Here’s a 91 NSR 250 For Sale I spotted on Vegas Craigslist:
1991 NSR 250 honda MC21 ,4300 original miles ,all stock runs great,dry clutch,oil injector,nevada registration,great bike
Possibly the worst picture ever for a sale ad, but then again, I suppose a serious buyer would follow up if really interested. $6300 with title doesn’t sound too bad considering mileage.
dc
I love the classic orange Laverda’s and stumbled across this first one while taking the temperature for examples currently available for sale. It’s a 1999 and according to the seller of this Laverda 750 Formula, it only has 2500 miles! Check it out on San Fran Craigslist for only $5500:
quote from seller’s Craigslist ad:
Hey collecters, here is a super rare 1999 Laverda Formula S 750 in near mint condition. Only 3900KM(2500mi). This is a stunning bike to look at. These are ultra rare as just a handfull where built and few where imported to this country. This bike has a 750cc fuel injected parallel twin, six speed, aluminum fram, fully adjustable suspension, Marchasini wheels and Brembo brakes, and carbon fiber body panels. Put this bike in your collection now. You will not find another this clean or affordable. $5500
After spotting the first one, I decided to narrow my focus to the Formula model and found another in North Carolina for $6400 (Craigslist):
quote from seller’s listing on Craigslist:
One of a kind Italian SuperSport Motorcycle – Must see to appreciate – Very Rare – 1 of 2 in N. C. Stunning black & orange paint scheme, Paoli Suspension, carbon fiber fenders, Termi exhaust with chip, 100+ horsepower, always garage kept, never dropped, 26k kilometers (15,600 miles). Well maintained by a local professional mechanic.
I once had the chance to ride one of these brand new. We were visiting my parents who live north of Indy. Naturally I made sure we stopped by the Laverda dealership and checked out the gorgeous 750 Formula. He offered me a test ride on the spot and even offered a helmet. I declined without a jacket and other gear, especially as my then girlfriend (and future wife) was giving me the big time stop sign not to leave her alone at the dealership. In retrospect I should’ve taken the heat, but hindsight is 50/50 they say. My in person reaction as a young man was that while very attractive, it was overpriced for what it was. Years later seeing these examples, I’m more curious now than I was then. Especially with these asking prices considering their rarity.
Laverda 750 Formula Video:
If you’re a fan of Laverda motorcycles, you have to check out the ‘the Perfect Corner’ YouTube videos. This guy is a Laverda collector enthusiast and has filmed many of his rides and adventures. Not only a must see for fans of the mark, but also one of only a couple 750 Formula videos online:
dc
Just a brief note to let you know there I’ve made a few enhancements to the blog this morning.
Please let me know if you experience any issues with these additions or if you have any comments about the site. Just leave a comment below!
Thanks,
dc
RZ500 fans rejoice, another RZ500 surfaces in the Pacific Northwest for sale! This RZ500 is on Craigslist for $8k:
quote from seller’s Craigslist post:
I wanted to keep the original “vintage” look while increasing the performance so here is what I have done.
Rebuilt top-end using stock OEM piston kits.(.25mm).
Replaced main crank brgs and all seals in engine.
Slightly modified/matched ports.
Machined cases/cylinders to accept larger RZ350 reed cages.
TDR one piece reed pedals..
Carbs have been bored to 27.5 mm.
Installed “Mad-Beaver” air filter kit(removing stock air-box).
Intalled “Jolly Motto” expansion chambers.
I have spent MANY hours re-jetting….it runs AWESOME!
Researched options first then installed ’93 Yamaha FZR600 frt.end/frt wheel(17×3.25)/r wheel(18×4)with “Race Tech” emmulator kit,Metzeler radials,HH pads,stainless lines(all parts were rebuilt/polished/powder coated,to the tune of $2400 before install)I chose the FZR stuff because it is a direct “bolt on” and you dont have to modify the oil-tank and plastics to clear the forks.VERY clean swap.
FZR speedo which is the perfect twin only is MPH instead of KMs.
Digital temp gauge.
Steering dampener.
New chain/sprockets.
I have only riden the bike about 5k miles since rebuilding everything.
This one has great detail to go with the listing and appears to be owned by tech who cared for his baby. Think it’s a good buy?
dc
Update: This post is pretty outdated. Check out these Yamaha RZ’s on eBay right now:
[AffomaticEbay]Yamaha RZ[/AffomaticEbay]
Nice timing stumbling on this bike as I posted a couple of NC30 VFR400’s recently. But the NC35 RVF400 is located in California and is titled and registered according to the listing. Take a look at this 1995 Honda RVF400 for sale on Craigslist:
quote from seller’s Craigslist listing:
1995 HONDA RVF400 NC35. SUPER RARE BIKE. CALIFORNIA TITLED – STREET LEGAL. 1 OF ONLY 5 KNOWN NC35’S TITLED IN CALIFORNIA. $7500.
The last NC35 I posted was listed for $7500 as well. Wish this ad had better pictures, but the seller goes on that interested parties should email him for pictures and more detail.
The Wikipedia entry for the NC35 is pretty good, so check it out for more model information. And here’s a little video I found of an RVF400 going through the paces. Note the distinctive gear driven cam whine, which is very similar to Paul’s VFR750:
dc
I spent a couple weeks in Germany this past spring and I stopped by the HockenheimRing Museum. The museum is chocked full of motorcycles with just a few racecars on display. Here’s my write-up of the visit to the HockenheimRing Museum at my other blog.
Hope you enjoy and if you have any info on the models displayed, please feel free to either leave a comment below or click through the individual image on Flickr. Thanks!
dc
After spotting the Yamaha YZF1000R for sale right here in town, I got curious about how rare this model is today. Turns out, I can’t find many available to evaluate! The few I spotted were actually outdated ads that had sold already. Most were a bit cheaper, but not by a great deal.
I guess what makes me believe that I could even contemplate a bike like this is that I have a very vivid recollection of riding shotgun back in college on my buddy Jay Johansen’s CBR1000F. While it was exhilarating, it certainly didn’t seem like the crazy, uncontrollable power that the CBR’s 135hp would suggest. Although this could be due to the additional weight: the CBR1000F weighs in at over 500 pounds, while the Yamaha tips the scale at 430 pounds. And the Thunderace certainly has more sporting intentions with more aggressive stance, bodywork, and another 10hp. But in conservative hands, surely it couldn’t be too much right? Maybe it is. Here’s a quote from Nigel Wines writing for Motorcycle.com on the YZF1000R:
The YZF1000 is a bike that only skilled, competent, experienced riders can enjoy — anything less, and you’ll just scare yourself silly. Or worse. If you haven’t got experience on big bikes and raced a bit, go for something else.
Well that pretty much rules me out as I’m only qualified to drive Miss Daisy compared to most sport riders. Or maybe that ride 15 years ago, when I was pretty young and naive, was faster than I recall.
Even though the motor is a bit outdated in this bike, basically lifted from the FZR1000, it is a 5 valve per cylinder, EXUP equipped, Yamaha motor. And damn they’re sharp looking motorcycles. I’ve been right-clicking-save-as like a madman on these articles!
Links:
Video:
Yamaha Thunderace Promo Video:
dc
I shouldn’t say shopping, I was actually just casually browsing my Google Alerts and a couple of sharp looking NC30 VFR400’s came up on Craigslist. Unfortunately they’re both overseas. But they’re so good looking that I was curious to see what current exchange rates would equate to.
First up is this NC30 Honda VFR400 For Sale in County Durham, UK. Listed on Craigslist for £1795 (~$2900 today):
quote from seller’s Craigslist posting:
Honda VFR400 NC30, excellent example of a classic, J-reg, low milage at 16500miles. Sounds amazing, starts first time.
The second VFR400 is located in Yokohama, Japan and is listed on Craigslist for ¥200,000 (~$2000!):
quote from seller’s Craigslist listing:
Honda VFR 400 V4, 19 months shaken, new tyre, battery, excellent condition 14,000 km only. Regrettable sale due to baby. Also come with race pipe.
They both look pretty nice, but the black and red one is so sharp it’d by my pick; especially at two grand! How much do you think it would cost to ship a bike like this from Japan or the U.K.? Of course these wouldn’t be legal for road use, but I’ve posted plenty of bikes on this blog that should fall into the same category and many feature titles and registration.
I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on value, cost of transportation, and if it’d be worth the trouble! Please join our conversation and leave a comment!
dc
I normally don’t post Canadian classifieds on this blog because the importation rules to the U.S. are pretty limited. But RZ’s just don’t come around too often, so I’m posting this 1984 RZ500 For Sale for $6k:
quote from seller’s Craigslist ad:
[…]
This bike is in good running condition and seems totally original. I am not an export with RZ500 but it looks all there and un modifed. This bike is all original including the bump seat cover. This is the lowest (besides a musem bike) KM RZ500 I have seen here with 24692.4 KM’s . THE FRAME SAYS MADE 4/84, but it is registered as an 1985. It starts first kick and runs good. I have put new plugs in it, fresh battery, drained and put in new crank case oil also put in fresh brake fluid front and back. The last owner told me it has stock pistons but cannot confirm that.It needs:
-tires.
-front and rear turn signals hooked up.
-rear signal & plate bracket put on.
-original bodywork screws/fastners
-chain & sprockets.
-front brake drags a touch.It has seems to have been layed down at some point by looking at the damage on the right side. The fairing has been repaired a long time ago but not my me. It still needs some work. The belly pan is cracked and needs some repair as someone tried with some screws. The fairing has been cracked up and repaired. The case cover has a small scuff plus the rear passenger mount has been repaired. The upper fork tubes behind the headlight have some minor pitting but do not even get close to the seals. The neutral light does not seem to work. The outside pipes have some minor dints in them but look fine. The tank has a very small dint on the upper right of the tank. There is a piece missing from the upper right nose piece. Also a few tabs that keep the faring on have been cracked off. I did not have all the correct fastners to put the body work on with so that is something I suggest you find.
[…]
This one will need some work to be nice again, but it doesn’t sound like the damage is too extensive. But for the right buyer who’s handy with a wrench, this could be a nice buy with some negotiating.
As an appreciating classic, I wonder how fast these will climb in value.
dc
So while only 200 of these were made available for sale in the U.S., it’s not exactly of the same genre of motorcycle I’ve been posting. Which is exactly why I’m posting it!
1978 BMW R100RS Motorsport Model For Sale on Portland Craigslist for $4500:
quote from seller’s Craigslist post:
One of 200. Rare, collectible bike. Original with period upgrades – San Jose fork brace and rear swing arm and dual plug heads. 40mm bing carbs. New brakes, calipers, ss brake lines and rear master cylinder. Tires have less than 1000 miles on them (Metzlers). Some scratches, no dents. Original; paint in very good, but not perfect condition. Needs restoration to show quality – or use as is for an amazing and rare driver. Come see it – these are the best pictures I have. Asking $4500 or best offer
I’m not sure why, but I’m intrigued by this bike. It’s bodywork is quite ugly yet it has many nice features and I’ll bet that fairing actually is useful. Plus it has the option of fitting handsome and real luggage. What’s your take?
Here’s an interesting first hand account of R100RS Motorsport ownership.
dc
