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What's happening
News Feb 2022
Flashback:
Bimmer Muscle, Feb 28
BMW’s first pukka ratbag bike is worth a punt...see it here.
Speaking terms,
Feb 27
At last. Near enough
to nine months after making the fateful phone call
to young Phil, the previous owner, the mighty Wing
is pretty much where I want it to be.
We (as in the bike and I) are now officially on speaking terms...see it here.
MV Gold, Feb 26
The bike that saw the revival of MV
Agusta...see it here.
And see our F4 S future
collectible piece here.
Big money for
Kawasaki ZX-7R K2, Feb 25
Iconic in the USA recently sold a 1992
Kawasaki ZX-7R K2, still in the crate, for an
extraordinary Au$97,000 (US$70,000, GB£52,000). See the lot here.
This was a world superbike series homologation special and, as always, the combination of comparitive rarity, good looks, and near enough to zero miles have proven to be catnip for investors. The 750 claimed 120 horses – serious performance for the class at the time.
See this
enthusiast site that disentangles the ZX-7/ZXR
alphabet soup across various models.
500 GP replicas
at Shannons, Feb 24
Shannons auctions currently has a set of
three 1980s GP replicas among its offerings: A Yamaha RZV500,
and two Suzuki RG500s – one in blue/white
and another in
red/white.
The trio have some ambitious starting
bids set: Au$40k for the Yamaha (US$29,000, GB£21,000)
and Au$50k (US$36,000, GB£27,000) each for the
Suzukis.
Prices for RZ and RG series have been
climbing strongly in recent years. See the AMCN
backgrounder on the Yamahas here,
and our backgrounder on the Suzukis here.
See the full auction
cattledog here.
Plus, we have a Yamaha RZ500 restomod
feature here.
Triumph
Bonneville – the Meriden era, Feb 22
Ian Falloon picks the best vintage – see the story here.
Stone reminder,
Feb 21
Stone, the
legendary seventies Aussie bike movie – which has
developed a cult following over the years – is to
get a one-off run at Melbourne's massive IMAX on
February 24, at 7.30pm. Details here.
Director
Sandy Harbutt interview - The
Guardian
Memorial ride
and cast interview - Info Moto
Triple treat,
Feb 20
Kawasaki S3 400 gained nothing like
the publicity of its big brothers, but folk who
experienced one have over the years commented it may
actually be a better thing to ride. See our mini profile on the model.
Italian stallion, Feb 19
Falloon walks us through the MV Agusta 750S story...see it here.
See the Classic Two Wheels 1972 road test
Vespa style, Feb
18
Contrasting styles for classic Vespa
ads...
Big sky
dreaming, Feb 17
From our Travels
with Guido series: Sometimes you need to
forget the bike and instead concentrate on what it’s
for...see the story here.
A bike called
Hurricane, Feb 16
Vetter's
Triumph X75 Hurricane started out as a BSA and has a
troubled history...see the
story.
Brough love, Feb
15
Hand-made and in more demand than ever
-– that's classic Brough Superior. See Falloon's profile.
Early stroker,
Feb 14
Handsome devil, isn't it? This 1968
Yamaha Y2RC 350cc two-stroke twin was offered on Bring a
Trailer recently. The apparently low-mile example had some
recommissioning work done and sold for just
Au$6900 (US$4900, GB£3600).
That strikes us as good buying.
The scrambler claimed 36 horses for a
155kg wet weight and a top speed of 145-155km/h.
See our quick profile
on the early street 350s, here.
CeeBee Extreme,
Feb 13
Spotted on a Japan
Facebook page, these two gems of shots
apparently showing former motocross champ Tadao Suzuki
doing extreme things to Honda CB750-Fours.
Big classic
rallies, Feb 12
There are a couple of big classic rallies
coming up in March and April.
First up the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club's annual gig in Bendigo (Victoria) on March 25-27. See the details here.
Next up is of course the All-British
Rally run by the local BSA club in Victoria. It's located
at Newstead near Castlemaine on April 22-23. The booking
page is here.
'New' Honda 400-Four for auction, Feb 11
It's hard to believe they're still out
there, but this new-old-stock 1978 Honda CB400-Four
has popped up on the market at Silverstone Auctions in
the UK.
It's part of a larger event and is estimated at
Au$11-15,000 (US$8-11,000, GB£6-8000). See the bike
here.
See our Honda
400-Four profile
Moto Guzzi 850 Le Mans, Feb 11
From Ian Falloon:
The mid-1970s was a halcyon
time for the Italian motorcycle industry with all the
major manufacturers producing class-leading sporting
machines. Determined not to be outdone by Ducati,
Laverda, and MV Agusta, in 1975 Moto Guzzi released
their spectacular 850 Le Mans...more here.
Falloon on BMW
R69S, Feb 10
Although
BMW has produced a variety of single, twin, four and
six cylinder motorcycles, it is the boxer twin that
has become the BMW trademark. Ever since the first
R32 of 1923, the most prized BMWs have been flat
twins, and one of the most sought-after is the 600cc
R69S. Full story here
Cheeky stroker,
Feb 9
Our random cheeky ad for the day – Kawasaki Mach III by the west coast USA distributor, circa 1970.
Specs and backgrounder at Motorcycle Specs
Stone rides
again, Feb 8
Save the date in your
diary: Stone, the legendary seventies Aussie
bike movie – which has developed a cult following over
the years – is to get a one-off run at Melbourne's
massive IMAX on February 24, at 7.30pm. Details here.
Director
Sandy Harbutt interview - The
Guardian
Memorial ride
and cast interview - Info Moto
See the trailer
Blackbird by the
numbers, Feb 7
A recent
workshop bill gave us cause to look at how the
Blackbird stacks up long-term...see the story.
Suzuki GS750G
– today's random brochure, Feb 6
This Japan model was one we never saw
in Australia, though we did get the 850, 1000 and 1100
variants. Specs at
Motorcycle Specs.
Yamaha FJ1200 –
today's time machine, Feb 5
It's year 2000 and this Yamaha FJ1200, claiming low
miles, is on the market for just Au$4900 (US$3500,
GB£2600). The big bruiser was in its second generation by
the time this one was produced and was an epic
long-distance sports-tourer.
We noted in a feature on the FJ1100/1200
series: "When
Yamaha's big FJ1100 was finally launched in 1984, two
years after its predecessor XS1100 series had
disappeared out of showrooms, it was regarded as a very
serious performance bike." See the story here.
This machine would have cost Au$8000 ($US$5700, GB£4200)
plus on-road costs when new and, if it remains in good
shape, might be worth a similar figure now. Add 50 per
cent for a restored one.
Falloon on
Laverda 750 SFC, Feb 4
From author Ian Falloon:
Today we are used to sanitary motorcycles, machines that
are easy to operate and packed with user-friendly
features. Life was not always like this, and in Northern
Italy during the 1960s and 1970s Laverda specialized in
producing single purpose motorcycles.
Outlandish and brutal, and designed for the alpine roads
on their back doorstep, the 750 SFC was the ultimate early
1970s factory racer...more here.
Want earlier news & views? See our archive.
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