Motorcycle Investor mag
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What's happening
News Jan 2023
Kawasaki stroker
strength, Jan 27
Values for premium Kawasaki two-stroke
triples continue to defy gravity, if the results from
recent auctions are any indication.
The restored
blue 1972 example shown here went for Au$35,000
(US$25,000, GB£20,100).
The green bike, a 1974 model that was also recently restored, was sold by Mecum in Las Vegas for Au$40,300 (US$28,600, GB£23,100)
While the market overall for classic
motorcycles and cars has eased up in recent months,
premium examples like this continue to fetch strong
money.
This model has been over the Au$30k
barrier for a while. A 1974
example in orange was sold by Shannons back in
June 2021 for Au$32,500 (US$23,100, GB£18,600).
And the contemporary
Classic Two Wheels road test here.
Hopping through
Texas, Jan 24
A little tale of Valkyries, kangaroos and galahs...from the archives.
We're also repeat offenders with Valkyrie Interstates – see the latest here.
Twin-cam Titans,
Jan 22
Suzuki's 1980s two-valve GS series have been sidelined by history, but we reckon they're greatly underestimated. See the story, here.
Ducati Sport,
Jan 21
All indications are that if you were
in the market for a Ducati 750 Sport, this 1974
example would be worth serious consideration. It has
been through the life-cycle of being raced, laid-up
long term and then restored.
Bidding is at Au$62,000 (US$43,000,
GB£35,000) with a few days to go. See it here.
This model has been on the climb for a
while – see our quick
2020 auction review with a link to a period road
test from Classic Two Wheels.
Harley toast,
anyone? Jan 20
Something for the bike nut who thought they had everything, a Harley toaster that burns the bar and shield logo into the bread.
This is part of a larger auction of
memorabilia being sold off by former USA dealer Jim
Godwin, via Mecum.
Ironically it's made in Japan and was
never imported to America. However Godwin spotted the
item and bought six, most of which he gave away to
friends.
See the
toaster here
And the main
auction here
Lost Ninja, Jan
18
From our lost and found department: This
pre-production 1984 Kawasaki GPz900R A1 somehow escaped
the crusher and years later was rediscovered in a Kawasaki
USA warehouse.
It has just a few miles on the odo
from being moved around and the belief is it was first
sent to the USA for a dealer conference. Decades later
it was bought by a staffer and again did duty as a
static display, this time for the Guggenheim Art of
the Motorcycle show in the late 1990s.
Now the machine is coming up for sale
via the giant Mecum auction that starts on January 24.
See it, and
the full story, here.
See the GPz900R that
was in our shed, and the video here.
Suzuki GS1000G
auction, Jan 15
Proof that age lends dignity to some models: Suzuki's GS1000G was for years largely ignored by the market and good examples could be had for a couple of thousand.
More recently however they've started to
get a little traction. For buyers they're a dead reliable
and exceptionally comfortable classic that can still be
had for reasonable money.
This example is
up for auction with Collecting Cars.
A similar bike sold via
Shannons last November for Au$9100 (US$6400,
GB£5200).
See the
Motorcycle Specs backgrounder.
Dakar
Spectacular, Jan 13
In case you missed it, the annual Dakar raid is on and today was in the sand badlands.
Australian Toby Price (pictured) is currently in second place with a relatively short gap to first, held by American Skyler Howes.
Fellow Aussie Daniel Sanders is in seventh.
SBS is sharing the incredible footage and stories. See today’s report here.
Look for the profile on South African competitor Kirsten Landman at @ minute 15.
Tesi Test, Jan
13
Bimota's Tesi H2 has launched, costing an eye watering
Au$98,500 (US$69,000, GB£56,000). Running a road version
of Kawasaki's Ninja H2 supercharged 998cc inline four, it
claims the same 228hp at 11,500rpm as the host machine.
However the Bimota runs a very different
chassis, boasting centre-hub steering and a rolling weight
of 219kg, or just shy of 20kg lighter than the Kawasaki
H2.
Production is set at 250 units.
Australian Motor Cycle News has
a track ride impression which provides a good
insight into the machine – see it here.
Plus the
Kawasaki Ninja H2 site
And our story on
the Tesi 1D 904SR
Lite 'n' Easy,
Jan 12
Today's riding menu: Our mid-1980s Suzuki TS185ER. It hadn't run for a year, but a fresh tank of fuel and two kicks and it was underway again. Lovely.
Having spent the previous day on our BMW K1200LT
tourer, the little trail bike was a wonderful
contrast – light and easy to throw around, with that
distinctive two-stroke cackle.
This was a machine we bought over 20 years ago for the
kids to ride and we wonder how many people out there
started riding on something like this.
Remember the
Drifter, Jan 10
One of the more obscure models in the
Kawasaki cattledog is this, the VN1500-based Drifter.
Produced just before a flurry of revival
efforts of the Indian marque, it mimicked the style of the
late Springfield Indians with their trademark
deeply-valanced guards.
Ironically, they found a niche market
with owners of Springfield Indians, who saw them as a
relatively low-cost and low-stress back-up for their
historic bike. See our column on
this theme and other models that found a second life
after they left the showroom.
Meanwhile, this example is located in
Melbourne and is on Bikesales at
Au$9900 (US$6800, GB£5600).
See the Motorcycle
Specs data and backgrounder.
Collector shed,
Jan 8
The giant annual January Las Vegas
classic bike and car auctions are coming up, with Mecum
claiming some 1000 motorcycles in its catalogue.
While we have reservations about the wisdom of sellers entering into an event of that size, it provides ample entertainment for the interested spectator.
For us, the highlight is often cruising
through individual collections and wondering what sort of
person owned them. A good example is the Bruce Robinson
collection, which features Bimota, Krauser, all four major
Japanese turbo bikes from the 1980s, a Suzuki rotary, the
inevitable Ducati MH900e still in a crate (aren't most of
them?) and much more.
Zed legend, Jan
8
Though Kawasaki's inline four Zed
platform was by now showing some age, the release of
the Z1-R in 1978 helped breathe some life into the
series.
Back then, in a
test for Two Wheels mag, Kel Wearne concluded:
"The Kawasaki is ideally styled to make it the love of
an owner’s life. At $3095 at testing time, the Z1-R
carries pizzaz enough to impress anyone, performance
enough to salve any rider’s demon craze, and enough
sophisticated design and style to be an instant
classic."
Want to know more about the big Zed? See our Z1-R
profile
Maxxed-out
Kawasaki, Jan 7
Something for the horsepower hounds: This
2001 ZRX1200R is running a Phil Tainton-modded engine now
claiming 153hp at the back tyre, so a good 40-plus up on
stock.
Look closely and you'll see it's
running Keihin flat-slide carbs, along with Brembo
brakes and Ohlins rear suspension. Evidently it's had
a heap of money thrown at it, which goes some way
towards explaining the hefty Au$38,000 (US$26,000,
GB£21,600) price tag. See it at
Bikesales.
We had a ZRX1200R in the shed a while
ago. See the story
here and the video here.
See our profile on
the ZRX1100-1200R series.
Mambo Moto, Jan 4
And now for something very different: A 1972 Honda Dax
with the bodywork said to have been painted by Mambo
artist Jeff Raglus and the seat crafted by Noel Crombie of
Split Enz. There's a collaboration you won't see
every day...
It's up for sale
via Bikesales at Au$11,000 (US$7400, GB£6200)
See the CT70 Dax specs and backgrounder.
Happy Honda, Jan 1
The first ride for the new year happened to be with the 1971 Honda CB750-Four K1, bought years ago as a restored unit from young Brian Browne at TT Motorcycles.
It started instantly, despite having sat for six weeks, and was an ideal choice for a brief arvo cruise. A great reminder of what a big happy motorcycle can feel like, even if it’s a very long way from being the sharpest toy in the shed.
Roll on 2023…
Tool time for the Triumph, Jan 1
Today is as good a day as any to give the Triumph T160 some long overdue attention.
It’s been remarkably reliable, given how little love it’s been shown over the years.
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