The last two-stroke officially imported into the US, the RZ350 is very much a sought-after collectors bike in the US. Only sold in the states from 84-85, these bikes were incredibly fast for 350cc, and absolutely look the part. Estimated production of these bikes was around 20,000 – accidents and time have worn down that number significantly, though you can …
Honda Motocompo
Sold for only 3 years, the Honda Motocompo was a tiny 50cc folding scooter designed to fit into the trunks of the subcompact cars Honda was making at the time, like the City. In fact, the City’s trunk was designed specifically to house the Motocompo. As it was only made for a few years (and designed to stay in the …
1974 Yamaha TX750
Made only for two years, the TX750 was Yamaha’s attempt of creating a parallel twin with the smoothness of an inline four engine. Using a pair of balancers (called Omni-Phase), it eliminated vibration to a level never seen before in a twin. Cycle World reviewed it and heaped praised on the TX750. “The result is smoothness beyond belief,” . “Shut …
1997 Moto Guzzi Sport 1100i
Moto Guzzi fans are few and far between in this country, but they’re a passionate group. Big bikes with lovely, torquey V-Twin engines, Guzzi typically makes cruisers and standard bikes. But the Moto Guzzi Sport 1100i was a beautiful deviation from the norm.
1 of 200 – 1988 Yamaha FZR750RU
Built specifically to meet AMA racing homologation rules, the FZR750RU was only made for one year and cost $6899 at the time – more expensive than even most liter bikes of the time. Though fully street legal, this bike was intended to be a fully fledged road racer. This specific example has covered 36k miles, and comes with spares as …
Mini Gixxer – 1987 Suzuki GSX-R50
In the late 80s, Japanese manufacturers made a series of mini-bikes. While the Yamaha YSR50 and Honda NSR50 are probably some of the most common, the Suzuki GSXR-50 was one of the best looking, due to the full fairings and 4 interesting graphics packages available. The little gixxer was only made for 2 years, which means it’s one of the …
2004 BMW R1100S
Nowadays, thanks to the S1000RR, the idea of BMW making a true sportbike is no longer a laughing matter. Back in 1999, however, BMW took the most powerful boxer engine it had at the time and made their most aggressive looking bike so far, the BMW R1100S. Despite the looks, this is more of a sport-tourer than an outright sports …
1974.5 Maico 400
Post-Listing Update: This Maico 400 was pulled from eBay, final sale price unknown. Despite the reputation for poor reliability, by 1973 the Maico 400 was the top choice of open class riders in the US. Because of that, for those in the know, the 1974.5 Maico 400 is one of the most sought-after vintage MX bikes of all time. Here’s …
2001 BMW R1150GS – Nicaraguan Fly and Ride
Now this is a true fly and ride – buy this bike in Nicaragua, and see where the road takes you! Even though I own one of these bikes myself (and I adore it), I don’t consider the 1150GS to be rare or unique. With that said, the opportunity presented here is definitely unique, and worth sharing in the …
1978 Laverda Jota America
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 …