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News August 2023
Flashback:
Dinosaur soup, August 31
On Suzuki GSX1100s and why we all need
to own one or two or even three over a lifetime – see the Travels
with Guido story.
Honda GL1200 –
today's oddball, August 30
It may be hard to accept any Honda GL
series as an oddball, but this GL1200 Standard from the
mid-eighties seemed to enjoy a short time in the market,
when it's fully-dressed brethren such as the Interstate
and Aspencade were ruling the touring roost.
However there seems to be a group of Wing
nuts out there who are not only aware of the model but
hold it in high regard.
If you've ridden a naked Gold Wing – most
likely the original 1000 or second-gen 1100 – you may
understand that, while it will never be mistaken for a
sport bike, a naked Wing has a lot of virtues.
That's
something we can confirm after owning a first-model
GL1000 for a while (pictured below).
The GL1200 has fans for a number of
reasons, mostly to do with the powerplant. A
comprehensive upgrade saw it lift claimed power from
81hp at 7000rpm to 94. In addition, the gearing was
raised significantly for a far more relaxed highway
gait. Plus the valve lash adjustment was changed to
hydraulic, which made the engine as near as you get to
maintenance-free.
Honda also introduced linked braking
with this generation, connecting one of the front
discs to the rear, operated off the footpedal, while
the front lever operated as normal. Meanwhile the
frame had been upgraded to a stronger unit. Dry weight
was around 275kg.
Bring a Trailer sold the 1984 example you see here last February for Au$5800 (US$3700, GB£2900), which seems like a lot of bike for the money. We can't help thinking it would make a really good club run machine, particularly given how reliable they are.
Adventure Rider online makes a compelling
case for owning one, likening it to a forerunner of the
Valkyrie – see the story
here.
It mentions one currently for
sale in the USA via Cycle Trader at Au$6200
(US$4000, GB£3200).
See the 1975
GL1000 that was in our shed (above).
See our 1975 Gold
Wing GL1000 model profile.
See the Classic Two Wheels period road test of the GL1000.
See our 1500
Valkyrie profile.
Daytona
dreaming, August 29
Something we'd dearly love to add to our shed, one day, is a Moto Guzzi Daytona 1000.
Iconic Bike
Auctions in the USA sold a well-presented example
showing just 923 miles (1485km) on the odo in May 2023 for
Au$24,800 (US$16,000, GB£12,700).
Stylish and flawed, they are great
fun to ride. See our profile.
Ultimate
quarter-litre screamer, August 28
Today's random brochure: 1990 Honda NSR250R MC21. For many fans of two-strokes, this is an ultimate 'get' for the collection.
Under the paint is a V-twin liquid-cooled V-twin with a
fairly sophisticated ECU and six-speed transmission. It
claimed 45 horses (33kW) for a 151kg wet weight and was a
whole lot of fun on a track, claiming as it did some
substantial race DNA.
A Japan-only model, they have become popular as grey imports in several other markets.
Shannons sold one at auction last year for Au$18,500 (US$11,800, GB£9400).
Easily the best source for info on these is NSR250.net.
Great galloping
Munch, August 27
One of those bikes that, sadly, few of
us will get to ride, the Friedel Munch Mammoth. Jay Leno has
one in his shed (of course...) and shares the joy.
Motorcycle
Daily has a good backgrounder on Munch (above,
pic by Otto Hoffman) which includes the story on how
American racer and motorcycle workshop manual
publisher Floyd Clymer helped him to finance a
factory.
Slab of
goodness, August 26
We have a lot of time for early 'slab-side' Suzuki
GSX-R1100s as they're still a fun toy and have potential
as a classic.
These J models are the pick of the bunch as a ride, with
some nice upgrades such as the three-spoke Enkei wheels.
This one is
on offer on offer from Brad's
Vintage Cycle Sales in Queensland at Au$16,850
(US$10,800, GB£8600).
We recently
bought a Ducati from the same mob and found it a good
crew to deal with.
See our
GSX-R1100 buyer guide.
Senna time,
August 26
It seems the Ayrton Senna name still
has pull in the motorcycle collector world, nearly 30
years after the passing
of the F1 Maestro. Here are two recent examples.
First is a 2002 MV Agusta F4 750
Senna, which sold through Collecting Cars for
Au$40,250 (US$25,800, GB£20,500). It had zero
miles on the odo and that result is within a
whisker of its new price.
Another is the 1996 Ducati 916 Senna
we recently covered, which sold via
Shannons for $41,000 (US$26,400, GB£20,700).
That compares to a new price of
Au$32,000 (US$20,500, GB£16,300).
See our
MV Agusta F4 750 profile;
And our
Ducati 916 Senna profile.
Hayabusa poster,
August 25
Suzuki has made a Hayabusa poster –
showing all the variants across 25 years – available
for public download. Follow this link.
Krauser sale,
August 25
The Krauser MKM 1000 we covered August
20 (below) has sold via
Iconic for
Au$33,500 (US$21,500, GB£17,000).
Mixed fortunes
for Brits at auction, August 24
While Ducatis generally scored well at
the recent Shannons auction (see yesterday's story)
British bikes had somewhat mixed fortunes – which fits
a world-wide trend.
For example, a 1972 X-75
Triumph Vetter Hurricane in exceptional
unrestored condition, and with very good provenance,
went for Au$40,500 (US$26,200, GB£20,600). That's
solid money in anyone's language, but we have in the
past seen equivalent machines go for 50 per cent more
in a peak market.
See our
Vetter Hurricane profile.
There were some opportunities for the bargain hunter, such as a 1950 Tiger 100. A non-matching numbers example, it was an older restoration that was going to require some recommissioning. However at Au$7000 (US$4500, GB£3600) it looked like a very good project for someone who knew their way around a toolbox.
While some interesting lots such as a 1937 Brough Superior SS80 struggled, there was good news for the seller of a Vincent Rapide. Running a 1948 engine in a 1951 frame and requiring recommissioning, it went for an impressive Au$71,000 (US$46,000, GB£36,100).
Ducatifest at
Shannons, August 22
Ducatis were definitely flavour of the week for the Shannons auction that concluded in Melbourne last night. This 1974 750 Sport, one of two Sports on offer, hit Au$77,000 (US$50,000, GB£39,000) – a remarkable result, even allowing for it being a nice example.
A 1985 750 F1 also scored a solid result, at Au$38,000 (US$24,500, GB£19,200.
And to prove it wasn't just about air-cooled Ducatis, this 1996 916
Senna sold for $41,000 (US$26,400, GB£20,700).
Affordable Zed,
August 22
We're seeing
signs that a levelling-out across Western collector
markets is putting some classics back within
reasonable financial reach. The pattern seems to be
that very high-end machines are still getting top
dollar, but middle of the range lots are seeing prices
soften.
Yesterday's
report on the Mecum Monterey auction was one
indication and here is another.
This 1976 Kawasaki Z900 (aka KZ900 A4) recently sold via Bring a Trailer for Au$9000 (US$5800, GB£4500). It was a tidy rather than pristine example, with reproduction exhausts, and represented very good buying.
See the
Motorcycle Specs Z900 A4 backgrounder.
Big Gamma
result, August 21
The recent Mecum Monterey auction saw this 1986 Suzuki RG500 sell for Au$65,290 (US$41,800, GB£32,800) – a phenomenal result given it is a low-mile restored machine at 7900 miles (12,700km) rather than the usual collector target of something straight out of the maker's box.
But before you RG owners out there crack open the vintage champagne and put your own on the market, be warned this may be a one-off result as the machine was reported to have been built by Rick Lance, who was an RG legend in that part of the world. His workshop continues to trade after his passing in 2019.
In fact the general mood of the auction was far more
subdued than this result might indicate. Something like
half the the lots offered were passed in, suggesting
there was a big gap between buyer and seller price
expectations.
Vintage American motorcycles scored well. For example a 1915 8-valve
Indian board track racer went for Au$490,000
(US$313,500, GB£246,000)
Just to prove that wasn't a one-off, a 1918 Henderson Model H Four went for Au$473,000 (US$302,500, GB£238,000).
By way of contrast, Harley-Davidson Panheads generally
looked like good buying with prices around Au$30-35,000
(US$20-25,000, GB£15-18,000) – cheap compared to your
average Knucklehead at three times the price.
Blackbird – today's bang for
your buck, August 21
In case you hadn't noticed, there is a fair bit of
high-performance machinery available out there at the
moment for not a whole lot of money.
Honda's CBR1100XX Super Blackbird is as good an example
as any – once the marque's straight-line performance king
with a 290km/h top speed.
These were well designed and built, with an exceptionally
smooth and reliable drive train. Here's an example on the
market at the moment: A red 1998 model with 75,000km (not
a lot for these), with some touring extras such as screen
and heated grips, on Facebook
marketplace for Au$5000 (US$3200, GB£2500) and located
in Vic.
A potential bonus is early 'Birds like this are now
eligible for club plates in some states.
We've owned three Blackbirds over the years – see the one
that's currently in the shed.
Krauser MKM 1000
– today's oddball, August 20
Back in the mid-1980s Krauser founder Mike 'Gigi' Krauser
was keen to realise his ambitions to do a whole lot more
than make what was then class-leading motorcycle luggage.
The former German sidecar racing champion branched out in
a couple of directions and this was one of the results:
The Krauser MKM 1000.
Based on the R100 BMW boxer platform of the day, it ran a unique frame and bodywork and was hugely expensive.
If you wanted the whole package you ordered his four-valve heads, which aren't on the machine shown here.
This 1986 example
is up for auction with Iconic in the USA and bidding
has already met reserve at just Au$3300 (US$2100,
GB£1700).
Meanwhile let's not forget arguably his greatest success,
the Krauser Domani outfit of 1990, initially running a
K100 BMW powerplant before moving on to later 16-valve
variants.
Something over 100 have been made, with Japan turning out
to be a huge market, taking around one quarter of
production. New Zealand is also thought to have ordered
around 10 per cent. Keep in mind both countries are
right-hand-drive, when the Domani is left-hand and can't
be switched over.
Mike sadly died in 1991 but his family and then LCR Switzerland carried on
production.
Lost gems:
Yamaha TDR250, August 19
Do you remember these, Yamaha's TDR250 dual-purpose
two-stroke?
We recall
riding one when they were new (circa 1988) and
thoroughly enjoying its light manners and punchy
performance.
This example
is up for auction via Iconic in the USA.
See the
Motorcycle Specs backgrounder.
Honda CB500T –
today's random brochure, August 18
Does anyone remember these? Not the quickest thing out
there, but the CB500T had enough poke to amble along at a
decent rate.
However reviews complaining of vibration and transmission
backlash helped to kill them off. The model ran 1975-76,
by which time the market had well and truly overtaken the
late 1960s spec. We seem to recall sales were sluggish and
suspect the survival rate is low. Are there any still
running out there?
A nice example sold through
Mecum in the USA in 2022, for Au$8600 (US$5500,
GB£4300).
See the
Motorcycle Specs data and backgrounder.
Flashback: Super
stroker – Aprilia RS250, August 18
Aprilia's RS250 series was a high point in two-stroke motorcycle development...see the feature.
And find some for sale via Bikesales.
Suzuki tempter,
August 17
Someone please buy this thing before we get a sudden rush
of blood to the wallet and do something rash, like add it
to our already over-stuffed shed.
Suzuki's GSX1100E is a favourite of ours and this 1981
machine is one of the better-looking examples we've seen
in a long time. A USA import, it claims 33,000 miles
(53,000km) and is on the market via Facebook at
Au$14,000 (US$9000, GB£4500).
We've owned two in the past – see the story on
one of them here.
Triumph MX –
behind the scenes, August 17
Triumph
Motorcycles has released a video series going behind
the scenes of the development of its new motocross and
enduro bikes, hosted in large part by multi-time AMA
MX champion Ricky Carmichael.
So far the chassis and engine are covered.
It provides a rare insight into the process and the people behind a greenfield development project and is well worth watching. See it here.
Phil Irving
archives at auction, August 16
A collection of
correspondence, drawings and other documents once owned by
Phil Irving MBE is up for auction via Doningtons in
Melbourne.
Irving is best
known for his work on the legendary Vincent HRD line of
motorcycles, and the creation of the RB620 V8 Repco
Brabham engine that took Sir Jack Brabham to an F1 title
in 1966. (That's Brabham and Irving pictured, above.)
His name has
been associated with an incredible list of car and
motorcycle brands across the years.
Among the gems is a 1949 drawing and letter from JA Prestwich detailing a V-twin OHV race engine offered to "Hunts Cycle & Motor Depot", aka Reg Hunt.
Phil Irving Wikipedia profile.
Gold Star
restomod, August 15
On the face of it, a
60-something-year-old big Brit single doesn't necessarily
sound like the easiest company for your next ride, even if
it is a classic event. However this restomod 1959 BSA
DBD34 Gold Star goes a long way towards changing that.
The subject of a fresh resto, it
carries a list of goodies including a Pearson electric
start conversion (the big winner from our point of
view), 12 volt electrics, Alton
alternator, standard T2 gearbox,
Dow front fork damper kit, twin leading shoe front
brake (original available), and 4 gallon tank (3
gallon available).
We'll admit to being a little tempted.
How much? Au$35,000 (US$22,600, GB£17,800) via
Union Jack Motorcycles.
See the Motorcycle
Specs backgrounder on this model.
Of course the BSA marque and Gold Star
name have been revived recently via Mahindra of India – see our quick overview.
Triple stroker,
August 14
It's a long time since we rode one, but we seem to recall the Kawasaki S3 400 was arguably the sweetest of the triple-cylinder two-strokes out of the mid-seventies brand line-up.
This very low-use 1974 example, claiming 3200 miles (5150km), is up for sale via Ebay in the UK, priced at Au$15,600 (US$10,150, GB£8000).
Today's random
revivalist: Jawa, August 13
There was a time when Czech marque Jawa could boast massive production numbers and did so with some spectacularly good-looking ads, like the one above featuring a 250 twin-port model 353.
And the USA importers clearly saw an opportunity.
In a story that will sound familiar to long-term followers of the international industry, India began making Jawas under licence in the 1960s. Now the company is Indian-owned and has been revived with a fresh line-up.
Suzuki
throwback, August 12
It's not often you see one of these pop up on the market
– a 2003 Suzuki GS1200SS. This is a model that, sadly,
never made it to Australia as a factory import.
The combination of throwback styling to early 'slabbie' GSX-Rs and a 100-horse variant of a Bandit 1200 engine would make it a pretty engaging ride.
This example had a few miles on board (56,000km/35,000
miles) and was up for sale via Iconic. It scored a top
bid of Au$7100 (US$4600, GB£3600), which wasn't
enough to score the keys.
Ducatifest at
Shannons, August 11
Next week's Shannons classic vehicle auction in Australia has a dozen Ducatis on offer, some of which are shown here. The majority came from a single Brisbane collection.
If you are
after best bang for your buck, we'd argue the 2000
748R would be the pick, carrying an
estimate of Au$10-15,000. You get 916 looks and
arguably a sweeter ride for a whole lot less money. See the
Motorcycle Specs backgrounder.
We have a
host of Ducati features – see them here.
Aprilia Tuono
Factory Racing – today's tempter, August 10
And now for something very different – one of Aprilia's first-gen Tuono factory hotrods has popped up on the market. They're a rare sight over here and the seller says some 400 were made.
Located in Melbourne, it lists
42,150km (26,200 miles) on the odo and is on the
market via Facebook at Au$21,490 (US$14,000,
GB£11,000).
See our
future collectible profile on the Tuono V-twin
series.
Honda single
style – today's random brochure, August 9
We reckon there's a fair bit of eighties glam going on in this ad for Honda's mighty XBR500, which was the platform for the more stylish GB500 variants (below).
We had an XBR in the shed for while and had some fun with it – see the story here.
Meet the
Tamburini twins, August 8
Call it obsessive, but a long-held ambition to have the Tamburini twins in the shed has been realised.
At left is an Varese-build 1994 Ducati 916 Strada and at right is a 2006 MV Agusta F4 1000 Nero.
The latter
was an obscure Australia-only model of which 21 were
made. Its difference to a standard F4 was cosmetic,
including the satin black paint. See the
contemporary New Atlas story.
Why? Well, to
us they represent the work of designer
Massimo Tamburini at the height of his powers.
We're in the
throes of getting them registered (club plates in the
case of the Ducati) and we'll bring you more once the
proverbial dust has settled.
MV Agusta F4
Tamburini edition profile
Honda CB400
pipefest – today's random brochure, August 7
Honda's CB400 Four Super Sport had one of the greatest sets of exhaust pipes that ever graced motorcycling...any other nominations?
Highs and lows
for Brit auction, August 6
A recent classics auction by
Silverstone in the UK had some interesting highs and
lows. One of the hero results was for this 1998 Ducati
916 Carl Fogarty replica 996, number 1 of 202. Showing
just three miles on the odo, it sold for
Au$119,000 (US$78,400, GB£61,500).
Hinting at an overall softening of the
UK market was (among many other lots) this 1973
Kawasaki Z1. A nicely restored example with a set of
owner books, it passed in at auction and is now for
sale at Au$30,600 (US$20,200, GB£15,850). That's
still substantial money, but well below the highs we
were seeing a year ago.
We've also seen UK Vincent prices easing off over the last year, to the point where an import looks like a viable alternative. This 1951 Series C Black Shadow was in good working though not pristine condition and came with its original registration. It went for Au$57,700 (US$38,000, GB£29,800).
Buell – exotica
on a budget, August 5
If you're in the hunt for something very different to the run of the mill, but don't have squillions to spend, we reckon Buell is worth a look.
The engineering was always on the creative side and generally they're a pretty engaging thing to ride.
Here's an
example: A 2008 XB12Ss Lightning Long with 18,000km
(11,000 miles) on the market
via Facebook at Au$12,000 (US$11,800, GB£9300).
See our
feature on Buell's air-cooled series.
What now for MV?
August 5
Australian Motor Cycle News (AMCN)
has an in-depth look at where MV Agusta is heading, now
that KTM and by extension CF Moto have a financial
interest via Pierer Mobility. See the story
here.
Meanwhile we have a host of MV stories
at our feature index – see them here.
Darwin run – the
final chapter, August 4
A final strop to get home and some conclusions about the good and debatable decisions for what turned out to be an epic and fantastic trip...see it here.
Big vistas and a
quirky collection, August 3
It's been a day for wide-open vistas and a quirky
motorcycle collection...see our Darwin
Run update here.
How much for the
Desmosedici? August 3
Ducati's
1500-strong fleet of Desmosedici sold quickly and with
little trouble back in 2007-2008 and most have since
been tucked away with minimal or no use. This one has
done more work than most, at a little over 6000km
(3800 miles) and sold with
Iconic in the USA for Au$90,000 (US$58,850,
GB£46,300).
It's
interesting reading the service history of this bike,
which included a few recalls and a transmission
rebuild under warranty, caused by a stray selector
spring.
Initially priced at Au$111,000
(US$72,500, GB£57,000), we've since seen mint examples
sell at auction for roughly new price and sometimes a
little more. However sellers seem to be asking
considerably more.
See our
profile of the Desmosedici.
Downhill run,
August 2
Today was the downhill run for the outback section of the
trip. It's funny how you settle into a situation, along
with its discomforts. Maybe it's Stockholm Syndrome in
action...see the full story here.
Lambretta
relaunch, August 1
Lambretta has relaunched in Australia with a fuel-injected 169cc model running ABS, called the V-200 and priced at Au$5790 (US$3900, GB£3000) plus on-road costs. More at lambrettaaustralia.com.au.
Coober crazy,
August 1
Third time lucky...you see this is my third attempt in
the last five years to make it to Coober Pedy, on a
recently-purchased motorcycle – in time to make the motel
booking. See the story here.
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