In the late 80s, Gilera made a push to compete in the Paris-Dakar Rally and they had some success in the production-based “Silhouette” class with the RC600, which utilized a 600cc single good for 48 horsepower. Here’s an interesting replica of Gilera’s final 600-based racer (before they went to a 750 motor in 1993).
1970 Triumph Trackmaster 750
Trackmaster frames can trace their roots back to the 1960s, when Triumph Motorcycles approached Ray Hensley and commissioned the famed race tuner and engineer to build a handful of bespoke chassis to be used in competition. Henley’s earliest frames were chromoly steel units with much more race-oriented geometry compared to the stock Bonneville chassis of the era. In the years …
New In Crate – 2007 Yamaha YZ250
Yamaha completely redesigned the YZ250 for 2005, so for 2007 they just made some minor chassis updates (including revised Kayaba 48mm forks). That may not matter in this case, as this bike has spent the last 16 years in the original delivery crate, and one assumes that it will stay that way for the next collector owner.
Revival-Built 2007 Buell XB12X Custom
Back in the early oughts — long before Harley had even begun development of the Pan America — Buell dove headfirst into the ADV market with the Ulysses XB12X. Between the sportbike-like handling, the in-frame fuel reservoir, and the large, floating front rotor, it was undeniably forward-thinking for its time. Admittedly, however, its reception was pretty mixed; the styling was …
Japanese Metisse – An XS650-Powered Rickman Mk3
Back in the 1950s, two English brothers named Don and Derek Rickman decided to jump into the motorcycle market by building frames of their own design. Both experienced dirt riders, they took experience racing motocross around Europe and materialized it in the form of the “Metisse.” Beyond its premium craftsmanship — it was machined from a lightweight chromoly, and there …
1978 Kawasaki KX250
In 1978, Kawasaki debuted a “works replica” called the KX250 A-4. PulpMX called it “a works bike for the chosen few,” and it was a limited production (~1,500, ~600 of which came to the US) notice to the rest of the industry that Team Green was getting serious about MX after a few years of dismal sales.
One-Off -1990 Drysdale Dryvtech 2x2x2
11-25-22 Update: Eight years later, this bike has turned up on a dealer’s site in Australia. You can find it here on Classic Motorcycle Sales with an asking price of roughly $17,544. Post-Listing Update: The Drysdale Dryvtech 2x2x2 did not get further than the opening bid, so it’s been relisted with a BIN of approximately $13,750 here on eBay. Here’s …
1967 Bultaco Matador MK3
Bultaco was founded in 1959 by famous Spanish road racing champion, Francisco Xavier Bulto. It was not Francisco’s first shot, as he created Bultaco right after he resigned from Montesa (which he co-founded in 1946). Bultaco’s first competition success came early in 1962 with a motorcycle adapted from the 175cc Sherpa trial bike. It won two gold medals at the …
My Old Beater – 1983 Honda XR350R With No Reserve
Back when I hosted the Beater Olympics, I bought three $500 bikes and recruited some friends to join to make sure we had a few teams and the event was a total bust. One of those bikes was a ’83 Honda XR350R which performed admirably, but I’ve been neglecting it and it needs a new home. Do you want to …
Built by Dick Mann – 1960 BSA DBD34 Gold Star
In 1956, BSA released an updated version of the Gold Star. Known as the DBB34, it featured a new head, 38mm Amal carb, swept-back exhaust, and clip-on handlebars. That year, BSA won both the Clubmans Senior TT and Clubmans Junior TT races at the Isle of Man – but the Gold Star wasn’t just successful on pavement. BSA also created …
1973 BGW Trakcycle
Introduced in 1972, the Trakcycle was a creation of BGW Industries in Mansfield, Ohio – a October 1972 issue of Popular Mechanics says that the Trakcycle “represents just about the ultimate in all-season, go-anywhere ruggedness and versatility. Its rubber-ribbed, cord-reinforced track belt is nearly a foot wide and heavily treaded, giving the bike tremendous traction.”
No Reserve – 1996 Honda EZ90 Cub
The Honda EZ90, also known as a Cub, was produced from 1991 until 1996. Designed for off-road use only, lots of Cubs were used as pit bikes (even by Honda’s ChampCar and IRL teams) as well as runabouts strapped on the back of RVs and campers.
1 of 133 – 1997 KTM 200LE Jackpiner
You’re either going to look at this bike and drool, or wonder what the big deal is. If you fall in the latter camp, here’s a refresher of how KTM came to be in the US, thanks in no small part to John Penton. If you’re in the former camp, just scroll down to the for sale listing and snap …
1989 Italjet Buster
Italjet marketed the Buster as “a terrific little bike that is approved for AMA racing in the Pee Wee class for ages 4 to 8.”
Diesel Power – 2005 Ecorider Hippo
A couple of years ago, I featured an Ecorider Hippo Petrol – and I had to specify petrol as the Ecorider was one of the very few production motorcycles that had an available diesel engine. Well, here’s the diesel-powered variant.