February 2015 - Page 4 of 4 - Rare SportBikes For Sale

Aprilia February 4, 2015 posted by Mike

Mad Ape: 2003 Aprilia RSV1000R Colin Edwards Edition

Up for grabs today is a RSV1000R produced as a tribute to the venerable Colin Edwards. Aside from being one of the most like-able personalities in recent racing history, Colin was also explosively fast and competitive. It is a shame that the last few seasons in MotoGP did not showcase his true talent, yet his absence from the grid is missed all the same. This replica was inspired by the Aprilia RS Cube machine that was raced in MotoGP, and was produced in pretty limited numbers. Somewhere between 450 – 461 were created (numbers vary), and only 50 were imported into the US. This is bike number 45 of 50. Performance wise, the CE machine sported the same track package as the Haga replica, with intake, airbox and injector mods, Akropovic exhaust and computer updates. These are rare and pretty collectible machines – check out the Edwards archives to learn more about previous editions posted on RSBFS.

2003 Aprilia RSV100R Colin Edwards for sale on eBay

From the seller:
This is a very nice Aprilia in great running order!! Brand new Michelin tires)New Chain and sprockets less than 1k ago. All fluids changed synthetic Oil new brake fluid-Air cleaner etc. Runs out very strong. Has Colin Edwards 154hp engine and tons of carbon fiber parts factory Akrapovic titanium exhaust sounds awesome. Very fun bike to ride or race. Only 50 were released to the US and only 450 were produced so grab it up for a steal of a price on this Great Italian Beast!!!

The seller notes some damage to the bike, but no real detail as to the why. It doesn’t look terrible in the pictures provided, but all the same let the buyer beware. We don’t see these models every day, and given the spec level these are quite the gem in the Aprilia lineup. Besides, this one has only 6,000 miles. Check it out here and revel in the greatness that is Colin Edwards!

Sport Bikes For Sale February 4, 2015 posted by Marty

SOLD: 1989 Moto Paton 500cc four cylinder two stroke

NOTE: This bike sold while I was writing the post but since its a brand/manufacturer that has NEVER been on RSBFS before, I thought I would go ahead and post it anyway.

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Never heard of Moto Paton? The story is actually pretty interesting: back in 1959 a bunch of the Italian motorcycle manufacturers all got together and decided they would all agree to reduce their racing efforts. This “abstention pact” was signed by Mondial, MV Agusta and Moto Guzzi. Moto Paton was founded by two former employees of the racing department of Mondial; Giuseppe Pattoni and Lino Tonti. Similar to the later Bimota, the founders names were used as the basis of the new company (hence the name “Pa ton”). The early Paton motorcycles blew away the competitors of the day such the Matchless G50 or Manx Norton and were ridden to success against top level racers of the day, including the legendary Agostini.

1989 Moto Paton 500cc two stroke for sale

The full history of Paton is available on the Paton website (here) but as was typical for small manufacturers the company always seemed to be flirting with financial insolvency. By the early 1980’s Paton had begun to seriously struggle and even stopped racing for a few years but development quietly continued. In 1983 Paton returned to racing and introduced a new four cylinder V configure two-stroke liquid-cooled unit, known as the C90 due to the 90 degrees between the engine cylinder banks. In 1986 another another engine was introduced, this time a V engine with 115 ° angle between the cylinder banks and prodcuing 140 bhp. It was this configuration that actually gave Paton some racing success in the predessor to MotoGP.

Note: More info about the Paton models development history can be found here and on wikipedia.

This bike is supposed to be one of only four (4) made and the only one that has survived in original condition. The bike looks pretty close to the pictures on the Paton website except for the wheel color. Overall the bike looks to be very clean but there isn’t much other info and pics do seem to show a worn rear tire and what appears to be a modern rear shock.

So now we come to the question of whether this bike is worth the $67,500 USD asking price Well it will probably only appeal to to a serious collector but its certainly a rare piece. Even though Paton has restarted operations in 2010, Paton is not something you will likely see at any events. While it probably wont appreciate like a Supermono, it would still look very cool parked in the living room.

Note: As stated previously, this bike sold while this post was underway. Not sure if the $67,500 USD asking price was met. Even though it was sold I thought it was interesting and we had never had a Moto Paton on RSBFS so I decided to post it anyway.

-Marty/Dallaslavowner

SOLD: 1989 Moto Paton 500cc four cylinder two stroke

Laverda February 3, 2015 posted by Tad Diemer

Pair of Zané Laverdas for Sale: 1999 750S and 1998 Laverda Ghost Strike

Laverda was one of the unfortunate casualties of the Japanese onslaught of the 1970’s. Confronted by reliable, affordable multis from Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Honda, many Italian and British companies found themselves in dire straights, unable to compete in showrooms or on the street. And while many marques have seen short-term resurrections courtesy of well-heeled enthusiasts, most have quickly disappeared back beneath the waves after initial hype gave way to the reality of competing against the manufacturing might of the Japanese Big Four. Mondial, Norton, Excelsior-Henderson, Moto Morini have all seen revivals that met with various levels of success. But Italian firm Laverda, famous for their bright orange endurance racing twins and triples, actually met with some success during their 1990’s reincarnation, creating funky alternatives to Ducati’s established exotica.

The early “Zané-era” Laverdas made in Zané, Italy used an evolution of the earlier air-cooled parallel twin displacing 668cc’s. Later bikes added water-cooling and increased displacement to 750 in an attempt to maintain some semblance of parity with Ducati’s 748. They were always down on power compared to Japanese 750’s and even the Ducati, but handled with the best of the era: a beam frame by noted designer Nico Bakker was matched with Paoli suspension and the same quality Brembo brake package that graced the Ducati 748. Fuel goes into the tail, under the passenger pad, and into a central fuel cell, which should provide some amusement when filling up…

Interestingly, there are two different Laverdas available this week. First up is this very nice, brilliantly yellow 1999 Laverda 750S. The original listing is extremely spare, but worth keeping an eye on for the bidding:

This is a very nice Laverda 750 S. Motorcycle has new tires, runs well and has been tuned-up. Too many motorcycles.

With a Buy It Now price of just $5,500 a nice 750S should provide a lot of bang for the buck. The styling is vaguely Suzuki RF, with those Ferrari-looking side strakes, but I bet this will generate loads of attention at any gathering of bikers. While I definitely prefer the orange-and-black Formula, this looks to be in extremely nice condition.

The second machine is a 1998 Laverda Ghost Strike, a competitor for Ducati’s Monster. Powered by the smaller, air-cooled 668cc engine, the styling hasn’t aged as well as either the Monster or the fully-faired Laverda 750S, but should provide the same quality handling and extremely distinctive styling should make it a hit at local bike nights, since many people won’t have seen one in the flesh. They’re the very definition of “budget exotic.”

From the original eBay listing: 1998 Laverda Ghost Strike for Sale

Less Than 20K Miles!!!
This is a 98 Laverda GhostStrike. The displacement is 668cc.
This is your chance to own a bike a little more rare and less common than the mass produced hyper-bikes!
Recently rebuilt topend on engine.
New rear brake pads.
Tires are in good condition, front is Michelin Pilot, rear is Dunlop Qualifier.
The bike runs and rides well, if you can push-start.
The electronic starter is worn out. And will need to be replaced.
There are some scratches on the left side of the bike from when it was dropped, but no mechanical issues other than the starter.
Actual mileage is 19071.

The Ghost Strike isn’t really in perfect condition, with some scuffs, scrapes, and the non-functional starter mentioned in the listing. But they’re pretty much impossible to find in the States, and getting this one on the road shouldn’t be all that difficult.

So take your pick. Parts aren’t too difficult to source for these, although they won’t be sitting on the shelf at your local dealership. And Laverdas have always been famed for being durable and, while the Zane-era bikes aren’t quite so overbuilt, they have a good reputation for reliability, and are straightforward to work on for shade-tree mechanics.

-tad

Pair of Zané Laverdas for Sale: 1999 750S and 1998 Laverda Ghost Strike

Ducati February 1, 2015 posted by Ian

Just Your Average Ducati (Wink, Wink): 1984 Scuderia N.C.R 600 Pantah

Update: Last posted in Jan of 2014 by Ian, it’s back and the buy-it-now is now set at $37500 but offers are being accepted – Marty/Dallaslavowner

Ians post

Do we have any Monty Python fans that can give me a wink, wink; nudge, nudge, that this is just an average Ducati. All I can say is, “What a damn cool little bike.”

NCR is still around and somehow still gets more wow out of what the Ducati engineers started. It’s about time to exit the ultra plush RSBFS offices stage left so the seller is going to tell you the story on NCR and the 600 Pantah (by the way, he knows a hell of a lot more than me about them):

Many sucessful race bikes were made. These bikes were ridden by the likes of Paul Smart and Bruno Spaggiari in the 1972 Imola 200. Salvador Cannellas and Benjamin Grau in the Barcelona 24 hour. Vanes Francini and Mauro Ricci in the Italian Regions T.T, Wayne Gardner and Freddy Spencer. Doug Polen won two World Superbike titles in 1991 and 1992, and Ben Bostroms World Superbike title in 2000. Prehaps the most famous race bike was the Steve Wynne, Sports Motorcycles / Scuderia N.C.R 900 Formula 1 machines ridden by Mike Hailwood in his fairey tale comeback in the 1978 Isle of Man T.T Formula 1 race.

The history of the model:

After the sucessful career of the 1970s bevel drive N.C.R 900 series bikes. They turned their attention to the new for 1980 belt drive Pantah based machines. About 30 600cc T.T. F2 machines were built by Scuderia N.C.R., including another T.T winning Steve Wynne, Sports Motorcycles ridden by Tony Rutter. These bikes were later replicated by Steve and Lester Harris at Harris Performance, and Roy Thursby and sold as Moto Vecchia. Copying is after all the most sincerist form of flatery.

After the chromoly steel framed bikes were built. In 1982 Scuderia N.C.R. turned their attention to the then ‘state of the art’ alloy tubing. They commisioned Ducati frame builder Verlicchi, and were called Aluframes. A total of just seven frames were built.

These were sold as either ‘frame only’ or ‘race kit’ or ‘road kit’. Two were sold as ‘frame only’. Both were built into inexpensive club racers. One is in Belgium #40, the other in California #394. Two were sold as ‘race kits’. One is in Italy and looks fantastic as an endurance racer #9. The other is in Australia and hasn’t been assembled or used. Three were sold as ‘road kits’. One is in Italy and looks somewhat simular to mine. The other is in Australia and looks strange with it’s blue painted frame and wheels, dual seat and quiet canister exhaust. To see pictures of the others, visit superpantah.blogspot.com and search NCR.

And the info on the bike itself:

This Scuderia N.C.R 600 Pantah was first registered in 1984. The weight is just 357 Pounds (162 Kilograms). The condition is excelent, and the build quality is superb. The only minor flaw is a small dent in the N.C.R stamped exhaust system. It is also missing the rear view mirror. Make no mistake, this is the only chance you will ever have to own a genuine Scuderia N.C.R road bike. I believe this is the best of the three that have been built. The frame number reflects the original donor bike. The title is foriegn. I am selling the bike for the widow of my late friend. Expert crating is available for overseas customers. Viewing welcomed with pick up service from Nashville airport.