AllMoto's Motorcycle Investor mag

Motorcycle Investor mag

News August 2025

Alaskan Hailwood, August 8

America and its northern states have long been a rich source of under-used historic vehicles, like this 1982 Ducati Mike Hailwood Replica 900. That's thanks to a combination of incredible sales volume and often short summers bracketed by extreme winters. When we're talking of that market, it doesn't get much more northern than Alaska.

At auction with Iconic in the USA and with just 377km (234 miles) showing on the odometer, it appears to be in exceptional shape.

We also like the story behind it: "I bought this bike brand new while I was working for a Ducati dealer in Alaska. I registered and rode the bike briefly in the summer of 1984.

"However, in the fall of 1984 I put the bike in storage and moved to California for graduate school. After that I returned to Alaska as a university professor and was just too busy to enjoy the bike. It’s been in storage ever since.

"The bike has been stored in a crate (I still have the original Ducati crate materials) in a heated garage. Alaska has a very dry climate and the storage temps have been kept between 50 and 70F degrees (10-21C) the entire time with virtually no exposure to moisture."

As Ducati guru Ian Falloon suggested when I alerted him to this, tongue-in-cheek of course, there might be years when Alaska's riding season could be measured in minutes.

See the listing at Iconic.

Ducati MHR 900 profile.

See the Ducati MHR Mille in our shed.

Lightweight Harleys and shifting sands, August 8

It looked like good news: Harley-Davidson had quietly announced it will be introducing a new entry-level model in its domestic market at US$6000 (Au$9200, GB£4500, €5200).

That's roughly half the price of a Sportster in basic trim. Better still it will revive the name Sprint, which hasn't been used since it was selling Aermacchi-based air-cooled singles back in the 1960s to early 1970s.

About the same time it was announced Hero Motors from India was dropping the 440 Mavrick from its range. It and the Harley X440 are essentially the same thing, with some badge engineering to make some distinctions – and so it's reasonable to suggest the 440 or closely-related offshoot will become the Sprint. The H-D version made news in India upon its launch in 2023.

The basis is a 440cc single-cylinder air/oil-cooled engine with fuel-injection, claiming 27 horses at 6000rpm and 36Nm of torque at 4000rpm. It runs a six-speed transmission.

All fine so far? Maybe not. The current USA president has just announced a giant ramping up of tariffs on product from India to 50 per cent. It might eventually be lowered, or not – who knows?

Making things worse is the motor company has a history of knocking heads with the current White House incumbent and therefore might struggle with pleas for relief that don't involve some other incentive.

Harley has seen some financial struggles in recent years, has just announced a new CEO, and must be wondering if or when it might catch a favourable financial wave...

V3 electric compressor Honda sound teaser, August 8

It's a weird hackle-raising noise, and it's coming from a V3 Honda motorcycle engine running an electric compressor for the induction. The terms turbocharging or supercharging don't quite fit – or at least not as we have come to understand them across the decades. That's what is offered by the latest corporate teaser video.

According to Honda: "The water-cooled 75-degree V3 engine is being newly developed for larger displacement motorcycles, and has been designed to be extremely slim and compact. It features the world’s first electrical compressor for motorcycles, which is able to control compression of the intake air irrespective of engine rpm, meaning that high-response torque can be delivered even from lower rpm.

"In addition, the electrical compressor allows a high degree of freedom of layout of all components in the limited space available on a motorcycle and efficient centralization of mass. It also does not require any form of intercooler."

Honda has a history playing with V3 configurations, including the MVX250 two-stroke road bike. The latest is a four-stroke, so far patented as a 75-degree 800 package.

See the Honda backgrounder from November 2024.

Kejashi active aero steering system, August 6

What do you get when you combine the concept of active aero from the likes of an F1 car with a leaning motorcycle? Something that looks other-worldly at the moment.

Young Australian inventor/tinkerer Kent Shillitoe acknowledges his concept needs further work, though he puts up some decent reasoning behind the basic design.

See his video on YouTube.

Plus his Australian Motor Cycle News story.

And since we're on the topic of unusual front ends, in this case a RADD, see our Yamaha GTS1000 feature.

Ducati in a crate brings out the collectors, August 6

It seems there is one thing well-off collectors cannot resist: it's any desirable motorcycle that's still in its shipping crate.

This 1999 Ducati 996 SPS was recently sold by Bring a Trailer for Au$112,700 (US$73,000, GB£45,900, €63,000).

See the listing.

Back in 1999 it was priced new at Au$39,000 (US$25,250, GB£19,000, €21,800). That result equates to around 4 per cent compound interest.

See Ian Falloon's profile on the 996 SPS Pista.

Speaking of Falloon, he reckons he has a new edition of the Complete Book of Ducati Motorcycles 1946-2026 coming out next year, timed to celebrate 100 years of the foundation of the brand as an electronics maker.

See his web page.

Shed shuffle, dirt bike abuse and our new BSA, August 3

The sun is out, so we're exercising and expanding the fleet...see the story, here.

Schumacher Fireblade sells for big number, August 2

A 2010 Honda Fireblade-based track bike custom-built for and ridden by former F1 champion Michael Schumacher was recently sold by Sothebys for Au$116,100 (US$75,100, GB£56,600, €64,800).

The lot included the CBR1000RR modified by German workshop Holzhauer Racing Performance, plus a signed Schuberth helmet and a pair of signed gloves.

See it here.

Schumacher's F1 record is extraordinary. He won two world titles with Benetton and five more with Ferrari. He was also an enthusiastic motorcycle rider.

According to Crash.net: "Following his first retirement from F1, Schumacher took up part-time bike racing, competing in the IDM Superbike Championship and even achieving a podium finish in Hungary in 2008."

See our first-gen Honda FireBlade feature

Return of the Bantams, August 1

Historic British marque BSA, now owned by the Mahindra group, has launched two new biikes: a revival of Bantam model name with a 350 four-stroke single powerplant running basic stats of 29hp for 185kg wet.

Then perhaps inevitably a Scrambler version of the Gold Star single it announced four years ago. It runs a 652cc four-stroke single claiming 45hp for 218kg.

The original post-World War II Bantam was a 123cc two-stroke based on a DKW design that carved out an incredible cultural niche during its production from circa 1948 to 1971.

See the BSA UK website

And the Old Bike magazine profile on the original Bantam series

The revived brand so far admits to no representation in Australia. Seriously?

New Suzuki GSX-R1000R launched, August 1