20 bids on eBay topping out at $72,655, this DKW SS 250 failed to meet reserve. One of the most famous reverse-cylinder motorcycles of all time, the DKW SS 250 featured a “split-single” or “twingle” engine which had two pistons driven by a split con-rod. DKW used this technology in several bikes up to 500cc, but none …
1967 VMW R69S Conversion
4-7-Update: After a couple of months on ADVRider, this VMW R69S Conversion is now available on eBay. Find it in Santa Ynez, California with bidding up to $6,100 and the reserve not yet met (remember that the seller originally wanted $12k for it) here on eBay. Back in the 60s, a delightfully crazy man started shoving VW engines into BMW …
2006 BMW R1150GS Adventure with DMC Sidecar
In addition to a storied history, the BMW R1150GS owes a lot of its commercial success as an adventure bike to the Long Way Round, the story of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman going east from London to New York. Someone’s taken the adventure concept one step further with this BMW R1150GS Adventure with DMC Sidecar attached. Billed by the …
Instant Classic – 1991 BMW K1
Post-Sale Update: After 30 bids on eBay, this BMW K1 sold for $8,636. BMW’s first attempt at a modern sport bike, the K1 featured distinctive bodywork that in hindsight, seems like what a kid would imagine bikes would look like in 2050. In addition to its remarkable looks, the bodywork led to a drag coefficient of .38 – the lowest …
1943 NSU Kettenkrad
Today is all about off-roaders, and this might be one of the craziest of all. The NSU Kettenkrad (Ketten = tracks, krad = German military abbreviation for motorcycle), was a half-track designed initially as a light tractor for airborne troops. Due to its diminutive size, it was the only ‘gun tractor’ capable of fitting in certain Nazi aircraft. The formal …
1989 BMW R100GS
Post-Sale Update: This R100GS sold for $4,050 on eBay. The BMW R100GS was the bike that broke open the mold for BMW. While the R80GS was the first of this new category of bikes, the R100 updated everything and sold over 34,000 units. The best way to sum up this bike would probably be in the words of my mechanic, …
1954 Hoffmann S300 Gouverneur
Post-Listing Update: Despite 13 bids on eBay, this Hoffmann S300 Gouverneur did not meet reserve at $7,500. Originally a bicycle manufacturer, Hoffman ventured into motorcycle production between ’48-’54. The Hoffmann S300 Gouverneur was their swan song – development costs for the engine combined with the loss of a licensing deal for the Vespa scooters they were producing AND a lawsuit …
See Your Doctor – a BMW K1100RS and a Two Year Erection
This post won’t be about a bike for sale – instead I’m just hoping to leave you with a laugh. Plus, how many times am I going to be able to write a post with “erection” as a keyword? Apparently a California man sued BMW and Corbin, claiming that a four hour ride on his BMW K1100RS left him with …
Wehrmacht – 1941 BMW R12 Military Sidecar
Whenever I see a vintage looking BMW sidecar, I feel like 90% of the time it’s a Chang Jiang knock-off. Today I’m glad to report that it’s an actual vintage BMW hack. This BMW R12 Military Sidecar was typical of the bikes utilized by the German Army in the late 30s-40s for recon and communications. By 1941, BMW had sent …
Rotary Power – 1978 Hercules W2000
Post-Sale Update: This Hercules W2000 sold for $8,000 with the Buy-It-Now – it seems the seller dramatically lowered the opening bid to move this bike. When you think of rotary engines nowadays, Mazda is usually the first manufacturer to come to mind. In the early 70s, though, several companies were exploring the engine concept – three of whom were in …
2008 BMW HP2 Megamoto
Produced for just 2 years, the BMW HP2 Megamoto is one of the highest performing boxers ever built by the German firm. Only about 100 were brought into the United States at a MSRP of $20,520, making them a very rare and unique supermoto from a company that never would have tried anything like this just a few years before.
1975 BMW R90S
I adore the BMW R90S, which was a game-changer when it was released to the world. The gray and smoke paint scheme shown here was the first of two available paint schemes, both of which are beautiful and incredibly difficult to reproduce. With oversight from Hans Muth, this bike was built to show the world that BMW could make more …
Bought on Bike-urious – 1992 BMW K1
These have quickly become my favorite types of posts to write up – sharing the story of someone who bought a bike on Bike-urious! Today’s congratulations go to Michael B, who snapped up a 1992 BMW K1 that I originally spotted on Craigslist, and saw again for sale 6 months later on ADVRider. I’ll let Michael tell the story himself: …
Bought on Bike-urious – MZ 1000S
I’m absolutely delighted to share our first success story (tentatively titled “Bought on Bike-urious”) with you all. David, one of the more prolific (and knowledgeable) members of the Bike-urious community, has just taken delivery of the MV 1000S featured two weeks ago. As you can see in the background, the weather isn’t ready for him to enjoy his new motorcycle, …