Post Listing Update: This Transalp did not get any interest at the BIN of $4,200. After the NXR750V’s multiple Paris-Dakar victories during the 80s, Honda decided to release a street-legal tribute version to that bike with the XL600V Transalp in 1987.
Chantland 750 Kit – 1970 Rickman Metisse MkIII
Post Sale Update: This Rickman Triumph sold for the BIN of $10,000 on eBay. From the seller of yesterday’s Rickman Kawasaki CR900, here’s another special Rickman that’s been stuffed with a bored-out motor. This time around it’s a Metisse with a Triumph 650 motor that’s packing a Chantland 750 kit.
Well Modded – 2006 Suzuki DR-Z 400 Custom
The seller of this bike bought it in poor condition and the motor quickly suffered a serious failure. That gave the seller the excuse to “go wild and build [his] interpretation of the ultimate DRZ” that he planned on keeping for decades. Well, now he’s buying a house and he needs the cash more than he needs this bike.
Baby Harley – 1974 Harley-Davidson X-90
In the early 60s, Harley-Davidson had to make changes to resist advancements from the Japanese. Indeed, specialized in big V-twins only, Harley did not have any bikes to get into the small-size engine market. To fix that, the American brand decided to outsource their production of small cc bikes to the Italian manufacturer Aermacchi. Among the various bikes built in …
Ex-Dakar Racer – 2006 KTM 660 RFR
For KTM fans, the letters RFR are something special. They stand for Rally Factory Replica, and they designate bikes that compete in legendary races like the Dakar Rally. Here’s an example that formerly campaigned in the world’s gnarliest off-road race, but it’s got the rare bonus of already being plated in the US, specifically in California.
1968 Benelli Mojave 360
Post Sale Update: This Mojave sold for $3,550 after 4 bids on eBay. Back in the 60s, you did not necessarily have to go to a motorcycle dealership to acquire a bike. Indeed, superstores like Sears or Montgomery Ward imported and sold motorcycles themselves. While Sears notably imported Vespas, Montgomery sold Lambrettas and Benellis, including the Mojave 360.
Rare In the US – 1999 Honda Varadero XL1000V
Post Listing Update: This Varadero did not get any interest at the BIN of $4,000. It was relisted at $3,800 and then pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. Introduced for the 1999 model year, the Varadero was an interesting ADV bike that predated eventual competitors such as Suzuki’s V-Strom 1000. The Varadero stood out as it featured the …
Gelande Strasse Cafe – OCRC’s 2011 BMW R1200GS Custom
BMW’s R1200GS is a wonderfully competent adventure mount, though beyond bolstering its off-road and/or touring capabilities, the GS doesn’t much lend itself to customization. Still, that didn’t stop London’s Original Cafe Racer Co. from stripping down the popular dual-sport and giving it the cafe treatment.
1969 Kawasaki C2TR
Post Sale Update: This C2TR sold for the BIN of $2,650. Nowadays with “dual-purpose” bikes we see imposing bikes with high-power engines, but this was not the case a few decades ago. Indeed, the image of dual-purpose bikes changed in 1984 with the release of the R80G/S, first all-road bike with such a big engine. Before that, these kinds of …
Serial #1 in Canada – 1990 Yamaha TDR250
Post Listing Update: This TDR was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. With a retuned TZR250 two-stroke motor good for nearly 50 horsepower in a dual-sport frame, Yamaha’s TDR250 was unlike anything available in the US at the time – especially because Yamaha never officially sold it here! A few were sold to our northerly neighbor of Canada, …
1977 Kawasaki KV75
Post Listing Update: this KV75 did not get any interest at the opening ask of $2,100. At the end of the 60s, Honda released a reduced size machine called the Monkey. These baby motorcycles immediately gained popularity among American families and society thanks to their ease of use. Seeing the success of the Monkey, Honda developed another small-size bike, the …
Bumblebee – 1988 BMW R100GS
In 1980, BMW released the R80GS, the first dual-sport motorcycle with a large engine that was comfortable and could perform in the city as well as in the dirt. It still stands as a reference today. In 1987, BMW went one step further in the development of their most successful trail model and released the R100GS.
1994 Honda XR650L
Introduced as a 1993 model, the XR650L was a revelation that was considered by many to be the best dual-sport ever. Impressively (or depressingly, depending on your outlook), the bike has just about stayed the same as it’s still offered new from Honda with the tagline of “Post-Apocalyptic Reliability“. It’s still a capable explorer – Nathan did LA-Barstow-Vegas on one …
1969 Suzuki AC100 Wolf
Suzuki’s little bike lineup in the late 60s consisted of the 125cc street-based Stinger, the 120cc off-road Trail Cat, and the dual-purpose 100cc Wolf.
2001 KTM 640 LC4 Enduro
Post Listing Update: This KTM did not get any interest at the asking price of $4,500. My research for the KTM 640 LC4 Enduro led me to the conclusion that KTM took their race bike, put blinkers on, and sent them to showrooms. Spotty reliability before 2004 and rough vibrations lead to some second thoughts when commuting to an off-road …