Post Sale Update: This CB500 sold for $3,575 after 2 bids on eBay. If you push the starter button on your bike today and it roars to life without protest, then you have Honda and their CB line to thank. Greatly increased reliability along with the tagline, “You meet the nicest people on a Honda,” skyrocketed motorcycling into the hobby …
1966 Bridgestone Hurricane
Post Sale Update: this Hurricane sold for $3,300 after 8 bids on eBay One of the many high quality (and somewhat pricey) small displacement bikes from a company we now only associate with tires, the Bridgestone Hurricane 175 was a scrambler variant of their baby sportbike “Dual Twin”.
Motorcycle From A Supercar Manufacturer – 1956 Maserati Tipo 125/T2
Post Sale Update: This Maserati sold for $4,559 after 21 bids on eBay. Originally founded in 1914 by five brothers (Carlo, Ettore, Alfieri, Bindo, and Ernesto) in Italy, Maserati was purchased by Adolfo Orsi in 1937. After Orsi’s death in the early ’50s, the business was divided into three different outfits: a foundry known as “Fonder di Modena”, “Fabric Candele …
Never Started – 1970 Indian Velo 500
In 1967, the former West Coast distributor of Indian Motorcycles (Floyd Clymer) bought the rights to the company’s name and tried to bring it back. He initially tried to partner with some German companies to create the new Indian’ but that never got past prototypes. It wasn’t until he partnered with Velocette that he was able to release the Indian …
1995 BMW R100R Mystic
Available only in 1994 and 1995 in the US, the Mystic was a factory retro based on the BMW R100R. In a 1992 review, Bike magazine called it the best boxer. To make the R100R, BMW went with some old-school peanut valve covers and paired them with 40mm Bing carbs and their first usage of Japanese suspension. In many ways, …
Yamaha XS650 Motor – 2003 Royal Enfield Bullet
Royal Enfield has just released two models powered by an all-new 650 twin motor, but the seller of this bike beat them to the punch. The title tells you what you need to know – this is a Royal Enfield that’s had a heart transplant. The seller says he “decided to change the motor to make it a reliable daily …
190 Miles – 1981 Honda CM400A Hondamatic
In the early 80s, Honda donated a few motorcycles to schools all across the country. The most valuable finds nowadays are the occasional CBX or two that appear with no miles after sitting in a school storage room for decades, but Honda provided some twins and four-cylinder models, too. One example of the former is this CM400, which stands out …
In Canada – 1965 Honda CB160
View PostRare in the US – 1998(?) Cagiva Planet
In 1998, Cagiva created a naked version of their two-stroke 124cc Mito Evo. The Mito was designed by Massimo Tamburini, and it looked an awful lot like the Ducati 916 that he also penned. You’d therefore be forgiven for thinking that the Planet would look like the Monster, though that really wasn’t the case. Whether or not you think it …
Hans Muth – 1982 BMW R65LS
Post Listing Update: The seller raised the opening bid to $4,850, and this bike got no interest. During the 70s, BMW’s most important mission was to develop alternative machines to the big 4-cylinders released by the Japanese makers. Nonetheless, the German brand also competed in the middle-size market, releasing in 1978 the 650cc R65. By 1983, one of BMW motorcycle’s …
1963 Norton Electra
In the late 50’s and early 60’s, Norton produced a couple of smaller displacement bikes in the hopes of appealing to starting riders. They had the 250cc Jubilee and the 350cc Navigator, both of which were 4 stroke vertical twins. In 1963, at the request of the US importer Joe Berliner, they bumped the size of the Jubilee up to …
Rare Project – 1957 Moto Guzzi Super Alce
Post Sale Update: This Guzzi was bought by Bike-urious reader and contributor Ray S for approximately $9,300! The Italians, when it comes to cars, bikes, food, and fashion, have always been known for passion. When you think of famous Italian brands, you think of Ferrari, Gucci, and in our case, Ducati and Moto Guzzi. What they’re generally not known for …
1976 Suzuki RE-5
Post Sale Update: This RE-5 sold for $4,995 after 1 bid on eBay. As Honda and Kawasaki were dominating with inline four motors, Suzuki made a bold attempt at getting back on the front of the scene. Indeed, the Japanese maker decided to develop a bike using an “old” design: rotary engine technology. This functionally simple engine required many parts …
Ending Soon – 1954 Parilla 175 Turismo Speciale
Post Listing Update: This Parilla did not meet reserve despite 23 bids up to $4,505 on eBay. When it comes to Parillas in the US, the 175 motor is much less common than the 250. This specific bike was imported from Italy but it’s been brought back to life and is ready for someone to ride it as is and …
1989 Moto Guzzi Mille GT
Post Listing Update: This Mille GT got no interest at the opening ask of $4,999. While trying to recover from the Japanese motorcycle tsunami, Moto Guzzi had to find new ways to attract clients. Trying to compete on technology was probably pointless, so Guzzi decided to bet on ’60s nostalgia with the release of the Mille GT in 1987.