Post Listing Update: This R80GS Kalahari did not get any action at the opening bid ask of $15,000 on eBay in Cork, Ireland. Here’s one that I had never heard about as it was never offered in the US – the “Kalahari” version of the BMW GS lineup. All the times you’ve heard someone talk about how they wish a …
Toaster Bitsa Scrambler – 1988 BMW R-Series Custom
Post Sale Update: This custom BMW sold for $6,000 after 27 bids on eBay…to Bike-urious reader Carl L! The seller of this custom calls it a “Urban Toaster Scrambler”, with “the idea to build a reliable daily modern classic motorcycle that can go anywhere.” This combines a toaster tank R75/5 with the chassis from a BMW R100RT.
Rare Project – 1989 Cagiva Elefant 750 Bifaro Lucky Explorer
Post Listing Update: This Cagiva was pulled off of eBay due to “an error in the listing”. The Elefant is a rare bike in the US, though we only saw it officially imported in 900 guise. Much harder to find in America is the 750cc version, which was introduced in 1987. The following year, Cagiva gave the 750 a double …
1964 REX KL35
10-18-20 Update: Four years later, Robert VanSlyke notes in the comments that this REX is again up for sale. The asking price is down to $2,500 and it’s moved from Idaho to Arizona. It’s titled and still a runner – find it in Cave Creek, Arizona here on Facebook Marketplace. 9-12-16 Update: John K notes that this REX is back …
1995 Kawasaki KLX650
Post Sale Update: The seller lowered the asking price to $3,000 – it ended up selling but the sale price is unknown. Everyone knows the KLR650, but in the mid-’90s Kawasaki also offered both a Tengai variant (same basic bike extra plastics) as well as the KLX, a faster and beefier version dual-sport. There was even a KLX650R, which was …
Imported from New Zealand With 1 Km – 2014 Honda CT110
Post Sale Update: sold for $4,001 after 12 bids on eBay in San Diego, California. America last saw the CT series in 1986, though we’re about to get the newest version (which will be called the Trail 125) in a few months. If you can’t wait that long or you just want a pristine example of the current generation, here’s …
1955 Royal Enfield Indian Woodsman
Between 1955 and 1960, Indians sold in the US were actually re-branded Royal Enfields. It was the idea of an English company called Brockhouse Engineering (you may remember that they created the adorable Corgi) who owned the Indian trademark at the time. They thought they could capitalize on the goodwill of the Indian brand by selling some Brit bikes, and …
Lucky Livery – 1995 Cagiva Elefant 900 AC
Post Sale Update: This Elefant sold for $10,651 after 20 bids on eBay in Anaheim, California. In 1989, Cagiva debuted a limited version of the Elefant adorned in the Lucky Explorer livery of their Paris-Dakar winner. It was the coolest of the Elefant line-up. In 1993, they went in a different direction than the usual motorcycle manufacturer and actually offered …
One Owner – 1988 Yamaha DT50
Introduced in 1981, the Yamaha DT50 (also known as the DT50MX) was barely updated throughout its 15-year production run.
1994 Honda XR250L
Simple, cheap, and well-preserved: this small XR checks off a lot of boxes!
200 Mile Minor Project – 1966 Suzuki K15 Hillbilly
Introduced in 1965, the Suzuki K15 (also known as the Hillbilly) was a 2-stroker for the trail with features like a skid plate, luggage rack, and swappable sprockets. Basic specs were a dry weight of 155 pounds, and 7.3 horsepower from the 80cc single. Top speed with the trail sprocket was 38 miles per hour, and 60 mph with the …
1972 Yankee Z500
In the early 70s, John Taylor of Schenectady, New York started building the Yankee Z500, an American dual-sport designed to compete with the best bikes coming out of Europe. Yankee Motor Company started by importing machines from OSSA, the Spanish off-road powerhouse, and then moved to modifying OSSA engines in their own custom frames. Eventually, they combined two OSSA 250cc …
1 Owner Ending Soon – 1981 Honda XL185S
Post Sale Update: This XL sold for $1,475 after 10 bids on eBay in Seattle, Washington. I’m a sucker for 1-owner bikes, and this XL175-successor fits the bill.
Homemade Adventurer – 1983 BMW R80ST Custom
The seller of this R80ST bought it over a decade ago as a basketcase and then “built it up to be my idea of the perfect backroad and camping airhead, sparing very few expenses along the way.”
Near The End – 1993 Honda CT70
Post Sale Update: This CT70 sold for $2,275 after 27 bids on eBay in Clarkston, Michigan. By 1993, Honda’s venerable CT70 had just one last year of production left in it. By 1998, Honda’s patent would expire and the world was flooded with clones.