Why am I on top of a shipping container in that lead image? Because we got 30 bikes in from Japan! Even better, about half of them are awesome little-displacement motorcycles that were never sold in the US: Motocompos, a NSR50, KSR80, TDR50…you get the idea!
Iconic’s Top 10 of 2022
Now that 2022 is over, I wanted to share a little summary of the 10 most viewed auctions of 2022 we had at Iconic Motorbikes. Here’s some highlights and some of my thoughts!
Boxer Mashup: A BMW /6-Swapped Sidecar Rig
With their broad power bands, smooth torque delivery, and unfailing reliability, boxer engines have long been a natural first choice for sidecar platforms. BMW’s start with three-wheeled rigs was during the second World War, and, Ural – their Russian counterpart – is one of the few marques that still offers them fitted from the factory.
1 Mile – 1996 Bimota BB1 Supermono
Bimota’s first BMW-powered motorcycle, the BB1 Supermono was also the first Bimota to be powered by a single-cylinder motor. In total, 524 were sold – 376 as a red/grey Supermono and another 148 Supermono Bipostos in dark blue…as found here. This one’s up for auction with us over at Iconic, and it’s never been ridden!
Johann Zarco Moto2 Mount – 2013 Suter MMX2
1-3-22 Update: Four years later, this bike is back up for sale with us over at Iconic Motorbikes! It’s up to 433 miles, and the seller is letting it go as he’s fallen in love with the BMW HP4 Race as a track bike. You can find it in Cresson, Texas with bidding up to $55,200 and the reserve already …
1981 Ducati MHR 900
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 …
Street Tracker – 1980 Yamaha SR500
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 …
Picture Intermission – 12-24 Saturday Ride
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.
2000 Honda Superhawk Track Bike
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.
In England – 2008 Vyrus 985 C3 4V Carbon
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 …
GS Conversion – 1984 BMW R80ST
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 …
What Do You Want To Know? 2022 Krämer HKR Evo2 S
View Post100 Helmet Collection
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.
2011 Aprilia RS4
Over on the auction site we’ve got something that was never sold in the US – an Aprilia RS4. We’re used to seeing the RSV4 here, but the RS4 is a little 125cc that was introduced in 2011 as the successor to the RS125 two-stroke.
1990 Honda NX125
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.