When Suzuki introduced the RGV250, it was a revelation. MCN put it thusly: “back in the day 250cc race replicas were the sharpest handling, most frenzied, maddest things you could buy on two wheels. Nowadays the RGV250 is a modern classic and is probably a bit slower and softer than you’d remember. It still looks good, sounds amazing and the …
1978 Honda CB750 F2 Phil Read Replica
Post Sale Update: This Phil Read Replica sold off eBay for an unknown amount…to Bike-urious reader John B! Honda Britain commissioned 400 examples of a Phil Read Replica from Colin Seeley to celebrate Phil’s victory at the ’77 Isle of Man TT, but only 150 were built before Colin and Honda had a disagreement.
1985 Suzuki GS700ES
In 1985, Suzuki offered a slightly downsized 700 version of their popular GS750 to get around newly-implemented tariffs for motorcycles of 750cc and above. But by that point the GS750/700 was basically at the end of its run – the next year Americans would get to enjoy the game-changing GSX-R750 anyway.
In Canada – 1990 Suzuki DR800
Here’s a rare example of the DR BIG (introduced in 1988 as the DR750), a production version of the DR-Z (a Paris-Dakar racer piloted by Gaston Rahier). The DR750 featured the world’s largest single cylinder engine in a production bike – only to get topped by the DR800 in 1990. Neither version was offered in the US.
One Year Only – 1992 Yamaha WR200
Yamaha’s competitor to the very successful KDX200, the WR200 (WR stood for “Wide Ratio”) was only offered in the US for one year, though it was sold in other markets for longer.
1979 Honda CR250 Moto-X Fox
Founded by Geoff Fox in 1974, the company we currently know as Fox Racing was started under the name of Moto-X Fox as a mail order business. They quickly expanded to offer hard parts, protective gear, casual apparel, and even products for ATVs, cars, and bicycles. In ’77, they started their own race team in AMA, and it led to …
525 Miles – 2001 Honda CBR929RR Erion Racing
Erion Racing has had a long line of success flying around racetracks in AMA competition as Honda’s premier support team. Back when Honda released the 929 version of the Fireblade, Honda honored Erion’s work with the Honda CRB929RR Erion Racing Edition. Mechanically, it was the same as the stock bike, though the cosmetics were exclusive and a Erion Racing pipe …
“24K Gold Edition” – 1980 Kawasaki KZ1300
In a period review, Cycle World called Kawasaki’s KZ1300 “an incredible hulk”, saying “There are motorcycles with more speed, but not with the same combination of power, strength, comfort and handling…the sophistication is incredible, the size is enormous.” Displacement-wise, it was the biggest of the classic six-cylinder motors like the Benelli Sei and the Honda CBX. Like the competition, the …
No Reserve – 2007 Honda VFR800 25th Anniversary With 963 Miles
Post Sale Update: This VFR sold for $7,276 after 42 bids on Iconic Motorbike Auctions. In 2007, Honda celebrated the 25th Anniversary of their venerable sport tourer with a special red/white/blue paint job. I always maintained this paint scheme looked amazing, though the stock black wheels were a mistake…they should have been white! But this one’s got gold powdercoated wheels …
TZ Tribute – 1978 Yamaha RD400
Starting with a stock bike, the owner had this RD turned into a tribute of Yamaha’s 1970s TZ racers. it’s street legal with a California plate but it gives off some classic racer vibes.
1989 Kawasaki KR-1 Race Bike
In the late 80’s, Kawi had some success with their KR250 road racer so they released the 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. But here’s …
322 Miles – 2004 Honda RC51 Nicky Hayden
Honda built the RC51 to compete in World Superbike, and the bike earned titles in 2000 and 2002. The latter year, the RC51 also won the AMA Superbike championship with Nicky Hayden, and Honda responded in 2004 by producing a “Nicky Hayden Edition.” The changes were cosmetic only – a sticker kit, white number plates on the upper fairing and …
XR650R Custom – 2013 Deus “Boodaak”
10-18-21 Update: Boodaak has found its way over to our auction site – find it with a bit more information and bidding up to $10,069 here on Iconic Motorbike Auctions! It’s not clear from this video, but it’s one of the loudest bikes I’ve encountered: Back in 2013/2014, Deus’ Michael “Woolie” Woolaway built a pair of café’d Honda super singles, …
4-Speed – 1971 Honda CT70H
For many CT70 enthusiasts, the “H” models were desirable as they came with 4-speed transmissions and a manual clutch (as opposed to the 3-speed semi-automatic transmission of the non-H models.
2009 Kawasaki M1030M1
KLR fans, take a close look at that motor. If it looks different than what you’re used to, it’s because this is a diesel-powered Kawasaki built by Hayes Diversified Technologies for the US Marine Corps. Hayes actually built 3 military Kawis – a gas-powered bike based on the KLR250 (M1030), another gas-powered bike but based on the KLR650 (M1030B1), and …