Fate took me through a whirlwind of emotions with this next ride. First, I was excited to see that not only did the seller have a sweeeeeet fender flared MR2, but also a long wheelbase Duggar van, a motorcycle powered 3-wheel Smart Car, and a shortened cab-less vintage pickup (probably also motorcycle powered). However, the […]
I read this great article in Motorcycle Classics a few years back about the adventures of purchasing “classic” bikes off The List of Craig. The whole premise of the article is that with the advent of CL and free internet ads, finding a classic bike has gotten a whole lot easier, but since it […]
A lot of cool old stuff that was just an affordable old car a few years ago has turned into a collectible automobile with prices to match. Blame Barrett-Jackson, the Fed, Brexit, QE and QE2, or whatever, but amassing a collection is going to take you a few bucks as well as space. Motorcycles haven’t […]
The tag line for Motorcycle Classics magazine is “Ride them, don’t hide them“. With our next subject, the original owner seems to have chose the hide it option. I’ve always said that classic motorcycles are cheap to buy right now, so here’s the optortunity to get in on the ground floor for appreciation (if that […]
Kawasaki is known for it’s H1 Mach III triple that was nick named “The Widowmaker” for it’s outrageous two-stroke power and diabolical handling. But lesser known is that Kawasaki had a full line of evil two stroke triples that could kill you just as dead. Find this 1972 Kawasaki S2 Mach II for sale in […]
It’s not that I didn’t believe KB-Zed’s postulate (with endorsements from E-i-C Vince and Co-Founder CFlo) that the SF Bay Area Craigslist has the best listings, but still I have to do my President Reagan “Trust but verify”. So when it came time to find a bike for this weeks edition of Two Stroke Tuesday, […]
Throughout the 1950’s and into the 1960’s the British bike makers reigned supreme. However, due to British arrogance, they neglected to invest in new designs and manufacturing techniques and didn’t see the Japanese coming to eat their lunch. At first, the Japanese built bikes that looked like the old British twins, but didn’t blow up […]
In 1968 Yamaha introduced the DT-1, the original dual sport or enduro as it was called back then. The DT-1 created a market in the US for on/off road capable bikes that weren’t just street bikes that just looked rugged. Kawasaki followed with their line of enduros including the 100cc two stroke G4TR Trail Boss […]
Back in the day, if you wanted a mini-bike you had to settle for a heavy framed boat anchor of a bike powered by a lawnmower motor and a centerfugal clutch. Honda changed the game in the 60’s with its Z series “Monkey” with a mini-bike that was a scaled down motorcycle vs. a two […]
If we’re talking two-stroke street bikes, it’s inevitable that the Kawasaki H2 will come up. The H2 Mach IV 750, a.k.a the “Widow Maker” was Kawasaki’s entry into the 750cc big bike derby in the early 70’s. Think of the other bike makers with their 4 stokes and liquid cooling as Fleetwood Mac. Kawasaki with […]