Despite the name, the Laverda Jota America was a 3-cylinder superbike that was rarely seen in the United States. With an odd crankshaft design (180 degree flat crank), the Jota produces a very unique sound that owners enjoy. This bike has been the beneficiary of several period-specific mods, including rear-sets, Jota exhuast, Progressive shocks, 4C Jota cams, and Moto-Witt ignition. …
2002 KTM Duke II
Supermotos are some of the most fun you can have on two wheels, though their nature means they usually serve duty as a 2nd bike or toy as opposed to a daily rider. The 640 KTM Duke II was one of the first supermotos to sell in any numbers in the US, and it introduced a lot of riders to …
2000 Cagiva Gran Canyon
Cagiva is an interesting phenomena in the states – they sold poorly, they’ve withdrawn on the US market so dealer support is basically non-existent, and even though they sourced Ducati engines, they never really made the kind of power you’d expect them to. Yet there’s something about these bikes that a niche group of riders finds irresistible, and owners are …
2WD – 1969 Rokon Trailbreaker
Founded in the early 60s, Rokon was created to sell a two-wheel drive ‘moto-tractor’. Using a combination of belt, chain, and shaft drives, both the front and rear wheels are powered, enabling the rider to cover the most rugged of terrain. These older Rokons are powered with a 130cc Chrylser engine, though newer ones come with Honda engines producing no …
1991 Honda Hawk
In the late 80s, Honda introduced one of the first modern production naked motorcycles. Though the Honda Hawk (also known as the N650GT) was not a commercial success, it went on to inspire more prevalent motorcycles like the Suzuki SV650N, and has become an absolute cult favorite. This specific Honda Hawk, a ’91 (the last year of American sales), has …
Black and White – 1974 BMW R90/6 Hack
The R90/6 was introduced to the world in 1974 and came out to instant acclaim from motorcycling magazines. Cycle World stated, “The new BMW R90/6 is so exciting it’s difficult to find a point at which to begin describing it,” and other magazines has similar praise ready to go. Providing a much needed bump in power from the R75/5, the extra 150cc …
1989 Honda GB500 – The British Bike from Japan
In the late 80s, Honda took a risk and sleeved down the motor from the popular XR600 dual-sport, prettied it up, and surrounded it with cafe-style bodywork evoking images of 60s British cafe racers. Only imported into the States from 1989-1990, the Honda GB500 was too slow for American tastes at the time and thus sold poorly. It wasn’t cheap …
1979 Yamaha SR500
The Yamaha SR500 has been a popular bike for decades, due to clean styling and a reliable single-cylinder engine. These traits have also led this bike to be the base for thousands of custom works, including choppers, dirt-trackers, and cafe racers.
2010 KTM RC8R
KTM does not have much of a street presence in the United States – but with bikes like the RC8R it’s hard to understand why that’s the case. This distinctive-looking Superbike is full of high-end components and makes around 170hp.
Clutchless – 2002 Ridley Speedster
The Ridley Speedster was one of the few models from the now defunct Ridley Motorcycle Company. Ridley was founded back in 1995 on the premise that no motorcycles at the time were available with an automatic transmission, and the hope was that removing shifting from the equation would make it easier for some individuals to get on a bike and …
1993 Yamaha GTS1000
For only one year in the US, Yamaha sold a sport-touring bike that was far ahead of its time – the GTS1000. Full of technology that would not make its way to most bikes for years to come, the GTS featured fuel injection, ABS brakes, and most importantly, the RADD front suspension designed by James Parker. This suspension was able …
2000 Moto Guzzi Quota
As a R1150GS owner myself, I’m a big fan of large displacement dual-sports, particularly of the opposite-cylinder variety. This big V-Twin checks all the right boxes for an all-rounder, with the added benefit that you’re going to stand out from the GSes with a bike this rare. A concern with rare bikes is always going to be maintenance and parts …
5 Most Popular Bike-uriosities of 2013
Bike-urious started just 9 months ago, but we’ve had a great first year. Let’s take a moment to recap a few things: First, we decided to expand into the world of social media. Feel free to follow us at the following: Facebook Twitter Instagram Second, we added a ’68 Honda S90, ’03 BMW R1150GS, and a ’06 BMW K1200R to …