The Suzuki VX800 is an interesting cult bike that was discontinued in the US after 3 years after disappointing sales, though the European market saw production run from 1990-1997. A classic looking naked bike, it had comfortable steering geometry and a torquey engine that helped make this bike a fantastic all-arounder, despite its 500+ pound curb weight. Oddly enough, the …
Alternate KLR – 1991 Kawasaki Tengai
This Kawasaki Tengai was created as a sister bike to the venerable KLR 650. Magazine tests of the time cited the Tengai as a bit better off-road, and most thought it was better looking due to the extra plastic, but many felt that the improvements weren’t necessarily worth the slight increase in MSRP, especially if you were spending more time …
1 of 500 – 2006 Yamaha R1 Limited Edition
The Yamaha R1 Limited Edition was Yamaha’s celebration of its 50th anniversary. Taking their incredibly popular 1000cc sportbike as a platform, Yamaha produced a very limited run of only 500 bikes that were full of incredible extras and turning them into near-production racers. Specific changes made for the Yamaha R1 Limited Edition include an homage to Kenny Roberts and the …
2000 Honda XR650L
The Honda XR650L, known in some circles as the BRP or Big Red Pig, is a legend in the off-road motorcycling community. While some prefer the faster and more dirt-worthy XR650R, this bike has lower maintenance intervals and a history of going around the world – you can probably find parts for it anywhere. Short riders beware, as this is …
1975 Honda Goldwing
This Honda Goldwing is from 1975, the first year of production. This bike is now a mainstay in the motorcycle world, with over one million in sales since its inception. The bike has become somewhat of a touring behemoth in recent years, with a flat six engine, cruise control, reverse gear and even an optional airbag. But when it was …
1972 Hodaka Super Rat
This Hodaka Super Rat is one of the many dirt-oriented trailies Hodaka created in the 60s and 70s, making these bikes incredibly popular in the US. The Hodaka Super Rat featured a 100cc engine – better suited for kids who weren’t big enough for the 250cc and larger bikes of the world. The signature red frame and chrome gas tank …
1973 Honda Elsinore 250
This Honda Elsinore 250 is a first-year model of Honda’s first serious dirt bike. Frankly, it was the first serious dirt bike to come straight from an OEM – other bikes required serious modifications from the factory floor. It was the first bike Honda built from scratch instead of trying to adapt a street bike to the dirt. Honda signed …
1982 Suzuki Katana
The Suzuki Katana is a very distinctive bike designed by Hans Muth (the fairing might remind you of a similar Muth creation – the BMW R65LS). In the late 70s and early 80s, Japanese manufacturers were selling standard bikes as fast as they could make them. And while most of the bikes were technically sound, they all started to emulate …
1993 Yamaha TDM 850
The Yamaha TDM 850 is definitely an oddball…a well-rounded bike in a US market that seems to prefer hyper-specialization. Sold in the US for only two years (1992-1993), there aren’t very many of these bikes still around, but the TDM definitely has a cult following. Well suited for tall riders, Yamaha designed this bike to enjoy mountain roads and also …
1973 Hodaka Combat Wombat
I’m not going to lie – part of the reason I’m featuring this bike because it has one of the greatest vehicle names ever. With that said, this Japanese-American joint venture produced a series of very popular bikes during the 60s and 70s, with fantastic names like the Combat Wombat shown here, as well as the Dirt Squirt and Road …
1975 Suzuki GT750 – Water Buffalo
This 1975 Suzuki GT750, also known as the Water Buffalo, was a unique 738cc liquid cooled 2-stroke triple. This is the bike that put Suzuki on the map in the United States. Maintain the breaker points periodically and you’ve got yourself a bike reliable enough to be a daily rider, if you so choose. When it was first announced, riders …
1982 Honda CBX
The Honda CBX featured the first 6-cylinder engine Honda put in a motorcycle. This engine made the CBX one of the fastest production bike at the time, and truly put Honda on the map when it came to American motorcycle owners. “The CBX is a mountain road flyer beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.” Cycle Magazine, February 1978 For the last two …
1989 Suzuki LT500R – Quadzilla
It’s not every day that the currently fastest vehicle in an industry was made back in the 80s, but that what seems to have happened with ATVs. In the 80s, Suzuki took the lead in performance All-Terrain-Vehicles, and competed with Yamaha’s Banshee with their LT500R QuadRacer. Because of its incredible size and speed, the Suzuki LT500R became known as “Quadzilla”. …
1983 Honda Gyro S
Here’s something you don’t see everyday…a Honda Gyro Scooter. Like the new Piaggio MP3, this is a tilting three wheel scooter, except in this case, the two wheels are in the back. Check out this video from an owner unrelated to the seller: GYRO, an acronym for “Great Your Recreation Original”, was sold in America for only 3 years. It …
1983 Honda CX650 Turbo
In the 80s, Japanese manufacturers started to throw turbos onto a lot of their bikes as they saw it as the future of motorcycling. Kawi, Yamaha, and Honda all had turbo options, though the Honda CX650 Turbo was arguably the best. For varying reasons, the market never panned out, and so only 1,200 were ever imported into the US and …