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1969 Triumph Tiger 650

In England, Standard by Chris CopeLeave a Comment

My father-in-law had a late ’60s Triumph Bonneville when he was a young man in the 1970s ─ hurtling down country lanes in England’s West Country and occasionally strapping a bag to the seat to make his way to France to watch the Bol d’Or. “I loved that bike,” he once told me. “But I was replacing parts on a …

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1964 Ducati Diana Mark 3

In Italy, Standard by Chris CopeLeave a Comment

Do you like beautiful things? Of course you do. Do you like beautiful things that are temperamental and may cause you to set fire to your garage? Then you’ll want this 60-year-old Ducati Diana Mark 3. First, though, let me save you the trouble of getting lost in a bunch of internet rabbit holes due to confusion caused by how …

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Power Cup Parts – 2008 BMW K1200R

In Germany, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

In the past, BMW has offered a few one-make races such as the BoxerCup with the R1100S. The successor was the Power Cup for the K1200R, and non-racers could get a kit of hop-up parts from certain dealerships in the US. As you guys and gals probably know, I own a BMW K1200R with 89k miles on it and I …

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In England – 1957 Dayton Albatross

In England, Scooter by Chris CopeLeave a Comment

From Abbotsford to Zapp, at some point in history there’s been at least one British motorcycle manufacturer for every letter of the alphabet. One of the more obscure of those was London-based Dayton Motorcycle Co., which operated sporadically: from 1913 to 1922, then again for one year in 1939 (when it was almost certainly derailed by the start of the …

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2007 BMW R1200S

In Germany, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

“Born in heaven, raised in hell.” That was one of the slogans BMW used when they introduced the R1200S, an evolution of the R1100S that fell much more on the ‘sport’ side of the sport-touring equation. It was the sportiest boxer twin BMW had ever built, and they emphasized the point by initially omitting factory luggage. A year later the …

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Ex-Military – 2016 Christini 450

In America, Dual-Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

You’ve seen two wheel drive bikes before thanks to companies like Rokon. But thanks to a fancy mechanical system enclosed within the head tub and frame, Christini has been the most successful manufacturer of two wheel drive bikes that can go anywhere and do it quickly. They’re also the only one who had any success (though limited) with selling bikes …

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Video Intermission – SoloMoto

In Intermissions by AbhiLeave a Comment

I’m flying back home to LA after some time on the East Coast to check out a couple of collections and then check in with my wonderful mother, so I wanted to share some stuff from my trip. Here’s a look at a shop I’m a big fan of: SoloMoto in Greenwich, Connecticut – run by Carlos Escudero.

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1986 Yamaha TZR250 1KT

In Japan, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

Loosely based on Yamaha’s TZ250 racer, the TZR was a 2 stroke sportbike built between ’86 and ’99 – in 1986 it was the first production 250cc motorcycle to lap Isle of Man’s TT course at over 100 miles per hour.