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1981 Ducati MHR 900

In Italy, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

Built to celebrate Mike the Bike’s comeback triumph at the ’78 Isle of Man TT, the Ducati 900 MHR (Mike Hailwood Replica) was initially produced solely for homologation purposes. As such, just 200 were built in 1979. But demand was so high that Ducati decided to keep production going, and by the end of the run in 1986 the Italian …

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Street Tracker – 1980 Yamaha SR500

In Custom, Japan by Gray Van DykeLeave a Comment

Thanks to a combination of light weight and a torquey, simple motor, Yamaha SR500s are popular fodder for custom builders. The 499cc single is a call back to the legendary thumpers from BSA, Matchless, Velocette, Norton, and Triumph, and the bike’s svelte curb weight makes for big fun factor despite its humble top speed. (We’ve actually featured quite a few …

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Picture Intermission – 12-24 Saturday Ride

In Blog by AbhiLeave a Comment

Normally, us folks at Iconic do a ride on Sunday mornings with anyone that wants to join us. Seeing as past Sunday was Christmas, we gave our employees Saturday off…and then figured we should ride Saturday morning instead! We did the same for NYE, so now I finally have a few minutes to write up a post about it.

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2000 Honda Superhawk Track Bike

In Custom, Japan, Race by Gray Van DykeLeave a Comment

Honda first introduced the VTR1000F (known as the Superhawk in the US, and as the Firestorm around the rest of the world) in 1997 in an effort to challenge Ducati’s sportbike dominance. The model was intended to combine the soulful performance of a big V-twin with the trusted reliability of Japanese manufacturing.

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In England – 2008 Vyrus 985 C3 4V Carbon

In Italy, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

If the hub-center craziness of the Bimota Tesi 3D isn’t powerful and exotic enough for you, then you need to give Vyrus a call. Circa 2008, Bimota’s hub-center steering flagship was making 95 horsepower thanks to a Ducati 1100 Evo motor. Meanwhile, Vyrus was stuffing a Ducati 999R motor – and that was good for 150 hp. That, among other …

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GS Conversion – 1984 BMW R80ST

In Custom, Dual-Sport, Germany by AbhiLeave a Comment

For two years, BMW created a street-focused variant of the R80GS. They only sold 5,963 examples of what was named the R80ST, and approximately 15% of them were exported to the US. Changes to the ST compared to the GS included less travel in the suspension, a 19″ front wheel and a total weight of 396 pounds. The engine produced …

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100 Helmet Collection

In Custom by AbhiLeave a Comment

Someone’s offering up an interesting collection of helmets on eBay – some are very cool, some not so much, but they’re all being sold as one lot so you can’t pick and choose the ones you want.

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1990 Honda NX125

In Dual-Sport, Japan, Small Displacement by AbhiLeave a Comment

The Honda NX125 was the smallest of the NX’s, which were only imported for a few years. The combination of XR-roots with a slightly more street friendly composition made it an excellent all-rounder. Offered in the states in 125, 250, and 650cc versions, the NX650 was by far the most popular in the US.

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Revival-Built 2007 Buell XB12X Custom

In America, Custom, Off-Road by Gray Van DykeLeave a Comment

Back in the early oughts — long before Harley had even begun development of the Pan America — Buell dove headfirst into the ADV market with the Ulysses XB12X. Between the sportbike-like handling, the in-frame fuel reservoir, and the large, floating front rotor, it was undeniably forward-thinking for its time. Admittedly, however, its reception was pretty mixed; the styling was …

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212 Miles – 1977 Bultaco Alpina 350

In Dual-Sport, Spain by AbhiLeave a Comment

After the success of the Sherpa T, Bultaco released the Alpina 250, a bike specifically built for enduro riders. After 3 years, Bultaco offered a more powerful 350 variant, which you see in front of you. But this example is impressively oriignal (down to the tires) and it has covered just 212 miles.

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Japanese Metisse – An XS650-Powered Rickman Mk3

In England, Japan, Off-Road by Gray Van DykeLeave a Comment

Back in the 1950s, two English brothers named Don and Derek Rickman decided to jump into the motorcycle market by building frames of their own design. Both experienced dirt riders, they took experience racing motocross around Europe and materialized it in the form of the “Metisse.” Beyond its premium craftsmanship — it was machined from a lightweight chromoly, and there …

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2003 Aprilia RSV Mille R Haga Edition

In Italy, Sport by AbhiLeave a Comment

During the 2002 World Superbike season, Noriyuki Haga — also known as the the “Samurai of Slide” or “Nitro Nori” — placed fourth overall on his RSV Mille. Aprilia commemorated Haga’s efforts with a limited production run of the RSV Mille R. Just 300 Haga Replicas were built for the 2003 model year, 60 of which were sold in the …