At a time when Japanese manufacturers were getting increasingly aggressive and race-oriented with their 400s to compete in their domestic Formula 3 championship, Yamaha introduced the FZR400 in 1986 as a bike to be enjoyed “on twisty public roads where the customers would actually be riding and enjoying them.” The US got it in 1988, and many riders preferred it …
1984 Yamaha RZ350
The last street-legal two-stroke sportbike officially imported into the US, the RZ350 is very much a sought-after collectors bike in the US. Only sold in the states from 84-85, these bikes were incredibly fast for 350cc, and absolutely look the part.
No Reserve – 1992 Suzuki RGV250 VJ22
When Suzuki introduced the RGV250, it was a revelation. MCN put it thusly: “back in the day 250cc race replicas were the sharpest handling, most frenzied, maddest things you could buy on two wheels. Nowadays the RGV250 is a modern classic and is probably a bit slower and softer than you’d remember. It still looks good, sounds amazing and the …
1995 Ducati Monster M900
The Monster debuted in 1993 and it was an instant classic, even though the initial idea was basically a parts-bin special. It was designed by Miguel Galluzzi, who said “in the mind of a motorcyclist, you need a gas tank, a seat and a motor.” And that’s pretty much all he included.
1978 Honda CB750 F2 Phil Read Replica
Post Sale Update: This Phil Read Replica sold off eBay for an unknown amount…to Bike-urious reader John B! Honda Britain commissioned 400 examples of a Phil Read Replica from Colin Seeley to celebrate Phil’s victory at the ’77 Isle of Man TT, but only 150 were built before Colin and Honda had a disagreement.
1954 Victoria Bergmeister V35 Sport
Originally a bicycle manufacturer, Victoria produced motorcycles from about 1901 to 1966. One of their most well known models was the Victoria Bergmeister, as it was well-engineered. Unfortunately, the excellent design was very expensive to produce, and Victoria ran out of money after only 3 years of selling this bike. In ’58 they merged with another group.
1985 Suzuki GS700ES
In 1985, Suzuki offered a slightly downsized 700 version of their popular GS750 to get around newly-implemented tariffs for motorcycles of 750cc and above. But by that point the GS750/700 was basically at the end of its run – the next year Americans would get to enjoy the game-changing GSX-R750 anyway.
In The Crate In Germany – 2021 Aprilia Tuono V4 X
In 2020, Aprilia created the ultimate version of their RSV4 sportbike. They called it the “X” and made just 10 examples, which sold out immediately and for hefty prices. Soon after, they recreated the magic with their naked bike, the Tuono. This time they made 30, and they sold them for $41,667.
165 Miles – 2002 Ghezzi-Brian Furia
Ghezzi-Brian is an interesting shop that produces Guzzi-powered specials. Their debut model was the SuperTwin, a production version of the racer they won the 1996 Italian SuperTwin championship with. Their second model was what you see in front of you, a naked variant called the Furia. It had the same drivetrain and proprietary frame, plus Paioli forks, Ohlins shock, OZ …
525 Miles – 2001 Honda CBR929RR Erion Racing
Erion Racing has had a long line of success flying around racetracks in AMA competition as Honda’s premier support team. Back when Honda released the 929 version of the Fireblade, Honda honored Erion’s work with the Honda CRB929RR Erion Racing Edition. Mechanically, it was the same as the stock bike, though the cosmetics were exclusive and a Erion Racing pipe …
2001 Ghezzi-Brian 1100 Supertwin
Ghezzi-Brian was founded in 1995 by Giuseppe Ghezzi and Bruno Saturno. Within a year they won the Italian SuperTwin championship, thanks to first place finishes in 9 of the 32 races. They took their SuperTwin and built a small run of road-legal replicas with the drivetrain from a Moto Guzzi Sport 1100i. Most of the production run stayed in Italy, …
No Reserve – 2007 Honda VFR800 25th Anniversary With 963 Miles
Post Sale Update: This VFR sold for $7,276 after 42 bids on Iconic Motorbike Auctions. In 2007, Honda celebrated the 25th Anniversary of their venerable sport tourer with a special red/white/blue paint job. I always maintained this paint scheme looked amazing, though the stock black wheels were a mistake…they should have been white! But this one’s got gold powdercoated wheels …
TZ Tribute – 1978 Yamaha RD400
Starting with a stock bike, the owner had this RD turned into a tribute of Yamaha’s 1970s TZ racers. it’s street legal with a California plate but it gives off some classic racer vibes.
322 Miles – 2004 Honda RC51 Nicky Hayden
Honda built the RC51 to compete in World Superbike, and the bike earned titles in 2000 and 2002. The latter year, the RC51 also won the AMA Superbike championship with Nicky Hayden, and Honda responded in 2004 by producing a “Nicky Hayden Edition.” The changes were cosmetic only – a sticker kit, white number plates on the upper fairing and …
Rare Project with No Reserve – 1951 Vincent Rapide
The baby brother to the legendary Black Shadow, the Vincent Rapide was sold from 1936-55 in 3 distinct ‘Series’. The final run was the Series C, which commenced in 1949. It offered the Rapide as a base model and the Black Shadow as the higher state of tune. Here’s one that’s going to need some work, but it’s offered at …