Post Sale Update: This GPz750 Turbo sold for $20,700 after 22 bids on eBay in Marlborough, Massachusetts.. Sold for two model years, the GPZ750 Turbo from Kawasaki is generally considered to be the best of the 80s Japanese turbo bikes that had a brief impact in the marketplace. 112 horsepower was good enough for a 10.7 second quarter mile – …
Yamaha TDR80
Yamaha never officially exported the fantastic TDR250 to the US, which is why many American riders aren’t aware of it…or the tiny 50cc and 80cc versions!
1987 Honda Super Magna
Post Sale Update: This Super Magna sold for a lowered BIN of $2,750 on eBay in Denver, Colorado. For the 1987 model year, Honda added some dragster style to the Magna to compensate for the slight displacement reduction due to the ’83 motorcycle tariff (which expired in 1988). In other markets, this generation of the Magna was offered with a …
Restored – 1975 Yamaha DT400
Post Listing Update: This DT400 did not meet reserve with 33 bids up to $7,550 on eBay in Corona, California. The DT400 was an instant press favorite when it was introduced in 1975, though the average US dirt rider preference was shifting to four-strokes (and thus, the XT/TT series of Yamaha’s offerings). For more on the Yamaha DT400, check out …
Zero Miles – 1982 Suzuki GS650GT
Post Listing Update: This GS650GT did not get any action at the BIN of $8,995. Built between ’81-’83, the GS650 was available in several forms – including one with styling inspired by the Katana. The GT was the shaft driven standard which often did commuting duty in the 80s. Here’s an unexpected example which has never been ridden!
NOS Flying Dragon Bodywork – 1973 Honda CL350
Post Listing Update: This Flying Dragon did not meet reserve with 29 bids up to $8,300 on eBay in Erie, Colorado. It was then relisted and sold for $8,500, but that buyer flaked. Bike-urious reader Bob Kelly has established himself as quite an expert on the Honda’s Flying Dragon bodywork – and it appears he’s also got a few NOS …
0 Miles – 1994 Honda RC45
Post Sale Update: This Honda RC45 sold for $94,200 + 7% buyer’s fee = $100,794 after 83 bids on Iconic Motorbike Auctions. The zero mile collection out of Arizona continues on the auction site with a US-spec Honda RC45. And when I say zero miles, I mean it – the trip meter is still halfway between 000.0 and 000.1!
1984 Honda Ascot VT500
Post Sale Update: This Ascot sold for $3,438 after 32 bids on eBay in Aurora, Colorado. Named after Ascot Park, a former flat-track raceway in Los Angeles, the Honda Ascot (also known as the VT500) was a V-Twin standard that was styled after flat-track bikes.
Nice Price – 2019 Honda Monkey
MSRP on a new Monkey without ABS is $3,999 plus a $190 destination charge. Here’s a barely-used example (100 miles) that will set you back just $2,500.
5 Miles – 1989 Suzuki GSX-R750RK
Post Sale Update: This RK sold for $41,100 + 7% buyer’s fee = $43,977 after 141 bids on Iconic Motorbike Auctions. A collector friend in Arizona is letting go of some of his “zero mile bikes” over on Iconic Motorbike Auctions. The first one is a Suzuki GSX-R750RK, which is arguably the most special of the Gixxers as it was …
CA Titled – 1991 Kawasaki KR-1S
Post Listing Update: This KR-1S did not get any action at the BIN of $17,000. 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 …
86 Miles – 1985 Yamaha TY350
Post Sale Update: This TY350 sold for $3,149 after 32 bids on eBay in Lowell, Massachusetts. In the late 60s, Yamaha made its first entry in a European trial championship in France with their 250 DT, a bike better suited for dual sporting. In 1970, the sales manager of a French Yamaha dealership was contacted by the current French trial …
1969 Honda CL350
Post Listing Update: This Golden Flash was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. As Honda’s scramblers got bigger, they became more street focused. Cycle magazine called the CL350 not “really a scrambler at all, but a street-scrambler…doubt arises regarding the bike’s suitability for bashing around rocks and pines.” .
Back in Black – 1980 Kawasaki Z1R
Post Sale Update: This Z1R sold for $18,050 after 30 bids on eBay in Buford, Georgia. 1-26-21 Update: 3+ years later, this Z1R is back up for sale and the new owner has bravely gone with a no reserve listing. He purchased it on eBay the last time it was featured here, and has since covered approximately 600 miles with …
Yoshimura Equipped – 1986 Suzuki GSX-R750
Though the model debuted in 1985, Suzuki’s legendary Gixxer line did not make its way to the US until 1986. The changes were minor – better headlights, a revised belly pan, and 25mm longer swingarm, but Americans were probably too busy drooling over the first true street-legal race replica sold in this market to notice.