The Dirtbag Challenge was an interesting event in which entrants would have limited time and budget to build a chopper that also has to be ridden at least 100 miles on the day of the event. Here’s an oddball entrant from a few years ago that started as a Yamaha RD400!
1984 Di Blasi Folding Scooter
Every time I feature a Di Blasi, I feel obligated to share their website, which looks like it hasn’t been touched since the 90s. But beyond that, it’s always cool to see a quality folding two-wheeler!
170 Miles – 1995 MZ Saxon Country 500
In 1990 (soon after the fall of the Berlin wall), MZ was privatized. The new owners realized that they needed a four-stroke motor if they were going to sell bikes in Europe and the US, so they called up Rotax and got themselves a 494cc single. Then, they designed a family of bikes around it, like the Silver Star retro …
2000 Moto Guzzi Quota 1100ES
Moto Guzzi took their well-known 1,064cc twin and threw it in an ADV package to compete against BMW’s GS bikes. The result was as you’d expect – too heavy and under-suspended for serious off-road work, but very capable as a sport-tourer that could also play on fire roads or light trails. This example is well-modified for touring and it’s had …
1971 Moto-Ski Moto-Skeeter 450
Founded in 1964, Moto-Ski was a Canadian snowmobile manufacturer that was acquired by Bombardier in 1971. In ’76, Bombardier moved production to a different facility, but before that happened, they dabbled in mini bike production with a bike called the Moto-Ski Moto-Skeeter.
1999 Kawasaki Drifter VN1500
There’s something strangely appealing to me about metric cruisers from the 1980s to 2000s. On one hand, you might argue that they were lazy attempts to cut into Harley’s dominance of the US market. On the other hand, they may have helped push the game along when Harley didn’t have much competition.
1976 Triumph Bonneville T140
The ship was very much on fire when this bike was made. Triumph had gone through decades of bad finances and bad management. Labor disputes were affecting production. Quality was famously poor. And the machinery being produced was far from cutting edge. After all, 1976 was the year Kawasaki introduced the KZ1000. The Bonneville T140 was using an engine with …
1988 Honda Hawk NT650
Honda was ahead of its time when it debuted the Hawk GT, also known as the NT650. It was one of the world’s first modern naked bikes but it was a commercial failure. Over the years, many riders have realized what the Hawk offered, and it’s become a cult classic.
Leon Haslam Pit Bike Replica – 2001 Italjet Dragster 50
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 …
2003 Derbi GPR50R
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 …
1971 HPE Muskin El Tigre MX
Post Listing Update: This El Tigre did not get any action at the opening bid of $2,500. I had never heard of HPE Muskin until I saw this ad, but it turns out I’ve ridden one of their bikes. HPE Muskin was a California-based company that specialized in making swimming pools. But ─ because why not? ─ they also manufactured …
1985 Garelli Monza GT
Garelli is not a well-known marque in the world of motorcycling, but this moped was released while they were in the middle of an impressive run of 6 consecutive 125cc 2-stroke World Championships from 1982 to 1987.
Homemade Jet Ski Scooter
Here’s something we can all agree on: a Sea-Doo that’s been jerry-rigged into a scooter is both wonderfully terrible and terribly wonderful. Even the police officer who pulls you over for not having a license plate will be heartened at the sight of this thing.
2006 Kawasaki ZG1000 Concours
Post Listing Update: This Kawasaki originally sold for a Best Offer under $1,800 but that deal fell through. The bike was relisted and then pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. The Kawasaki Concours (aka Connie) has always been one of those “if you know you know” bikes: really awesome motorcycles that inspire an almost fanatical devotion from those …
1975 BMW R60/6
This is, admittedly, not the most beautiful R60/6 you’ll ever see in your life, but it appears to be in pretty good condition, the seller says it runs, and, most importantly, it’s an R60/6. I often daydream of owning one of these. The R60/6 was the smallest of BMW’s /6 models, produced from 1974-1979 (the others being the R75/6 and …