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1973 Kawasaki Z1

In Japan, Sport by Chris Cope5 Comments

You won’t be buying this bike. Which is just fine with the seller. He’s priced his acceptable-but-definitely-not-showroom-condition Z1 at $79,000 precisely because he doesn’t want to sell it. “I am only listing it at my wife’s insistence,” the seller explains. “I promised her I would list it, but would only sell it for the price listed.”

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1997 Honda Dream 50

In Japan, Small Displacement, Sport by Abhi3 Comments

Over on the auction site we’ve got an example of one of my favorite small-displacement four-strokes: the Honda Dream 50. This is an homage to their CR1100 race bike, Honda’s first 50cc GP racer. It was built for a couple of years in the Japanese market (and then for one year in the US with a race-only variant). This is …

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In England – 1998 Aprilia Motó 6.5

In Italy, Standard by Chris Cope15 Comments

I am of the age where all my friends have become nostalgic about the 1990s. I think I may start carrying around a picture of this bike in my wallet to remind them that, no, the ’90s were not as great as they remember. Or, you may be one of those who really digs this particular piece of Italian exotica, …

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Leon Haslam Pit Bike Replica – 2001 Italjet Dragster 50

In Italy, Less than 5k, Scooter, Small Displacement by Abhi2 Comments

In 2004, Leon Haslam earned Rookie of the Year honors while competing in World Superbike with the Renegade team with Noriyuki Haga. Leon’s best finish was 3rd, and he finished the season in 8th place. Italjet released a limited edition replica of his pit bike with a special cosmetic package that replicated what Leon would occasionally putt around on. The …

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1974 Laverda 1000 3C

In Italy, Sport by Chris Cope9 Comments

Laverda is one of those ‘rabbit hole’ brands, as in: you can spend a lot of time wandering down internet rabbit holes when learning about it. You find some interesting things down there, though. Can you guess how this Italian motorcycle ties to flamboyant dancing in 1700s Spain? We’ll start a little closer to the present, in Breganze, Italy, in …

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1993 Yamaha WR500Z

In Japan, Off-Road by Abhi1 Comment

Built by blending the YZ250 and YZ490, the WR500 was a rare offering (1,000 sold as 1992 and 1993 models) that was best served as a trail bike that could mix it up on the race track every once in a while.

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Indian FTR 1200 Raffle for the Back on Track Charity

In Blog, Dual-Sport, Germany by AbhiLeave a Comment!

Back on Track (formerly known as Rookies of ’79) is a non-profit charity founded in 2009 to provide financial assistance for injured motorcycle racers and their families when a racing injury/accident occurs. This year they’re running a sweepstakes to help raise some funds and the prize at stake is a 2024 example of the sadly-discontinued Indian FTR 1200. Read along …

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1953 BSA Gold Star 500

In England, Sport by Abhi3 Comments

One of BSA’s most famous bikes of all time was the legendary Gold Star – they were used for a variety of disciplines including road racing, trials, scramblers, dir track, hillclimbs…you name it, and that’s why the seller of this bike calls it “possibly the most versatile motorcycle ever built.” I like this particular example as this 72-year-old appears to …

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2003 Derbi GPR50R

In Less than 5k, Small Displacement, Spain, Sport by Chris Cope3 Comments

Until I came across this bike, I had never heard of Derbi – the Spanish (or Catalonian, depending on your geo-political perspective) brand that started producing small-capacity bikes in the early 1940s. The story of the company started, however, in 1922 when Simeón Rabasa i Singla opened a bicycle shop in Mollet del Vallès, near Barcelona. That business would go …