Alex’s Best Deal:

1985 Yamaha RZ500 In California For $1,800

The value of RZ500′s fluctuate with mileage, condition, and originality but, this bike was a steal no matter which category you focus on.  I have no reason to doubt this ad was genuine; the photos haven’t been seen before, the ad was up for a very short time and the ad was never seen anywhere else or at any other time.  I’ve seen a lot of stuff on Craigslist for more than $1,800 that I wouldn’t dare own or ride–this bike isn’t one of those things.  Twenty-five years later, this bike won’t be the fastest thing around the track, or the most composed, but it would be a blast and cooler than anything else with it’s asking price.  Regardless if this bike had a title or it’s actual condition, it was a steal even if you chose to part it out–a better deal than even the $900, 750 LE.  This bike is proof of why all of us scrounge Craigslist everyday looking for that elusive deal.

Alex’s Favorite Bike Overall:

2000 Cagiva Mito Evo II With Very Low Miles In California For $4,000

Now, I know, this bike isn’t the biggest, baddest, two-stroke to be produced but, the majority of the bikes we post on here are pure sex so some personal preference is the only thing that seems to separate desirable from black-market-organ-sale-worthy.  These little Cagiva’s are beat to hell in the UK/Europe but, here in America, we (I) lust over them like they were built by God’s–for surely they were.  I had an opportunity to purchase one of these in very similar condition and I still beat myself up, daily, for not going through with it.  A lightweight, 125cc two-stroke, with the looks of a Ducati but the sound of pure, you-can’t-smoke-in-here-sir, pleasure!  This looked to be a fantastic, completely original, example with less thank 1k km and was/is titled and registered in California.  I realize that both of my posts are two-strokes but realize, I’m just gearing up for this weekend!  See you at Miller!

AG

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Doug’s point of view-

I remember the day exactly… I was using Google to search for Rare Sport Bikes For Sale and I kept changing the keywords around to locate as many FZR 400′s and Zx7r’s that I could. I started getting pissed because I kept getting the same site popping up in the search results. That site? You guessed it RareSportBikesForSale.com. I told my wife “Hey, I just found this site that looks pretty cool, but some of the posts are old and the links broken.” Her response was half baked at best and she said “Just keep looking and you’ll find one.” Do you think she heard me? So back I went to searching and I found some pretty nice ones that day. My curiosity was getting the best of me so after searching on Google I went back to RSBFS and flipped through almost every page that was available. That was August 17th, 2009 and I submitted these to Dan for consideration.

Keep in mind at that time I wasn’t sure what or if any criteria existed for your submission to make the cut. So a few days pass and I was back on the prowl again for FZR 400′s. But, instead of 400′s I found a sweet, all original FZR 1000 and I thought “What the heck, I’ll submit it to that site again.” August 25th was the day that Dan posted the FZR1000 and August 27th was the day Dan gave me “his sales pitch”

Dan,

You mentioned helping with the site the other day, but have not responded to my response.. But, my curiosity is up now. What did you have in mind?

Doug

There’s the first email – I must have taken my stupid drug that day…..

Here’s the second email.

Doug,

Long story short, would you like to become a regular contributor to the site? I had been working on a plan to add 2-3 more authors when you went on your tear this week, so it seemed like maybe my first new author might be you! I’m looking for authors who are passionate about rare sporting motorcycles who can make a commitment.

Other obligations will include helping to grow traffic to the site, joining the blogging community by monitoring other sites for opportunities, social media, etc… Time commitments will vary. For instance, I can make a post in about 20 minutes, but it will probably take you twice as long as you get started. The other obligations will probably account for about an hour a week. But the good news is that we work together and I can assist getting you up to speed where needed.

Sincerely,

Dan Crouch, owner of MotoringBlogs

Okay, let’s see
1. Passionate – Check!
2. Commitment – Check!
3. 20 minutes per post – Check!
4. 1 hour extra per week – Check!

So, from 8.27 to 8.31 I spent most of my waking hours stumbling through HTML code that I knew and still don’t know anything about My first mock up post was of a 1992 ZX7r K2, but my first real post was a Ducati 916 And as they say “The rest is history!”

As for Dan’s criteria and quoted time allotments- well…. Yes, I’m passionate, I’m definitely committed (or you wouldn’t be reading this), 20 minutes per post.. HA!, 1 hour per week is more like 10 hours per week. But, I enjoy all them all…

I’ve been trying to think of my own personal favorite post and as best that I can remember it would be this one of a 1098R or of this K1 The K1 post was especially exciting for me since these are my favorite scooter and because this one pulled such a high bid. I now own one of these and it will be a sad, sad day when I have to sell it.

I would like to say that my favorite duty working for RSBFS is being site supervisor and getting the opportunity to chat with our viewers. I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to and befriending people from all over the world. That’s right, if you were unaware or just never give it any thought, we have viewers from every continent on the planet and I now have friends in Australia, England, Hong Kong and Corvallis, OR. But the absolute best benefit from being involved with the site??? You get first dibs on the bikes we love and can’t get enough of. Below are my two favorites that I now own and found because of RSBFS

So my first 9 months authoring for RSBFS have been great and I’m glad to be a part of it. I appreciate Dan affording me the opportunity and I look forward to the future when our site can offer more information and be the only place to look for “Rare Sport Bikes For Sale”.

Cheers!

Doug

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A what?  Heck, you know what that is.  Now you a need a monkey.  A what?  The affectionate term given to the poor guy/girl hanging off the darn thing.  How cool would it be to show up at your local track day with this thing?  It looks like fun in the pictures but then I think about really doing it:  well maybe not so fun (did I say fun? I think I ment scary).  If your insurance agent thought motorcycle racing was dangerous wait until you call him about this thing.

Here is a little explainer on the F2 class from sidecarracers.com:

Created decades ago for club racing as an affordable alternative to the spiraling cost of exotic rear engine F1s, the exquisite tube frames of these machines are now as expensive and exotic as F1. Steering must be done with more conventional forks, usually leading link type, and the frame must be constructed of steel tubing.  The short wheelbase machines have a more conventional engine position under the driver.  Like in F1, the chairwheel is braked but not steered or suspended. A top form F2 team with lightweight and spry handling can match an F1 on a tight track. 

This could be you:

 They are asking $12,000 for the thrill.  Let me check my records here in the RSBFS offices and see if that is a good price……..uh, yeah compared to all the other sidecar race bikes on RSBFS ( don’t bother checking, there aren’t any).  Check it out on BARF.  If that isn’t the best acronym out there I don’t know what is.

Hold on…..

IK

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Well I guess these fall under the category of rare: he says sarcastically. We’ve got two versions of Nortons’ F1 on Ebay and Ebay UK.  Lets start with the one in the here in the States.  Don’t buy this bike expecting to join a  F1 owners club as the seller states this is 1 of 2 known Norton F1′s in the country.  I make no claim to be an expert on Norton motorcycles, all I knew was they seemed to go in and out of business frequently and that the 2010  incarnation are  sharp looking.  After a little research I came up with a few tidbits about the F1.  After several incarnations of the company,  Norton was relaunched in the late 80′s and soon experienced racing success using the Wankle rotary valve engine in the RCW588 works bike.  The F1 was built as a detuned replica of that bike.    It appears there were several versions of the F1.  I believe this is the F1 Commander, which I believe is a little less sporty than the F1 Sport you will see below.  It looks like some, if not all, F1′s sport Spondon frames.  I would assume the John Player version was a special color scheme for the F1′s.  I saw one figure claiming less than 55 of these world wide.

From the Ebay auction:

One of only two known to be in the U. S. is this John Player Special (JPS) Twin Rotor Norton F1. The other known example in the U. S. is in the fabulous Barber Museum.

This example is one of the last series of Norton F1 built. Incredible handling and brutal speed, it is simply a wonderful machine. In superb condition, with only minor scrapes on the cowl that have been properly touched up. She runs perfectly and in just fast!         

I’m  taking a pass on discussing the price on this thing.  The bidding was already up to $14,000.   If it really is one of two bikes in the U.S. and you’ve wanted one and money is not an object,  is price really a concern?  Want to wait for the next one to pop up for sale? I didn’t think so.  Check out the bidding on .

=================================================================================

Now, across the Atlantic another F1 has appeared for sale.  This one is a 1992 F1 Sport in John Player colors.  I’m starting to assume all Norton F1′s were in John Player colors.  The Sport appears to be: well, Sportier. 

From the seller:

You are looking at a 1992 Norton F1 Sport (P55B) chassis number 050358. This is 1 of only 66 F1 Sports made by Norton Motorcycles in the early 90′s. It is in Norton JPS Racing colours and totally standard. The only additional work that has been done to the bike apart from routine maintenance and servicing is to Moly Inlay the inlet faces which was done by Norton Motorcycles Limited in 1999. It was first registered on the 23rd of October 1992 and purchased by me from the original owner in March 1999. It has only covered 1307 miles in total and is still fitted with it’s original Michelin tyres.  I also have the original owners handbook, F1 Sport Supplement, spare key and wallet. This bike is in excellent original conidtion with no accident damage.

The final form of evolution of the original F1 the F1 Sport (P55B) utilized the front fairing of the F1 but for that was a carbon copy of the factory race bikes, the petrol tank and seat unit both lifted straight off the Trevor Nation/Steve Spray machines. Most connoisseurs of Norton Rotaries, and certainly everybody who has had the chance to sample them all, will agree the F1 Sport was the best Norton Rotary ever produced. 

Being a little more racey, I’d assume this one will fetch even more than one for sale in the U.S.  .  I’d love to see some comments on these bikes from guys that are really up on the Nortons. 

IK

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This would not have been possible if it wasn’t for the great contributors we have on this website, all the emails we get for potential leads, and most importantly our loyal readers. Thank you for allowing us to continue to seek out and post the best sport bikes for sale in this country and across the globe!

We have many new developments in the works to ensure our next 500k hits come even quicker than the last. Here’s a sneak peak:

In the near future:
* Doing Some Spring Cleaning to Tidy Up the Website
* RSBFS Merchandise!
* A More Formal Featured Listings Area
* And a Classifieds Area for Readers to Share Their Rare Parts For Sale!

Later this year:
* Feature Articles, Galleries, and Videos that Will Help Us All Learn More About The Rare Bikes We Love!
* Price Guides for Popular Models
* An Official RSBFS Gathering at the Indy MotoGP!

As you can see we’re busy behind the scenes!

I hope you’ll join us in celebrating this great milestone. Please feel free to leave comments below on your experiences with the site and improvements you’d like to suggest.

Thank You All!

Dan Crouch

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The ad reads:

1984 Kawasaki GPz 750 Turbo (ZX750E1) All original in excellent condition.

First a little background on the 750 Turbo In 1984 this was the fastest production bike in the world it was more powerful then the GPz 1100 but with the weight of a 750. Although many people refer to it as a GPz and it has the 2 engine emblems it is NOT a GPz the true name is ZX750E1 (E1 means turbo) but Kawasaki referred to it only as 750 turbo. It was basically a street legal race bike it used most of kawis racing technology with its uni trac suspension. They are digitally fuel injected and was built with one thing in mind speed… Check out the Kawasaki 750 Turbo presentation video on youtube

 I bought the bike in May ’09 and put about 200 miles on it with no problems, then decided to send it in for a tune up and whatever else it needed to isure it would be reliable and safe for years to come. The work was done at a local shop named cycle rider the mechanic was a old kawi dealer technician that had worked on the turbo bikes since new. Although the bike ran nice and strong I had the entire bike gone through and inspected and had about $2,300 on it Which included: New Bridgestone Battleax Tires front and rear, new brakes front and rear, both new sprockets, new o-ring chain, forks resealed, oil change, air filter, spark plugs, timing chain tensioner, timing chain, valves were adjusted ( these bikes require it as part of schedule maintence), high speed wheel bearings, battery and thats just off the top of my head. since the work was performed ive put over 900 miles on it and still counting bike runs great no problems the only thing that doesnt work is the fuel gauge. I have the original owners manual and tool kit and i also will include a NOS seat cover with the bike.

The bike is All original and is in very good shape for its age just wax it and it looks almost new and the bike has a modern look for its age I get many compliments on its condition and most people dont believe its a 84. The paint is not flawless theres small scratches here and there as usual and some wear on the tank where your legs rub but you have to look close to see. The only visible damage i know of that dont show in pictures are cosmedic and its a small quarter size chip in the upper shroud which can be easily fixed and these a crack in the housing of the boost gauge (no damage to the gauge) all gauges work except for gas. Mechanically i havent had any problems I start it right up and just ride wherever the road takes me the bike runs strong, engine sounds tight and she purrs till the turbo spools its plenty fast and will give u a hell of a ride. I am selling due to slowing work im a contractor and I need the money to finish my GMC Sprint.    I have a clear Texas title in hand … The bike is bein sold AS IS …..the bike is also for sale locally so if it sells i will end the auction.

Click for the Ebay link.

Conclusion; This bike looks really nice in the pic’s, at 23,000 miles it’s not really collector quality in my mind, but add the fact of how original it is does increase the price. These bikes weren’t that much new ($5500) in 1984, I believe the bike was about $4k-ish at that time. Though it is fairly in line with other cool original examples like the Suzuki GSXR’s of ’86, ’87 the decision really comes down to you. It’s not far off and if it can be had in the $4000 range I think it’s a great value that kept well, will just keep edging up in price. “God Bless Texas”.

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Updated for May 2010

If your business could benefit from focused exposure on a site with a loyal readership, please email me to discuss advertising options as low as $40 per month.

As always, many thanks to our readers for supporting the site!

Dan Crouch, owner of MotoringBlogs

Update: Here’s a note I just got from one of our subscribers:

I don’t have a business. But you have a excellent website and offering. As a user of your site, I would gladly support businesses on your website. I would support them by purchasing their products when I need a item they are selling. Thx for the great unique and information filled emails and website. -B.R.

Thanks for the kind words B.R.!

dc

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With a price of $10,000.00 and an average picture it makes this one tough to digest at first glance. I did a quick search on RSBFS.com for past MC28′s and this one might be a little on the high side, but you can be the judge.

Located in Hamm Lake, MN and listed on the local CL the seller doesn’t offer much information other than.

For sale 1994 Honda NSR 250 Mick Doohan Repsol replica bike

Licensed and titled in Minnesota

As the seller states this one is done up in the rare 96′ SP Repsol colors that commemorated Mick Doohan’s 95′ Grand Prix 500cc championship. There’s no mention of mileage, history, type of plastics on the bike i.e. OEM, Tyga or Chinese, but from what I can tell in the picture it looks pretty good. I really like the orange wheels v. the 96′ models black ones.

The 94 MC28′s were the first year for the single sided swing-arm and PGM IV engine management system that was activated by the smart card. The smart card doesn’t fare well with the die hard MC28 fans because they are hard to de-restrict for maximum power output. It was said that Honda used the PGM IV so they could meet the Japanese EPA restrictions that went in to effect in 1994. For whatever the reason, I think it’s pretty cool to have a card to start your bike.

So if you’re getting ready to jump in to the Spring bike market, but really can’t wait until the weather breaks give this one a look. You can check out the ad and contact the seller here

Cheers!

dd

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One of my 2010 resolutions is to get that site rolling again, especially with all the submissions we get for bikes of this vintage.

I’m wondering if there are any volunteers out there that would like to help out on that site? No HTML experience necessary and I provide all the help to get you started. If you think you can make entries like we do on this site and are interested in getting in early on a site that I think will have lots of promise, please email me!

We are also considering adding another author or two to this site. Stay tuned for more information.

Thanks and have a good weekend everyone!

dc

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Ah yes, another sexy Italian motorcycle for sale. You have to give it to the Italians for having the ability to consistently build great looking motorcycles year after year. And the cool thing is that it doesn’t matter what manufacturer it is, they all seem to have a keen eye for styling and Laverda was right there with the best of them (read: MV). If my memory serves me correctly Laverda was purchased by Aprilia which in turn is now owned by Piaggio. None of which amounts to much other than Laverda was eventually phased out sometime in 2004/2005 and is now for sale, again.

If you take a peek at the photos you may notice Laverda’s different way of thinking when building motorcycles. Laverda’s chain drive is on the right side of the bike and the brake rotor on the left side. Another point of interest is that while practically every other Italian motorcycle company was building some type of opposing twin cylinder engine, Laverda opted for the parallel twin. I’m not aware of any other company that built parallel twins that matched Laverda’s cc’s. Kawasaki makes the Ninja 500 in a parallel twin and that’s as big as I’m aware of in recent sport bike history.

I liked these when they were introduced and I still like the Laverda design. I’m especially fond of the orange Marchesini wheels. Asking price is $6,900.00 and is located on the Charlotte Craigslist should you be interested.

From the listing:

Rare Italian sportbike. One of two in NC. Low mileage, never dropped, garage kept. Black with orange magnesium wheels and orange accents. Upside down forks, carbon fiber, Paioli suspension, Termi exhaust, chip. 100 Hp, 396 lbs. Parallel Twin.

I’ve added a video of a Laverda parallel twin so you can hear how they sound if you aren’t familiar with them.

I like the sound of parallel twins when they are of a larger variety as I think they have a deep throaty sound, but when they get too small they sound like a scooter.

Cheers!

dd

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• To Alex, for offering to help out when I was buried in work early this summer! I really appreciate your friendship and look forward to working more together next year.
• To Doug, for adding another dimension of great content on our site and continuing to work your ass off to make the site even better each day! I can’t wait to see what you come up with next!
• To Phil, for adding his expertise from the industry and as a collector! I never would’ve thought we’d have a contributor working from Hong Kong, but your perspective is great and I hope we get to meet some day!
• To Steve, for agreeing to help out with your great finds. I hope we get to work more together next year!
• To all the ‘regulars’ who email us great finds from all corners of the globe. We can’t spot everything an really appreciate your assistance!
• And most importantly to all the readers who come to the site and give us the opportunity to really enjoy our special niche together. It really is a privledge to do so!

As we head into 2010, we have some great new features planned for the site and look forward to bringing you great new content as well.

I know I speak on behalf of all the authors when I say Thank You and Happy New Year to all of you!

- Dan Crouch

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