Introduced in 1968, the BSA B25/Triumph TR25 was another ‘badge engineered’ entry from the brain trust at BSA/Triumph. The two models were mechanically the same with only trim and badging to differentiate between the two. The B25 Starfire was essentially a C15 wrapped in handsome new trim. Somewhat underpowered, somewhat ‘fiddly’ it was the quintessential English 250 CC single. Very …
1951 TWN Triumph BDG 250
In 1886 Siegfried Bettmann founded Triumph Bicycle factory in Coventry, England. They would go on to make more than a few motorcycles, part of the fabric of motorcycle history. In 1896 Herr Bettmann founded another bicycle factory in his native Nuerenberg, Germany and it was also Triumph Bicycle. By 1902 Triumph (England) started making motorcycles and Triumph (Germany) started in …
3 Miles – 1982 Ducati 600TL Pantah
Post Sale Update: This 600TL sold for $9,500 after 2 bids on eBay. When Ducati evolved the Pantah 500SL into the 600SL, they also decided to offer a stripped down variant called the TL. The bodywork was significantly different, but it did not sell well and the model last just one year. According to the dealer that the seller bought …
1953 NSU Lux
Built between 1951 and 1956, the NSU Lux was a popular standard – 78,845 were built in those few years. That’s not a small number, but very few are currently in this kind of condition.
1980 Kawasaki KZ1000 A4 MkII
Post Listing Update: This Kawi was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. An evolution of the KAZ900, the KZ1000 was the fastest production bike when it was released in 1976 (as a ’77 model) thanks to its 83 horsepower, 1,015cc inline four motor. The bike might be most famous for the police variant, which gained popularity on the …
17K Miles – 1984 BMW R65
Post Sale Update: After 22 bids on eBay, this R65 sold for $3,900. The R65 has been one of the less popular Beemers over the last few decades, and I couldn’t really tell you why. Is it the relative lack of power compared to the rest of the BMW family? If having “just” 50 horsepower isn’t a problem for you, …
1954 Horex Regina 350
Horex introduced the Regina in 1953, and it was available in 250, 350, and 400cc variants. Production lasted until Daimler took over Horex in 1960.
1951 Indian Brave
Did you know that you have 11 choices to describe your personal relationship on Facebook? And that one of them is “It’s complicated”? I’d really like to give you a background and lineage on this Indian Brave but, well, it’s complicated. If anybody has a definitive history of the Indian Brave, I’d love to know. I’ll tell you what I …
Last Iron Barrel – 2008 Royal Enfield Bullet 500
Classic Motorworks is moving to Fort Worth, Texas, and it looks like the owner is using the move as an opportunity to sell some stuff. One of the things he’s getting rid of is the last 500cc iron barrel Bullet ever built. According to the seller, Classic Motorworks was the exclusive importer and distributor for Royal Enfield in the USA …
1946 Ariel Red Hunter 350
We recently featured one of these in December, so it is a little unusual to see another pop up on Craigslist. Maybe the owner got motivated after the recent auctions, as some of the older, collectible bikes were fetching serious money, especially the pre-war American twins. Alas, this is neither pre-war, a twin, or American, but that makes it more …
Fiat Powered in Italy – 1981 Shifty 900
View PostEnding Soon – 1978 Honda CB750A
Post Listing Update – This CB750A was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. Everybody knows about the long run popularity of the Honda CB750. How could you possibly classify a CB750 as rare or unusual? Make it be a CB750A2 (1978)-only 1,700 were built. 1978 was a big model change year (CB750K for 1979) and Honda still sold …
10,564 Miles – 1984 BMW R65LS
Between 1983 and 1985, BMW built a limited edition of their R65. Called the R65LS, it featured a polarizing front fairing that probably makes the bike look faster than the bike actually was. I dig the 80s look…you may not. This example has spent the last 28 years under a cloth cover in a heated basement, so it hasn’t covered …
1950 AJS Model 18
AJS and Matchless were built in the AMC factory in London and were known to be nearly identical. The brothers that owned Matchless bought AJS in 1931 and formed Associated Motor Cycles in 1938. AMC also acquired Norton in 1953. The AJS Model 18 and the Matchless G80 were nearly identical until 1952 except that the magneto was located behind …
Never Started in England – 1987 Benelli 304
30 years ago, this Benelli was unpacked and put on display. That’s pretty much where it has stayed since, which is why the seller says it’s basically new.