In 1987, Husqvarna was bought by Cagiva and it became part of MV Agusta. Many engineers from Husky’s development team decided to stay in Sweden and they founded Husaberg in 1988. They were competitive in racing but sales were lackluster, and in ’95 the brand was sold to KTM. By 2003, KTM was producing Husabergs themselves. You know KTM’s slogan, …
Needs Some Work – 1958/9 Parilla Olimpia
After World War II, Giovanni Parrilla built his first motorcycle (it was based on a Norton). This evolved into the company of Moto Parilla, which was best known for their “high-cam” engines in the US. Here’s one of their lesser known models, the Olimpia (which is one of the few bikes I know that was offered with 2-stroke and 4-stroke …
Rare in the US – 1983 Suzuki Tempter GR650D
This Suzuki is rarely seen in the US as it was only offered here in ’83 and ’84. In other markets it was called the GR650 (and available until ’89), for some reason it was called the Tempter in America. It’s a fairly straightforward UJM but it featured one interesting innovation: a ‘dual-stage’ flywheel with an centrifugal clutch that would …
Needs Some Work – 1962 Tohatsu Runpet
Post-Listing Update: No one seems interested in this Tohatsu – it keeps getting relisted at a lower opening bid, with no action. As of 6-14 it’s got a unmet opening bid of $550, find it here on eBay. Founded in 1922, Tohatsu is now best known for their outboard motors. But in the 50s and 60s, they produced some excellent …
$950 – 1965 Bridgestone Sport 60
You know Bridgestone as a tire manufacturer nowadays, but for a few years they produced very competitive small motorcycles ranging in displacement from 50cc to 350cc. Here’s one of the smaller models, a 60cc Sport. The two-stroke rotary-valve single was good for 5.8 horsepower and it was paired with a 4-speed rotary transmission. I can’t determine if all of these …
Well Modified – 1984 Yamaha FJ1100
When the Yamaha FJ1100 was introduced, the press went nuts. Rider Magazine called it “the best large displacement sport motorcycle of 1984, and maybe even the best in its class in the history of motorcycling,” and other mags called it Bike of the Year. Here’s a bike that revolutionized what sport-touring bikes would become – big power and plenty of …
939 Miles – 1983 Honda XL185S
With over 30 years of life and less than a thousand miles on the odometer, this small XL is in impressive original shape. It’s not cheap, but I can’t say I’ve seen a nicer example of the breed before.
Honda CB500 Chopper
Here’s a slick chopper with a CB500 twin motor and a whole bunch of new parts, including the rectifier, coils, starter solenoid, exhaust, bars, tires, chain, battery, cables, carbs, and the headlights. It’s got a clean title on non-op. Seems like a cheap way to get into choppers…
Cheap and Getting Cheaper – 1977 Honda XL250S
As of the date of this post (5/22), this XL250 is $1,400. Every day that goes by with it still in the seller’s posession, that price drops $100.
Nice Price – 1999 Excelsior Henderson Super X
At the turn of the 20th century, Excelsior and Henderson were two of America’s preeminent motorcycle manufacturers. Schwinn bought up both brands in the 1910s and shut them down in September of 1931. Skip ahead 60 years to Minnesota in 1993 and the founding of the Hanlon Manufacturing Company in 1993 – they secured the rights to both the Excelsior …
1969 Rupp Roadster
In 1969, Rupp was on the top of its game, with over 400 employees and a range of products that included snowmobiles, go-karts, ATVs, and minibikes. That year the company introduced a new top-of-the-line minibike with a 5 horsepower Tecumseh H50 engine and a two speed jackshaft. It was called the Roadster.
12V Power – Peg Perego Ducati Monster
Here’s a bike for the little one in your life. Licensed by Ducati, this Peg Perego electric bike has a 12V battery and it’s capable of supporting 60 pounds of misbehaving child.
Rare Project – Gilera Gina Macho
5-10 Update: This Gilera is back up for sale, but the opening bid is $1.00 and there’s no reserve! Someone’s getting a new project – find it here on eBay. Post-Listing Update: This rare Argentinian did not meet reserve with bidding up to $600. Gina is a combination of GIlera and ArgentiNA, as this bike was a partnership between “Italy’s …
1966 Atala Rizzato Ringo
I’m unable to find any information on this little scoot, but according to the seller it’s a rare Italian with a 49cc 2-stroke engine and a 3-speed hand shift transmission. I can only see examples that are white and red online, but this example is…not. Got any experience with this marque?
1972 Rockford Chibi Deluxe
Rockford Motors was the American importer for the wonderful Bridgestone motorcycles that occasionally dotted US roads. In ’71, Bridgestone stopped selling bikes, leaving Rockford with a gap in their product portfolio. They decided to take over manufacturing rights for the tiniest Bridgestones, specifically the 100cc “Taka” and two 60cc bikes – the “Tora” and the Rockford Chibi which you see …