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.
Revival-Built 2007 Buell XB12X Custom
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 …
212 Miles – 1977 Bultaco Alpina 350
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.
Touareg Blue – 1986 BMW R80GS
We’ve featured many examples of the BMW R80GS here – a bike that arguably jump started the adventure bike craze – but this is a rare example in color code 628: Touareg Blue/Alpine White (this colorway was not offered in the US).
Japanese Metisse – An XS650-Powered Rickman Mk3
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 …
2003 Aprilia RSV Mille R Haga Edition
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 …
1974 Gus Kuhn Seeley Norton Commando 850
After a successful career in trials, scrambles, and TT racing, Gus Kuhn founded a dealership with his namesake in 1932. His wife fell ill in the 40s, and he took a back seat and let Vincent Davey start taking over the reins. When Norton released the Commando in ’68, Vincent thought it’d be a great model to start a race …
1978 Kawasaki KX250
In 1978, Kawasaki debuted a “works replica” called the KX250 A-4. PulpMX called it “a works bike for the chosen few,” and it was a limited production (~1,500, ~600 of which came to the US) notice to the rest of the industry that Team Green was getting serious about MX after a few years of dismal sales.
379 Miles – 1989 Yamaha DT50
Introduced in 1981, the Yamaha DT50 (also known as the DT50MX) was barely updated throughout its 15-year production run.