Post Sale Update: This Limited Edition CB sold for the BIN of $3,500 on eBay in New Tripoli, Pennsylvania. 1979 was a year of new and old for the CB750. On the new side, the model debuted a DOHC motor that was good for 78 horsepower and 48 lb-ft of torque. On the old side, it had been a decade …
Yetman Framed – Honda 305 Racer
David Yetman was born in 1938, and he fell in love with motorcycles as a military serviceman stationed in Japan. He specifically appreciated the “high level of performance” that Japanese manufacturers were able to extract from small bikes. Years later, he crashed his Honda CB77 and ruined the frame. He couldn’t afford to replace the frame, but instead of totaling …
No Reserve – 1978 Honda CB750 Project
Today on the auction site, we’re trying to clear up some storage space!
Red Dragon Tribute – 1966 Honda CB450
Post Sale Update: this CB sold for $8,500 after 35 bids on eBay in Buda, Texas. You’re probably familiar with the Black Bomber – but did you know that Honda actually made a few versions in red for the UK? They became known as the “Red Dragon”, and this bike has been done up to reflect the red rarities.
1992 Yamaha FZR1000
Today on the auction site we’ve got the predecessor of the R1 – a FZR1000 that’s one bid away from meeting reserve!
No Reserve – 1979 Kawasaki KZ1000 MkII
Post Sale Update: This KZ sold for $12,000 after 52 bids on eBay in New Braunfels, Texas. One of the many highlights from my recent ride out to Texas was a stop in New Braunfels to visit Texas Two Strokes. We talked about bikes for a while and he showed me a machine that he brought back to life and …
864 Miles – 2001 Kawasaki W650
Before Triumph brought the Bonneville back in the early 2000s, your best bet for a “Modern Classic” Bonnie actually came from Japan. Kawasaki’s W650 was a retro standard inspired by their W1, itself a copy of the BSA A7. The W650 was only exported to the US for two years, but during that time it was the best option for …
New Auction Bike – 1984 Yamaha RZV500R
Today on the auction site we’ve got a rare variant of the RZ500 – a JDM, aluminum-framed RZV500R!
“Christmas Special” – 1986 Honda Z50RD
I don’t get why these bikes are worth so much, but it now just seems like a given that a Christmas Special Z50 will sell for at least 4 grand. To be fair, the model is considered by some as the ultimate Honda Z50, as it was a limited edition that each of Honda’s top dealers got 2 of. Nearly …
2WD – 2004 Yamaha WR450F 2-Trac
In 2004, Yamaha produced a limited production variant of the third generation WR450F. It was called the 2-Trac as it featured an Ohlins-developed 2-wheel drive system, and they’re very difficult to find now!
1989 Yamaha Super Tenere XTZ750
On my way out to San Antonio, I spent a couple of hours (not nearly enough time) meeting the team at Cycle Refinery – I’ve got some photos and a video to put together for you when I get back home. But the short story is, I love what they’re doing, and they’ve got some lovely JDM imports that are …
1990 Honda CB-1
It’s been a little while since I’ve featured one of this engineering jewels, so let’s rectify that! The Honda CB-1 was a wonderful mid-sized standard in a time of replica racers. Originally built for the Japanese market, it was a beautifully balanced motorcycle that lost out in an American market that was obsessed with having as much horsepower as possible.
1980 Yamaha XV750 Flat Tracker
Post Listing Update: did not meet reserve despite 3 bids up to $7,700 on eBay in Brooklyn, New York. This bike’s a bit of a mystery to me. The seller makes several references to a Yamaha VR750 racer, which I’ve never heard of, and makes a suggestion: “it is not documented, but considering that there were very few VR750 based …
Tracy Bodied Project – 1972 Kawasaki H2 Mach IV
Post Sale Update: This Kawi project sold for $5,450 after 13 bids on eBay in Seattle, Washington. Dubbed the Widowmaker as it had a tremendous motor without the chassis or brakes to keep it control (and also because it’s a great nickname that gets exaggerated), the H2 Mach IV is one of the legends of motorcycling. Here’s an unexpected examples …
Ending Soon – 1989 Suzuki Wolf TV250
Post Listing Update: This Wolf did not meet reserve despite 18 bids up to $1,675. A naked variant of the VJ21 RGV250, Suzuki’s Wolf was never officially offered in the US. But with 45 horsepower to motivate just 275 pounds, it’s something worth taking a second look at!