One of the things I love about Italian bikes and cars is that, no matter what, they look like the vision of one person, not a committee. Sure, there may be the occasional stylistic misstep, but oddballs like the Alfa Romeo Milano and Bimota Mantra make a statement, and you can feel the passion in…
Somehow, in spite of their achievements, performance, and reliability, Aprilias generally qualify as “bargain exotica” instead of blue-chip collectibles. But if you were looking to bet on a particular Aprilia that might qualify as collectible, other than the RS250, the RSV1000R Nera might be worth a look. The upstart Italians were dipping their toe into…
An MV Agusta F4 Senna 750 is enough by itself to justify a modifier like “legendary,” but this one carries around a couple extra big names to back it up. Not only does it bear the name of The Man Himself, the bike wears 10-time GP World Champion Giacomo Agostini’s signature and was first owned…
What you’re looking at here is certainly not the nicest 2005 Ducati 999R that I have ever seen, but it is still a 2005 Ducati 999R, and that gives it a couple free passes and a trump card or two. Knicked though parts of it may be, it is still every bit the 135-horsepower carbon-clad…
I’m not sure you can overstate the importance of the Ducati 851 to the Italian brand’s position at the top of motorcycling’s desirability food chain. Get past the literally and figuratively square headlight — the steel-framed 1983 dad glasses of illumination — and everything else is focused, lithe Italic sin. The 851 took a pokey,…
It’s hard to fathom exactly how far motorcycle design has come in the last 38 years without a concrete comparison. I could spill superlatives and adjectives for the next 600 words and still not touch it. Instead, please Google “Ducati Panigale V4R” and compare what comes up to the bike you see here. I’ll wait.…
Even though there are prodigious cold fronts trained on both coasts, planning ahead is always in season. Here’s a little review of RSBFS’ recent features: Let’s start with a couple of smokin’ race machines – https://raresportbikesforsale.com/featured-listing-2018-honda-nsf250r-moto-3-race-bike-for-sale/ https://raresportbikesforsale.com/featured-listing-2017-suter-mmx500-for-sale/ From the 1980’s we have two classic supersports, plus a unique Harley-Davidson – https://raresportbikesforsale.com/sponsored-listing-zero-mile-1-of-25-road-going-1994-harley-davidson-vr1000/ https://raresportbikesforsale.com/sponsored-listing-1983-honda-cb1100f/ https://raresportbikesforsale.com/featured-listing-1982-honda-cb750f-super-sport/ These three…
Update 2.11.2019: Now on eBay. Good luck to buyers and seller. Links updated. -dc We are lucky at RSBFS to be helping to offer this gorgeous 1993 Moto Guzzi Daytona 1000 after a 15-year stay in a private collection. Though collection dwelling generally means a bike has sat long-term, this Goose shows 32,000 miles on…
Going from Bonhams to Mecum is a little like taking the transatlantic Queen Mary II from Southampton and getting off in downtown Brooklyn. The distinguished English gentleman guides you through 128 auctions on Thursday, but Mecum has a squad of rapid-fire auctioneers who literally run through double that number each day Tuesday through Saturday. The…
Being able to give some special bikes a close-up inspection was one of the benefits of last week’s Bonhams and Mecum auctions. Engineering and fabrication marvels are in every row. Arcs of chrome on the 1950 Vincent Black Shadow. Using clip-ons left the factory handlebar mount available to mount a gauge on this 1972…
The 2003 Ducati 999R Fila Edition was just one of a bunch of special edition bikes Bologna kicked out in the aughties to celebrate its myriad World Superbike successes. The Fila bikes were produced to hat tip Neil Hodgson picking up the storied marque’s 200th win, and were more than just a branded sticker package.…
Bonhams auctions returns to Las Vegas this week with 128 lots on Thursday afternoon. Covering the gamut from scooters to dirtbikes to road racers, this year also has a nice selection of sportbikes. Most are collectors with low miles and pedigree, beautifully photographed. Here are a few interesting selections, and you can check out the…