Cycle World’s May 1st 1968 review of the X4 starts with the following: “What a difference a year has made to Maico’s 360-cc motocross model. In a little over 12 months, the West German factory has transformed the bike from a competitive but unsensational mount, to one of the fastest and toughest scramblers available.”
Mugen Kitted – 1981 Honda CR250R
One of the coolest upgrades one can find for their classic Honda dirt bike is a Mugen upgrade kit – here’s one that comes with a NOS “Mugen Works Water Cooled Super Pro Kit” built for a CR250.
2006 Suzuki RM250 Ricky Carmichael Edition
2005 marked the last time that a two-stroker won an AMA Supercross championship, and the feat was accomplished by Ricky Carmichael on a Team Makita Suzuki. To commemorate the feat, Suzuki announced a limited edition model for the following year.
1985 Cagiva WMX 500
Though they sold many more examples of the WMX 125 and the 250, Cagiva also offered a 500cc open class monster of their MX series in the 80s.
1981 Montesa VG250
Restored by Southwest Montesa as a replica of the works Montesa 414 raced in 1981, this VG250 is equipped with a rebuilt 414 motor and a few other goodies – it has “never been ridden and has been stored indoors for 10+ years.”
Race Replica – 1969 Yamaha RT1
Restored by Chuck Davis Restorations, this RT1 has been covnerted into a replica of Yamaha’s ’69 factory MX race bike, the 250cc DT1M. As Yamaha put it, “here is proof that high performance machines can also be beautiful.“
1971 Rokon Trailbreaker
Rokon was founded in the early 60s with the intent of developing a “moto-tractor” that featured two wheel drive. This task was achieved with a combination of shaft, chain, and belt drives, and it enabled riders to go nearly anywhere – as long as they weren’t in a rush!
2020 KTM 450 Rally Factory Replica
For the last few years, KTM’s offered a customer version of the race bike they use in legendary competitions like the Dakar. Called the RFR (for Rally Factory Replica), it features a race-spec chassis, WP XACT PRO suspension, Akrapovic exhaust, windshield with navigation tower, and a whole bunch of pedigree – when this bike was released, KTM had won the …
Restored – 1983 Husqvarna 500 XC
In 1983, Husqvarna introduced a new 500cc motor for their Open Class bikes, and they promptly won the 1983 Baja 1000 in 14:48:10 with the US team of Dan Smith and Dan Ashcraft. While there were obviously plenty of modifications to the race bike, the production motorcycle was quite formidable in its own right. They’re also not easy to find …
No Reserve – 1971 Ducati 450 R/T Desmo
For one year only, Ducati decided to create a 450 motocrosser after their American importer convinced them it was a market worth exploring. “R/T” stood for Road/Trail, which might explain why the bike was heavier than the MX competition at 300 pounds. It did not sell well, meaning these are hard to find nowadays.
1985 Husqvarna CR500
In 1983, Husqvarna introduced a new 500cc motor for their Open Class bikes, and they promptly won the 1983 Baja 1000 in 14:48:10 with the US team of Dan Smith and Dan Ashcraft. While there were obviously plenty of modifications to the race bike, the production motorcycle was quite formidable in its own right – Husky offered the powerhouse engine …
59 Miles – 1974 Harley-Davidson Z90
4/30 Update: Uh…nevermind. While at Mecum Las Vegas, I was surprised to see the exact same photo that the “seller” of this bike used…so it’s clearly a scam and I’ve deleted the link. The asking price below is $3,500, but it sold at Mecum for a shocking (to me) $7,920.
1977 Penton/KR Short Tracker 250
This was a submission over on the Iconic auction site, and I had never heard of one before. I enjoyed learning about it, so let me share with you: in February 1977, Penton introduced a new model that had two extra letters in the name: KR. That’s because the Penton/KR short tracker had been designed and tested by none other …
Record Setter – 175cc Land Speed Racer
With an asking price of $1,500, this might be the cheapest way to get yourself a land speed racer that’s set multiple records! This 175cc salt racer set records in A (Special Construction) groups: APS-PG, APS-PF, A-PG, A-PF.
1972 Saracen Trials 125
Saracen bikes were built from ’67 to ’75 – the latter years were under the care of David Brand, who bought the brand and attempted to put bigger engines in the frames (though these ended up being less useful for trials competition).