Harley-Davidson’s race heritage could have very easily never happened. Arthur Davidson wasn’t fond of the idea of a H-D race team and felt it made very little sense. He was confident his company was more than capable of producing competitive racers, but felt all of the special R&D was largely irrelevant to the bikes on the showroom floor. “We can …
Ex-Dakar Factory Racer – 2007 KTM 660
View PostBritish Chassis Legend – Pair of Seeley Racers in Europe
Colin Seeley built some of the most legendary British motorcycle racing frames of all time. The chassis expert grew up a stone’s throw from Brands Hatch Circuit where a young Seeley would be drawn to the world of two-wheeled competition. He enjoyed a decently successful racing career, starting as a solo rider before becoming increasingly involved in sidecar competition where …
Purpose Built Supermono Racer – 2017 Kramer Motorcycles HKR Evo2
The current version of Kramer Motorcycles was created in 2009 by Marcus Kramer and two co-founders – I say “current” because a few decades ago a gentleman named Adolph Kramer partnered with Maico to build a limited production run of off-road race bikes. The new Kramers are built to compete in Supermono racing in Europe, and if I’m allowed to …
Ex-Red Bull Rookies Cup – Metrakit 125 GP Racer
For the last decade, the Red Bull Rookies Cup has been allowing up-and-coming riders to prove themselves on professional-quality machines at world-class motorsport circuits. The league has clearly accomplished what it set out to do, as Johann Zarco was the champion of its inaugural season, followed by JD Beach. Other riders like Jake Gagne, Lorenzo Savadori and the late Luis …
RC31 Racer – 1988 Honda Hawk GT
Post Listing Update: This Hawk got no interest at the opening ask of $4,200. It was relisted with a similar fate at $3,700. Offered by the second owner, this race bike only gets ridden two or three times a year so the seller wants it to go to someone else who will enjoy it more frequently. The Honda Hawk GT …
Frame #1 – 1975 Sparton 500
In the latter-half of the 1970’s, manufacturers were pouring massive amounts of funds into the R&D of race machines. Yet for a time, the most powerful racer was a machine built in a chapel’s workshop in Caernarvonshire in the UK. Sparton Motorcycles was a collaborative effort between Spondon Engineering and Barton Motors. From 1974 to 1982, the engineering companies joined …
AHRMA Champion – 1967 Rickman Triumph Metisse 500
A Rickman Metisse with a 500cc Triumph motor is already pretty special – particularly when it’s adorned in British Racing Green. But this example truly stands out as it has been ridden to multiple AHRMA championships by Chad McIntosh.
Ultimate 600’s – Pair of FTR Moto2 Racers
I don’t hide my love for motorcycle racing. I’ve always been attracted to race machines being the pinnacle of two-wheeled performance, and the excitement that comes with watching racers go wheel to wheel on these machines. Though MotoGP machines are in theory the biggest and best, and it is admittedly my favorite kind of racing to watch, I personally prefer …
Phil Nicoletti’s AMA MX Racer – 2013 Yamaha YZ450
Yamaha started what it likes to refer to as the “four-stroke revolution” as they were first to release a 4-stroke motocrosser. From the time Doug Henry piloted that YZ400M to victory in an AMA SX event in Las Vegas, Yamaha’s YZs have won countless high-level racing events and established itself as the go-to 450 for many top riders. The four-stroke …
Bargain Track Weapon – 2013 BMW S1000RR
The S1KRR is undeniably one of the most competent track machines currently available. Even the previous generations boast a seriously impressive electronics suite that fools riders like myself into thinking we’re better than we actually are. As with any premium European superbike, the S1000RR comes at a steep price, and buying a stock example to transform into a trackday bike …
Your Own Race Team? 1994 Harley-Davidson VR1000
8-27-17 Update: Tim Huber just let me know that 18 months later, this is back up for sale. This time it’s got further ~$25k off, with a BIN of $55,500. Bidding is up to $31,800 with the reserve not yet met here on eBay. 2-7-16 Update: Over a year later, this VR1000 has been given a $50,000 discount. Let’s see …
1967 Ducati MK3 250 CRMC Racer
In 1967, Ducati rejoined the single-cylinder roadbike market with the Mark 3 (or MK3) 250 and 350 models, as well as a 450 version by the end of the ’60’s. Ducati would spend almost two-and-a-half decades utilizing single-cylinder engines that used Fabio Taglioni’s non-spring-actuated valve-system. Ducati also offered a factory race kit for the MK3, though I haven’t been able …
1 of 150 and Brand New – 2005 Petronas FP1
As Erik Buell will tell you, starting a motorcycle company is no easy task. Even if you’re offering a solid product, getting marketing, a dealer network, and infrastructure set up can often make or break a company’s shot at success. The latter is essentially what happened to the short-lived motorcycles division of Petronas. Only 150 units (50 for racing, 100 …
1 of 1 – 1996 Ducati “649R” SuperTwin Racer
This Ducati 649 SuperTwin is the only example like it in the world, and it was created specially to compete in Mini/Super-Twin 650 class competition. This super short stroke engine has a 90mm bore that makes 85hp and red lines at 13,000 rpm. This machine is built around a 1996 Ducati model, so I assume a 748SP or SPS. This …