Normally, mention of the Kawasaki Ninja 650R would lead to thoughts of a mid-sized on-road tourer, though it was more popular in Europe than it was here in the States. Today, we feature something quite unexpected – a 650R that’s been seriously modified to tackle all kinds of terrain.
1974 Montesa Cota 123
An excellent beginner trials bike (some of our readers probably started on one of these), the Montesa Cota 123 is now a simple reminder that bikes don’t have to be giant hunks of metal and horsepower for you to have fun on them. New riders are often stunned by how tiny the original Montesa’s are, likening them to a large …
1971 Honda Mini Trail 50 K2
We’re sure plenty of our wonderful readers have seat time on one of these classics, so here’s your shot at some nostalgia: a pristine Honda Mini Trail 50 K2.
Street Scrambler – 1971 Norton Commando SS
Post-Sale Update: Unfortunately, this Norton Commando SS was pulled from eBay. Final sale price unknown. Today, we feature a bike that we didn’t even know existed – the Norton Commando SS. Considering the history of Norton bikes, you’d be excused for assuming that SS stands for Super Sport, and that this might be one of a limited number of factory …
Desert Sled – 1967 Norton N15CS
Post-Listing Update: This Norton N15CS Desert Racer was pulled off of eBay after bidding hit $4,494.44, but the final sale price is unknown. After Norton moved production to Plumstead in the early 60s, they had a few leftover engines from the less-than-popular Atlas line. They threw those engines into Matchless frames to create a series of hybrids under the Norton, …
Yamaha Power – 2001 MZ Baghira
Post Sale Update: This Baghira sold for $2,025 after 12 bids on eBay. MZ decided to expand their product line with the introduction of the MZ Baghira, a dual sport with excellent components – bodywork from Acerbis, motor from Yamaha, and suspension from WP. It all combined to make a rare and very satisfying dual purpose motorcycle.
Electric Dual Sport – Zero DS 11.4
Dual-sport bikes usually conjure up dreams of trips to Alaska and remote exploration. You might not associate a bike that needs to be charged every 100-150 miles with those types of trips, but if you’re someone who trailers a bike to the good stuff, the Zero DS 11.4 might just be the bike for you.
Italian Bonanza
Reader David N. alerted us to a veritable treasure trove of classic late 80’s Italians, all being offered by one seller outside of Oklahoma City. We’ve actually written descriptions on all of these models of bikes before, so we won’t bore you with individual details this time around. If you want to learn more about the history about any given …
Double Kitty – Minsk Wildcat 125
After yesterday’s Rare Russian, reader David N. though we’d like to see another one. Meet the Minsk Wildcat, a 125cc dual sport made by the Minsk Motorcycle Company of Belarus. Known for being incredibly durable, they are widely available in Russia, Cambodia, the UK, and Vietnam.
Rare Russian – 1992 Voskhod 3M-01
Post-Sale Update: This Voskhod 3M-01 sold for $1,100. Since 1965, a company based out of Kovrov, Russia has been pumping out a variety of motorcycles, all of which utilize a 173cc engine. Some of you may remember these bikes branded as the Cossack, sold in the UK in the 70s, but we’d be impressed if you’ve heard of any of …
Rare For The Wrong Reason – 1973 Penton Mudlark
Post Listing Update: This Mudlark did not meet reserve despite 23 bids up to $7,400. Every once in a while, we encounter a bike that’s rare not by choice. Today’s example of that is the Penton Mudlark, one of the rare flops from John Penton and his self-titled, now defunct, manufacturing firm. Originally designed as a trials bike, it was …
Dirt Sports – 1989 Honda FTR250
Available only in Japan, the Honda FTR250 was a popular ‘flat-tracker’ 223cc alternative to Yamaha’s TW series, which we saw in the states. Styled after the RS750 (Honda’s second crack at making a competitive flat tracker, which absolutely dominated the AMA with four straight championships in the 80s), the FTR was an instant 80s classic that’s still being produced to …
Featured First – 1981 BMW R80GS
Nowadays, the BMW R/GS series is well-known in the motorcycling world as the bikes that launched the concept of big-bore dual sporting. No small part of that is due to the documentary of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman going the Long Way Round the world on BMW R1150GS Adventures. Hell, we’re guilty of it ourselves – there’s a R1150GS parked …
1989 Honda Transalp XL600V
Post-Listing Update: This Honda Transalp XL600V got some offers but did not sell at the asking BIN price. After being relisted at a starting bid of $1,800, it still got no action. Odd. The Honda Transalp XL600V was a dual-sport that was truly ahead of its time. A slightly less off-road biased cousin of the Honda Africa Twin, the Transalp …
2000 Harley Davidson MT500
10/11 Update: Try 3! We expect the bike to sell this time, as they’ve finally lowered the opening bid to something feasible, and there’s no reserve. Check it out here – but if it doesn’t sell, we’re not featuring it again. 10/4 Update: Try 2 – this bike has been relisted yet again, with a BIN price of $8,200. 9-24 Update: …