After yesterday’s Rare Russian, reader David N. though we’d like to see another one. Meet the Minsk Wildcat, a 125cc dual sport made by the Minsk Motorcycle Company of Belarus. Known for being incredibly durable, they are widely available in Russia, Cambodia, the UK, and Vietnam.
1968 Puch Sabre
Post-Sale Update: After 27 bids on eBay, this Puch Sabre sold for $959. Manufactured for Sears by Puch, the Puch Sabre is technically a motorcycle, though it was marketed as a moped. This European beauty features one of the more interesting-looking engines we’ve ever seen.
1969 Italjet Vampire 50
12-1 Update: The seller of this bike is now trying an auction instead of a BIN. Find this Italjet Vampire back on eBay with an opening bid of $3,500. Italjet is a (surprise) Italian manufacturer of small motorcycles founded in 1959 by Leopoldo Tartarini. A pilot by trade, Tartarini ended up completing a 60,000 km trip around the world on …
Little Racer – 2004 Honda NSR50
Quite possibly the best minibike sold in the United States, the Honda NSR50 was sold here just in 2004. In the world of 50cc sportbikes (like the Yamaha YSR50 and Suzuki GSXR50), the NSR50 was dynamically in a world of its own. Though it’s not street legal like its competition, the Honda was peerless on the racetrack. Because of that, …
Snakebit – 1967 Benelli Cobra
Starting in the 1950s, department stores like Sears and Montgomery Ward rebadged Italian small displacement bikes from Puch, Gilera, and Benelli and sold them right out of their brick and mortar stores, or even out of the mail order catalogs. MW was particularly fond of Benelli, and rebranded the Benelli Cobra into the Montgomery Ward Riverside 125. As a buyer, …
Mini Indian – 1974 Indian MM-5A
Post-Listing Update: Despite 25 bids on eBay, this Indian MM-5A did not meet reserve at $2,080. The Indian MM-5A, also known as the Indian Mini Mini, was a mini bike designed for little children (4-5 year olds) to become familiar with motorcycles, but also the Indian brand. There were two marketing goals with this bike – encourage older riders to …
Little Italian – 1993 Cagiva Mito
From many angles, the Cagiva Mito looks like a large Italian supersport – but your eyes may deceive you. Part of that may come from the name itself, as Mito is Italian for “myth”. Debunking the myth, you’ll see that it’s just powered by a 125cc two-stroke single cylinder engine, capable of 30 horsepower and a surprising top speed of …
1976 Montesa Cappra 125
The Montesa Cappra 125 was the Spanish firm’s attempt at a motocross bike specifically for young riders. To help promote the bike, Montesa even created a “Montesa 125cc Trophy”, a spec series specifically for the small displacement Cappra. It was so popular that they had to change the format of the competition, adding several heats just to handle the number …
Metrakit Pre-GP 125
Looking for a purpose-built race bike for a young racer-to-be? Look no further than the Metrakit Pre-GP 125. Metrakit, a Spanish company that unfortunately went bankrupt (but still has a large presence in Australia), was well known for creating a series of tiny roadracers that were quite dominant in 50-80cc mini GP races across the world. In the mid 2000s, …
2013 Honda Grom MSX125 Custom
11-9 Update: You guys seem to love the Grom so much that it got me curious. I borrowed one from Honda and took it for a spin, including a top speed run in the LA River. Post-Listing Update: This Honda Grom MSX125 Custom was pulled off eBay, final sale price unknown. But as shown in the comments below, you can …
34th Annual Hansen Dam All British Ride
Every year, the Southern California Norton Owner’s Club hosts a wonderful get together at Hansen Dam. The combined show and ride features decades of classic British iron – and you’re bound to see great bikes from other marques, new and old. We got an invite from a local BMW mechanic friend and couldn’t say no. As you’ve come to expect …
Groovy Little Motorbike – 1966 Honda Super Cub C50
Post-Sale Update: After 49 bids on eBay, this Honda Super Cub C50 sold for $1,675. If you learn anything from this post, let it be this song: Top Gear fans may remember it as the little jingle James May sings as he, Jeremy, and Richard crossed Vietnam on little bikes – James himself chose a Honda Super Cub for the …
Tilting Three Wheeler – 1985 Honda Gyro S
Post-Sale Update: After 6 bids on eBay, this Honda Gyro S sold for $1,000. Introduced in 1982, the Gyro series of scoots are three-wheelers (one in the front, two in the back) where the body is able to lean up to 40 degrees compared to the rear axle! GYRO is actually an acronym, which stands for “Great Your Recreation Original”. …
1991 Honda Cub EZ 90
The Honda EZ 90 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.
Silver Dream – Honda CB50R
Post Sale Update: This Dream sold for the BIN of $5,500. Honda has always been one of the world’s best at sub-100cc bikes, from commuter bikes for the people to full on works racers. Over the years, however, the company slowly moved towards bigger bikes in an effort to capture more of an American market that has always been obsessed …