As you know, I recently attended the recent Modern Classics Motorcycle Show hosted by Martin Moto in Boyertown PA. While motorcycle shows themselves are usually the main attraction, I generally find the bikes in the parking lots just as interesting. Here are some of the ones I found noteworthy.
Modern Classics Motorcycle Show 2025 – The Parking Lot
Story by Walter Barlow
The parking at Martin Moto, while plentiful, really gets taxed when hundreds of folks show up for an event, so finding a spot in the main lot sometimes requires a lap or two to find one. I scored on my 2nd lap and after backing in, noticed this beauty right in front of me.
I gotta tell you, the 1st year (red/black stripe) CBX was the 3rd bike I really really lusted for in my (relative) youth: a Moto Guzzi V7 Sport and Ducati 750SS being the first two. I think a good part of that was the incredible (and quite likely over-hyped) review the bike got in Cycle Magazine. Alas, with a young family it was beyond my means. But it probably planted a seed in my mind that contributed to me buying a new CB900F a couple years later.
1979 Honda CBX
Anyway, after a couple of years of lackluster sales, with price and being bullied down the unofficial superbike class of street bikes by other Japanese open-classers, Honda repositioned the bike as a sport-tourer; complete with hard luggage and a full fairing- resulting in what is arguably the best looking sport-touring bike ever sold: joining the unfaired CBX as one of the best looking standard bikes ever sold. OK, I know it’s all a matter of personal taste. But to me, one of the true tests of how attractive a bike is, is to consider how often they are customized, and if they are, if the end result is better looking than the original. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a modified CBX that’s more attractive than an original. I feel the same way about other design classics like the 916 and RC30.
1982 Honda CBX
There’s an odd downside to my CBX lust. In the early 80’s my finances improved enough to afford a CBX. So off I went with cash in my pocket. Took both an original and faired bike out for long test rides and…. to my surprise, I was disappointed. I much preferred the ‘81 CB900F that I owned. Couldn’t really pinpoint anything specific, I just felt more connected to the 900F. I guess sometimes it doesn’t pay to meet your heroes.
Next is an early Gold Wing.
This bike probably changed motorcycling touring (and gave Craig Vetter a great business opportunity) as much as any other bike ever changed any niche. Folks who weren’t around then probably have a hard time understanding just how impactful this bike was because it was a revelation in so many ways. Dual discs, water cooling, flat four, shaft drive, faux gas tank for storage/electrics, etc.. At a time (mid 70’s) when Honda street offerings had solidly settled in UJM cash cow territory, the Gold Wing demonstrated that Honda still had its mojo. The modern motorcycle touring market had begun.
Yamaha FZR 600. I’m guessing by the color, it’s a 1993. I think the basic shape and lines of the FZR Yamahas is the best looking “lineup” of sport bikes ever to come out of Japan. I particularly like the R/W/B OW01 and FZR1000.
Yamaha R1, but…
…done in Petronas livery (alluringly called Panache Green, Exotic Black and Misty Grey). WSBK fans may remember the Petronas FP1 produced in 2003 and raced through 2005. It was produced by the Malaysian oil/gas giant with a powertrain developed by Sauber (of F1 fame). The World Superbike team was managed/co branded by WSBK legend Carl Fogarty; with almost as legendary rider Troy Corser, as well as James Haydon.
Editor’s Note: we’ve sold a few FP1s over at Iconic, generally ranging from $45k-$60k. Here’s the one in the photograph, and here’s one with some more details.
The Wiki link is a “just the facts, ma’am” page; but the bike has a pretty interesting back story, well worth a read. Actually, it’s probably worth a lot more, since it involves “reports of deals gone bad, tax dodging, people being sued for tens of millions of dollars, bikes going missing, bikes found in containers, bikes impounded by foreign governments, debts owed, and gagging orders placed on anyone who had anything to do with the project”. Not to mention large companies, backroom dealings, a bike called the Momoto MM1, and even the Suez Canal. John Grishom could probably do a bestseller with it.
The legendary Foggy “eyes” on the Petronas.
BMW R90S & KTM Sumo 2 Stroke
The R90S is one of the most storied bikes in BMW’s history. I probably can’t tell you anything about it that you don’t already know. Except, maybe, that in 1973 you could buy the absolute Apex Predators of motorcycledom, Kawasaki’s Z1 (MSRP $1,895) and a Mach IV ( MSRP $1,386) for a combined $3,281 . Or an R90S for MSRP $3,430.
Oh, and on a tight/bumpy road, that KTM smoker will leave anything waaaay behind.
A couple of 90’s Ducs.
900SS
851
Both of these are significant in Ducati history. Starting with the rubber band 750 SS and continued with and through the 900SS (and other rubber band variants), these are the bikes that sold well enough that they pretty much saved Ducati in the late 80s/early 90’s by demonstrating enough virtue (mainly reliability and performance to go along with killer looks) to show that Ducati was a viable modern motorcycle manufacturer after all.
What the 750/900 SS did for Ducati’s street cred, the 4 valve/water cooled/fuel injected 851 did for its track cred: winning the 3rd WSBK championship in 1990, with family follow-ons 888/9XX/10XX winning 7 of the next 10, and 13 of the next 20 championships. And the street versions of the bikes showed that Ducati could build modern street legal superbikes with the best of them.
I’ve owned both these models. Loved the cachet of the 851 and there were times of sublime motorcycling perfection: but I preferred the 900SS as a street bike, and put over 45,000 miles on it. Sold it to an acquaintance over 25 years ago; and sadly, I found out that it has languished poorly for many of these years 
The 851 had a better post-Walter life; it wound up in a collection- where I think it still gets ridden.
Triumph Bonneville with Sidecar. I’m not much of a 3 wheeler fan; but thought this was one of the neatest rigs I’ve ever seen. Very well done.
Norton Commando Interstate
I have a known weakness for Commandos- goes back to what got me hooked on motorcycling in the first place- as a passenger on a friend’s new metal flake Commando S. Man, I didn’t know legal things could be so fast LOL. Been kind of soft on them ever since.
In 1972 Norton launched a bike in at least England called the Norton Commando Fastback LR- the LR standing for Long Range. Overall, the standard Fastback model (which debuted in 1967) was very rare in the US; and I’m not sure if the Fastback LR was ever brought into the US by Norton.
Meanwhile, for the US Norton brought in the Commando Interstate- basically a stock Commando with a larger gas tank (~6.5 gallons), full passenger seat, wider bars, and lower mufflers (to accommodate luggage that afaik was not offered in the US) to capture a piece of the American touring market. I think it looks very classy in the black/gold. As an aside, it looks like the one I posted has the more attractive upswept pipes of the Roadster.
By this time though, Norton was near the (first, as it turns out) end of its line; and the bike could have just as well been called the Norton Commando LG- as in Last Gasp. Note: I couldn’t end on such a down note. My recollection is that Norton per se was actually doing ok. But the British government decided that it needed to absorb some other Brit brands, which themselves were a collection of lost toys and become Norton Villiers Triumph in order to “continue the UK motorcycling industry”. It didn’t work.
BTW – I’m not 100% positive about all the Norton statements I wrote; so I invite you real experts to correct any mistakes I may have made.
Ok, time to wrap this up – with a bike I’d totally forgotten about, and have never actually seen in the metal.
From the linked article: basically FZR600 power with sport-touring pretensions. It’s the first Bimota production model ever to be assigned a name. Bellaria is the name of a beach near Rimini, where the Bimota factory is located; translated, it means “fresh air.” [Editor’s Note: we’ve sold one on Iconic but it was missing several parts, the buyer ended up spending as much in service as he paid for the bike originally.]
Though I doubt that this would ever make my top 100 “gee, wish I had one” list, it’s always a kick to see something for the first time.
