Post Sale Update: This Bearcat sold for $2,185 after 4 bids on eBay in La Quinta, California. Suzuki’s Bearcat was a small dual sport that was marketed as a “thrifty swifty” – go anywhere and carry anything for cheap. At 25 miles per hour with the touring sprocket, the Bearcat returned 153 miles per gallon.
2004 Honda RC51 Nicky Hayden
Honda built the RC51 to compete in World Superbike, and the bike earned titles in 2000 and 2002. The latter year, the RC51 also won the AMA Superbike championship with Nicky Hayden, and Honda responded in 2004 by producing a “Nicky Hayden Edition.” The changes were cosmetic only – a sticker kit, white number plates on the upper fairing and …
1996 BMW R1100RS
BMW arguably created the sport-touring segment with the R100RS, though future evolutions like the 1100, 1150, and 1200 weren’t as commercially successful. Still, they’re very competent machines that go fast enough an far enough in relative comfort. For $2,500, you could easily criss-cross the country a few times and still be ready for more.
1981 Honda ATC200
Post Sale Update: This Honda ATC200 sold for the BIN of $1,295 on eBay in Madison, Wisconsin. Honda brought the 3-wheeler to the US thanks to an engineer named Osamu Takeuchi. Osamu was simply trying to create a product that could bolster motorcycle sales during winter months, but by the time it was all over he had created something so …
Nice Price – 1993 Honda CBR900RR
I keep seeing the values of first year CBR900RRs go up and up, so this one’s interesting (if you’re OK with the custom paint) as the seller’s looking for a buck under two grand. Plus, the sale includes a rear stand, solo seat cowl, and matching Arai helmet.
“Street Scrambler” – 2000 Honda XR600R Custom
In a piece entitled “Bring it Back“, Dirt Bike Magazine had the following to say about the Honda XR600R: “Do you think that anyone at Honda knew? Do you think that when the first XR600R rolled off the assembly line, anyone had an inkling that it would become the definitive off-road bike, not only of a generation, but for two …
One Owner – 1992 Ducati 900SS/CR
During a seven year production run, Ducati sold nearly 28,000 example of the 900SS across a few forms – the full fairing SP, monopost Superlight, silver Final Edition, and the half fairing CR as shown here. This is one of a much smaller number that are still with the original owner…for now.
Silver Wing – 1983 Honda GL650 Interstate
Post Sale Update: This GL650 sold for a best offer of $2,295 on eBay in Valley Center, California. When it was first released, the Honda GL500 basically sat in a class by itself – a full dress, middleweight tourer. In general, press and riders liked the bike but thought it was underpowered. So Honda responded by throwing in the engine …
Well-Loved – 2007 BMW R1200S
4-6-20 Update: Two and a half years later, this bike is back up for sale. It’s now on the third owner, it’s moved to Los Angeles, and the mileage is up to 97,000 and change. It’s recently had the 96k mile service and it’s got nearly new Pirelli Angel tires. The price has also dropped significantly – you can find …
1994 Yamaha FZR1000
Here’s a slice of the 90s in one paint job, found on the Yamaha FZR1000 – predecessor to the now-ubiquitous Yamaha R1. The Fizzer was an instant classic when it was introduced in 1987. Just two years later, Cycle World named it the “Bike of the Decade”, thanks in part to a 0-60 time of 2.9 seconds and a top …
Rare in the US – 1988 Cagiva Tamanaco
Never officially imported to the US, the Cagiva Tamanaco was a diminutive dual-sport that looks like an absolute blast. Look at the stickers on this thing! “Fun & Function”, “Soft Damp”, “Twin Cooler”. In this case, the seller’s even added a couple of stickers of his own, such as a “BRAAAAP” on the inside of the right side hand guard.
Rare in the US – 1985 Honda XL600 LMF Paris Dakar
Built to compete against the Yamaha Tenere 600, Honda’s 600 XLM is nearly impossible to find in the US – it may not look like much but this is one of the rarest bikes I’ve featured in a long time.
1956 Indian Arrow
Jeff Pamer: Just my personal opinion here: Indian has taken a huge swing with the FTR and (other than the price) it’s a fantastic motorcycle. They beat Harley-Davidson to the punch in terms of moving away from a cruiser-style bike and offering what is essentially a naked sport bike, with a hint of retro style. This back and forth between …
2004 BMW Rockster R1150R
The BMW Rockster was an interesting variant on their naked bike of the time, the R1150R. The Rockster was BMW’s take on a streetfighter of sorts, made by pulling together the headlight from a R1150GS, gauges from the R1100S, and throwing them onto the R1150R with a distinctive paint job.
SuperHawk – 2002 Honda VTR1000F
I think the SuperHawk is one of the most underappreciated motorcycles in recent memory. Honda reliability, streetable ergonomics, and a lovely V-Twin motor. Think RC51, but easier to live with.