I’m a big fan of the ZRX and I think it’s a great example of a modern classic that you can enjoy every day. Here’s an example that’s barely been enjoyed (at least in terms of riding) as it has just 664 miles on the odometer. I’ll be curious to know if the next owner rides it or keeps the …
1960 NSU Super Max
After World War II, NSU found themselves with factories that had been destroyed. But they were able to persevere and in 1952 they released the Max, one of the most popular quarter-liter bikes of the 50s – 97,120 bikes were sold. Fast forward four years and NSU introduced the Supermax, which featured a 18 horsepower single good for a top …
1954 Royal Enfield Meteor
Nowadays, Royal Enfield offers up a parallel twin engine in their Continental GT and INT650 models, but back in the company’s heyday the p-twin of record was the Meteor (and its successor, the Super Meteor). It was introduced in the early 50s because the US market wanted bigger engines – RE responded with a 692cc OHV twin that was basically …
1980 Moto Guzzi V50 II
When Moto Guzzi first released the V50 in the late 70s, they were met with a tepid response from an American market that preferred bigger bikes and expected smaller bikes to be cheaper. Guzzi updated the V50 to the “II” generation in 1979, giving it dual-point ignition, a larger sump, and Nikasil coating on the cylinder bores.
1975 Suzuki RE5
Along with some options from Norton and the Hercules W2000, the Suzuki RE5 was one of the rare rotary-engine bikes that actually made it to market. The Suzuki was the most ‘popular’ of the rotary bikes, with slightly over 6,000 examples built. Nowadays, mention of a rotary engine usually makes gearheads think of the Mazda RX-7 and RX-8, but in …
ELR Tribute – 1981 Kawasaki GPz550
Kawasaki’s Eddie Lawson Replica is a memorable motorcycle of the 80s, which also means it’s become a pricey collectible nowadays. Here’s a fun way to get some ELR style on a budget.
2000 Royal Enfield Taurus Diesel
I’ve featured a few diesel-powered motorcycles on Bike-urious, but they are typically gas-powered bikes that have had a diesel conversion. Here’s a rare example that was fitted with a diesel engine from the factory – an experiment that Royal Enfield tried between 1993 and 2000. They called it the Taurus.
290 Miles – 1974 MZ TS250
Here’s a rare MZ in the US that’s barely been ridden – will you change that?
Rare in the US – “1986” Kawasaki Estrella
I know many of you are fans of the Kawasaki W650 – but did you know that Kawi made a little brother with a 249cc engine that was never officially sold in the US? The model debuted in 1992, and it was originally called Estrella (Spanish for “Star”). In 2017, it was given the name it deserves: the W250.
Rare Project – 1972 Gilera Gina Macho
Gina is a combination of GIlera and ArgentiNA, as this bike was a partnership between “Italy’s finest design engineers and the genius of Argentina’s master craftsmen.” The company offered trail and road models in both 175cc and 250cc displacements – here’s a rare example of the 175cc road bike that will need some work before it can hit the road …
1980 Moto Morini 500 Strada
Most riders think of the 3 1/2 when they hear Moto Morini, but the firm was also known for their 500 Sei-V that was produced a decade later…to very little fanfare. What was once a classically beautiful motorcycle became an odd jumble of plastic and angular lines as the Italian company tried to compete with bikes coming out of Japan.
1997 Bimota Mantra DB3
Following up on yesterday’s oddball Italian upright is…another oddball Italian upright. The Bimota Mantra is definitely one of the most distinctive motorcycles to come out of the Rimini company’s doors. With that said, I love that they took a chance – you may never see a bike that looks like this again.
1.1 Miles -2006 Triumph Bonneville “Live Fast” #29
4 years after Triumph’s 100th anniversary, the British fashion designer Paul Smith created 9 different T100 Bonnevilles, each with a custom paint job. Public response was strong enough that Triumph took two of the designs and created limited runs of 50 bikes each that were individually numbered on the tank. One was called “Multi-Union”, the other is what you see …
1983 BMW R65LS
Between 1983 and 1985, BMW built a limited edition of their R65. Called the R65LS, it featured a polarizing front fairing that makes the bike look faster than it actually was.
4 Miles – 1965 Lube-NSU Yak
This is one of very few bikes out there which I’ve struggled to find information on, but there’s so rare that I have to share them – especially when an awesome reader sends it my way!