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News Jan 2024
The big run, Jan
31
We've recently written a feature for bikesales
on the gentle art of
getting the most out of a long motorcycle trip. See
it here.
Much of the piece was based on our 2023 Darwin run, where we flew up, bought a 21-year-old BMW R1150GS and rode it 3800km (2360 miles) home to Melbourne. See the road diary for that trip.
We've now ended up with two R1150GS in
the shed – see the story.
Early bird
adventure tourer, Jan 30
In case you thought the concept of
adventure touring started in 1980 with BMW's
unquestionably hugely significant and influential R80G/S,
here's Triumph's crack at a similar idea for the 1973-74
model years.
Coded as the TR5T, it was called the
Adventurer or Trophy Trail depending on market.
It combined a BSA scrambler-style
frame from its single-cylinder series, married to a
Triumph Trophy 500 twin which, by the way, was
smoother if less punchy than its bigger brothers. It
claimed 30hp (22.4kW) at 7500rpm, punting an admirably
low wet weight of 159kg. Top speed was 90mph (140km/h)
See the data
and backgrounder at Motorcycle Specs.
There was an element of parts-foraging
for this model, with Lucas electrics and Yamaha
controls: see the
profile at the Triumph Owners MCC Uk website.
Play time, Jan
29
Our 1999 Hayabusa is now on club plates
and we finally got around to taking it for a bit of a
gallop. With under 17,000km on the odo, it feels like a
new one thanks to Allan over at Fearless
Motorcycles in SA. More to come...
In the meantime, we have a heap of Suzuki
Hayabusa resources on our features page.
Rare Zed pulls huge interest, Jan 29
The recently-completed Mecum auction in
Las Vegas produced its fair share of surprises, including
this: a 1974 Kawasaki Z2 750RS which had been restored to
a high standard and has won several show awards since its
completion.
It sold for
Au$142,000 (US$93,500, GB£73,600), towards the
lower end of the pre-auction estimate.
However the sale has now fallen
through, as a number of issues were raised over its
authenticity. See the
YouTube video.
According to the sale description: "This
stunning 1974 Kawasaki Z2 750RS is a rare two-year-only
model, and has been totally restored to a concours
standard. While Kawasaki topped the Japanese superbike
stakes with its 900cc Z1 in 1972, the factory thought it
best to cover all bases, offering the Z2 750RS in 1974
as a smaller-capacity version of its 'New York Steak'
project, with identical styling, targeting the Japanese
market with a 750cc machine with nearly the same
performance but in a much more favorable tax bracket.
"Finding
a Z2 in the US is very rare, and this machine is likely
an original Japanese domestic model, as it includes the
original manual and warranty, both in Japanese. The Z2’s
746cc DOHC 4-cylinder motor put out 69hp (51kW) at
9000rpm, giving a 125mph (200km/h) top speed for this
510-pound (230kg) flyer."
As you can see, it easily outperformed the usual four-stroke Kawasaki stars, namely the Z1 and Z900 series.
Bargain
bruisers, Jan 28
BMW's now
two-decade-old R1150GS series proves the terms cheap
and capable are not mutually exclusive. See the story.
Mecum highs
and lows, Jan 28
Here are some highs and lows as the
2000-bike Mecum auction in Las Vegas enters its final
day.
The big money was mostly directed at
historic American iron, though there were also a
couple of surprises. (Note all the prices are USD –
multiply by 1.5 for Australian dollars.)
For a start the 1911
Harley-Davidson 7D, from the first year of
V-twin production, failed to sell at $200k. The
pre-auction estimate was $400-500k!
Two Brough Superior SS100s failed to
sell. A modified solo stalled at $100k while the
outfit shown at top left stopped at $225k.
In general early American
four-cylinder machines did very well, regardless of
whether they were Ace, Pierce, Henderson or Indian.
Kawasaki two-stroke classics in road or race form were
the star performers, fetching serious money.
After a year or two in the doldrums, we saw Vincent
prices firm up. Surprisingly, the fully-faired Black
Knight now seems to be in vogue.
At the other end of the price scale, you didn't have to
be a millionaire to play the game. A couple of grand in
your pocket meant you still had some interesting choices.
Zed fun run, Jan
27
We've been out playing with the mighty Kawasaki ZX-12R today after letting it languish in the shed for far too long. It was an exercise that reminded us just how much fun they are. Maybe we'll do it again tomorrow...
See the story on this example;
Hodaka at Mecum,
Jan 26
The sheer size of the current Mecum Las Vegas classic motorcycle auction (2000 lots) means you can mention almost any motorcycle and there's a good chance of finding one, possibly several, up for sale.
And so it is with Hodaka, the quirky Japanese-American dirt bike brand that emerged in 1964 and fell over in 1978.
Aside from building around 150,000 nimble and tough
little single-cylinder two-strokes over that period, their
greatest achievement was in naming them.
Our two favourites are the Combat Wombat and Road Toad. You can guess what they were smoking in the marketing department...
There is still a fair number around and a dedicated business in the USA, owned by Terry and Bev Larson of Missouri, that supplies parts.
They're very much a niche motorcycle these days, so we
nearly choked on our whiskey when we saw a prime 1971
model (top left in the pic) sell for Au$18,400 (US$12,100,
GB£9500). See the lot here.
Buell Battletwin reunion, Jan 26
It's not often you get to cuddle up to a demo motorcycle
you rode 35-ish years ago, but that was the case today
with this 1989 Buell RR 1200 Battletwin. The then new
distributor, Mike S, was brave enough to give muggins and
a few others a taste of what is now a very rare
motorcycle.
Current owner Alec S has stitched it back together and
has it running – a fantastic project which we'll unwrap
and share at some stage once he has one or two little
issues sorted.
See the RR 1200
backgrounder at Motorcycle Specs.
See our feature
on air-cooled Buells;
And our story on
the Buell 1125R series.
2000 bikes under
the hammer, Jan 24
New owners sought for 2000 machines:
that's the claim by USA auction house Mecum, for its
annual January collectible motorcycle auction in Las
Vegas.
The event is now underway and runs
through to January 27.
Our first pic shows some early results,
in US dollars (multiply by 1.5 for Australian).
Meanwhile the highest value lot is likely
to be the 1911 Harley-Davidson 7D twin, which the
auctioneers says is one of four known survivors from the
first year of H-D V-twin production.
The 811cc engine was rated at 7hp and
this example is a runner.
Mecum has set the estimate at
Au$600-760,000 (US$400-500,000, GB£300-400,000). See it here.
Supercharged
Jawa for auction, Jan 23
Donington
Auctions in Melbourne has a unique supercharged 1950
Jawa Perak coming up on March 4.
Bought
off the showroom floor as a road bike, the twin-port 250
two-stroke saw plenty of use before the owners, Reg and
June Wingard of South Australia, decided it was going
racing.
Like
a lot machines of the era, it saw competition both on
road race and scrambles tracks.
The
couple developed and made their own supercharger for the
machine, which was once timed at 167km/h!
See the auction
here. The estimate is Au$20-30,000 (US$13-20,000,
GB£10-16,000).
A
little Jawa background: For many the name conjures up
visions of the Czech company’s hordes of mainstream
two-strokes, some very quick road racers, plus of course
the long-running and formidable speedway four-strokes.
More
recently, the brand has undergone a revival out
of India.
Among
the marque’s more impressive technical achievements was
the 1968-69 350 V4 two-stroke grand prix bike, running a
very high 16:1 compression ratio. The machine, called
the Model 673, made 60hp at 13,000rpm for a top speed of
around 260km/h. The pic shows Bill Ivy in action on it.
Though
it showed some promising results, with Ivy giving
Giacomo Agostini's MV Agusta a hurry-up at times, it
never reached its full potential.
Old paint wins
over new paint, Jan 23
When it comes to highly collectible
vehicles, it seems unrestored still wins over
restored. The latest example is a 1930 Model 401
Indian Four in fairly crusty shape, which was sold by Bring
a Trailer in the USA this week for Au$310,000
(US$205,000, GB£161,000).
Mecum sold a
restored 1931 model last year for Au$241,000
(US$159,200, GB£125,000).
And to demonstrate there's been significant long-term growth in the market, Bonhams sold a restored 1929 example back in 2014 for Au$116,000 (US$76,600, GB£60,000).
The 402 was based on the Ace four
(Indian bought the company in 1927) and ran a 77ci
(1261cc) inline four powerplant rated in 1930 at 30hp.
Variants of the Indian Four were built from 1928
through to 1942.
Yamaha R7 –
today's eye-candy, Jan 22
Yamaha's R7 of 1999, aka the OW-02, was a
stunning-looking 750 superbike homologation special, with
just 500 made. It was launched as part of the maker's
giant sportsbike generational update in the lead up to the
new century, which included the R1 and R6.
They rarely pop up on the market and
one of the last ones we spotted was an example sold by
Iconic in the USA for Au$81,200 (US$53,500,
GB£42,100) in 2021.
See the brief
Yamaha data sheet;
And the Cycle
World 2022 retro piece;
That seventies
vibe, Jan 21
Just at the moment, I'm a little sore.
And no I didn't fall off anything. However muggins has
spent much of the last couple of days crawling over,
around and under assorted transports of delight,
attending to their needs.
That time has been spent on three out
of the six seventies motorcycles currently in the shed:
The 1971 Honda CB750-Four K1, 1975 Norton 850 Commando
MkIII and 1975 Honda GL1000 Gold Wing....see the full story.
Big bike money
for Honda CB400-Four, Jan 20
A 1975 Honda CB400-Four recently picked
up big bike money via a USA Bring a Trailer auction in the
USA. Though it wasn't in concours condition, it fetched a
pretty solid Au$21,150 (US$13,300, GB£10,500).
That means the pricing was getting into
CB750-Four territory.
This wasn't a typical collector special in perfect condition with zero miles. It admitted to a couple of minor dents and 16,000 miles (26,000km).
Restoring one would cost about the same
as a K2 and later 750, though it's a much lighter package
and would, like big brother, make a very use-able classic.
It's easy to see the appeal in a well-preserved if not
perfect survivor.
What it has over the 750 is that
wonderful sinuous set of four-into-one headers.
See our
CB400-Four mini profile.
Riding through
history, Jan 19
Something a
little different tonight: An 11-minute documentary on
American photojournalist Allan Tannenbaum talking of
his work and his enduring relationship with
motorcycles. In between playing with Nortons, he's
documented some very high profile people and
world-changing events. Well worth
watching.
Flashback:
Rolling Zedline, Jan 18
Kawasaki's dramatic lines for the Z1-R breathed new life into an ageing design and produced a surprising number of variants. See the feature here.
Little bike, big
ambitions – Yamaha Rotary Jet 80, Jan 17
Yamaha's 1965 ads for the humble and
wonderfully-named Rotary Jet 80 offered plenty of variety
and creativity. See the top three
here.
Ariel dreaming,
Jan 16
Ariel's
second-generation Square Four was remarkable beast for
its day with its 995cc powerplant and unusual engine
configuration. This circa 1946 model was well down the
development path of a line launched in 1931 as a 500
and which ceased production in 1959.
We got the chance to sample a later MkII, the final iteration, some years ago and it was impressive. See the story here.
Today's random
brochure: Benelli minbikes, Jan 15
Behold the joy and variety promised by
the 1968 Benelli minibike brochure. You would have one of
each, wouldn't you?
See the 1968
Cycle World review of the Buzzer.
Flashback: Not
the cafe racer, Jan 15
"Have you looked at the market lately?
It’s full of carpet-baggers, rogues and delusional
optimists. The world seems to think the mere act of adding
the term ‘café racer project’ to some clapped-out shitbox
will instantly double or more likely quadruple its value."
What led to that outburst? A
delusional plot, hatched some years back, to build a
cafe racer. See the story
here.
Triple finale,
Jan 14
It's 1975 and Triumph's T160 Trident is
launched as the last throw of the dice for the pushrod
triple, now with the canted-forward cylinders used on the
BSA Rocket 3, left-hand shifter, electric start and disc
brakes at both ends.
Though outgunned by the likes of
Kawasaki's Z900 series and Honda's newly-launched GL1000
Gold Wing, it was nevertheless a tidy handling package and
fun to ride.
See the Falloon model profile;
Shooting your
motorcycle for an ad, Jan 13
Maybe it's time to trade in the old dear for something shinier. Whatever the reason, shooting your bike for an online ad is worth putting a little effort into. See our quick and easy guide.
See our Honda GL1000 Gold Wing profile.
Tracy Designs –
today's seventies throwback, Jan 12
It's the mid-seventies and you could order all sorts of
wild gear from the good folk of Tracy Designs
Incorporated, of California USA. Kawasaki Z900s, Honda
CB750-Fours, Nortons, Triumphs and Harleys were all
included.
Step down memory lane and see the 1974 catalogue here.
Buddy's new
Daytona, Jan 11
Triumph has relaunched its sporty Daytona
nameplate, now attached to a 660 triple in full-power and
LAMs (learner-approved) form.
There's a fair old history behind that
evocative name – and you can
unwrap much of it here.
Time machine –
1976 Kawasaki Z900, Jan 10
It's 1998 and you could have bought a pretty original 1976 Kawasaki Z900 for just Au$5500 (US$3700, GB£2900). See the story here.
Nullarbor tips,
Jan 9
We've written a feature on one of
those bucket list trips, riding the Nullarbor Plain,
for the good folk at bikesales. There is a
bunch of tips on how to get the most out of it – see
it here.
And you can
see the road diary here.
Honda legend,
Jan 8
Honda's C50 step-thru is famous for a
host of reasons, such as getting much of the world mobile
and being the biggest selling motorised vehicle of all
time.
In the West, it became famous for the USA
"You meet the nicest people on a Honda" campaign. The
slogan was the work of a UCLA marketing student and was
promptly licensed by Grey Advertising.
There's a good
backgrounder on it at Motorcycle Classics.
Also, for a more personal angle,
Spannerman over at Info Moto has owned one for
50 years – see the story
here.
Suzuki GSX-R750F
– random ad for the day, Jan 7
It's late 1984 and heading into the 1985
model year – Suzuki is launching what proved to be a
ground-shaking sports bike, the first GSX-R750, boasting a
dry weight of just 176 kilos for 100 horsepower. They were
staggering numbers for the day.
Suzuki has a great little archive of pics
and stats up to the 2011 model, which you can
find here.
Also see our
GSX-R750F profile.
Munch Mammut at
Mecum, Jan 6
Mecum's giant annual Las Vegas auction is
coming up on January 24-27 and this Munch Mammut is one of
the highlighted lots.
The hand-built NSU-powered monsters
hold legend status for many collectors and this 1973
TTS 1200 is estimated at Au$120-150,000
(US$80-100,000, GB£62-79,000).
Having a Velorex sidecar fitted is
unusual and we suspect most buyers would soon see it
separated.
See the data
and backgrounder at Motorcycle Specs.
Triple thrills:
Yamaha XS750, Jan 5
Yamaha's striking 1977 brochure for the XS750 triple promises something that's potentially potent and sophisticated. According to a review from Motorcycle Classics in the USA, it more or less delivered on the promise.
See it here,
along with a quick comparison with the equivalent
Laverda and Triumph triples.
Donington auction coming up, Jan
5
Donington Auctions in Australia has a vintage and classic
motorcycle auction coming up on March 4 and is currently
taking consignments. More here.
Pre-Suzuki
Colleda for auction, Jan 3
Built by SJK, the company that six years
later became Suzuki, this 1958 Colleda 250TT is
thought to be one of just eight survivors and is coming up
for auction via Iconic in the UK.
The only example outside Japan, the
247cc two-stroke parallel twin is up for sale on April
7 with an estimate of Au$22-26,000 (US$15-18,000,
GB£12-14,000).
See it at the
Iconic Auctioneers site.
Rotary royalty,
Jan 2
If there's such a thing as royalty in the
world of rotary-powered motorcycles, we reckon the Van
Veen OCR1000 is it.
Hugely ambitious, massively expensive and
with good 'DNA' for the drivetrain (Citroen and Porsche,
among others), it even underwent an attempted
reincarnation!
Buying
interstate, Jan 1
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Buying a motorcycle interstate opens up a whole world of possibilities, albeit with a few risks. See the story we wrote for the good folk at bikesales.
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