Here’s proof that we will hotrod anything, even the little cult bike-ette with the too-cute name—the Honda Grom. Like the purse dog who thinks it’s a Doberman, this 125cc motorcycle somehow presents itself as much larger than the sum of its parts. There’s always the guy who will go way over top, and here’s his project.

This Grom has been treated to a full list of brand-name mods, from Akrapovich to Tyga and Ohlins in the middle. It’s stretched, remapped and reskinned. Find it in Chicago, here on Craigslist, listed for $4500.

Maybe with the extended swingarm, it’ll be easier for you to replicate Gromkhana!

Imported for just three years, the Gemini SST 50 was much faster than a Honda Z50 thanks to a licensed design of the Yamaha 50cc rotary engine. Alright, so it’s no speed demon, but those in the know suggest that these are some of the fastest mini bikes ever built – the 50cc engine produced 4.5 horsepower and was capable of hitting 35. Wooooo!

Despite the licensing arrangement, Gemini got into legal troubles and had to stop production in ’72. This example was acquired in rough shape and brought back to life, though it still needs new tank badges, exhaust shield, correct gas valve and fork boots – the last of which are NLA, according to the seller. The seller weirdly painted a lot of the chrome parts so if you’re going to be doing some replating if you want to make it look as close to stock as possible.

Find this SST for sale in Simi Valley, California for $1,100 here on Craigslist.

One of the rarer trail bikes out there, the Trail Flite stood out with features like wire wheels, drum brakes, and the nifty leading link suspension.

The bike was also branded as a Columbia 603-2/653-2 – both got a Tecumseh four horsepower motor and asymmetrical torque converter but the latter also came with an alternator and lights. Curb weight was 118 pounds and it even featured a “Deluxe Shut-off Button”. Fancy. This example runs and rides and it can be yours for less than five Benjamins. Fix that seat, though!

Find this Trail Flite for sale here on Craigslist in Sun Valley, California for $400.

This bike-uriousity brought to you by Ian F!

I’m not a huge fan of minibikes, but this is one of the most collectible of them all. Don’t believe me? Well, bidding is already up to $7,300 with plenty of time to go in this auction. I’ve seen one or two non-definitive mentions that just 22 were built in 1970.

Speedway was formed in ’70 by some ex-Rupp employees who apparently weren’t happy with how that company was doing. They started a factory in the same town (Mansfield, Ohio), and created some iconic minibikes – the Silver Shadow was one of the faster ones, thanks to a Sachs 125cc engine.

Find this Silver Shadow for sale in Tampa, Florida with bidding up to $7,300 and the reserve not yet met

If you’re really into minibikes from this time frame, you have to see the other offerings (like a Super Scat, Rupp Bonanza, Rupp Roadster, and more) from this seller

A seller in Los Angeles is letting go of three oddball mopeds – two run, but the third isn’t producing a spark.

First, we’ve got a 1967 VeloSoleX.
Built by Solex of France, the VeloSoleX was created in 1946 and was offered in 70 countries. Production ended 1988 though it was eventually restarted in other countries. This is claimed to be a European model that the seller has had for 10 years. The 49cc engine goes through a single-speed friction drive. It’s available here on Craigslist for $650.

Then we’ve got a 1959 Bianchi Sparviero.
Built in Italy under a license from Puch, the Sparviero uses a 2 stroke 49cc engine with a 2 speed transmission. The scoot got a carb cleaning last week and it’s ready to go. It’s available here on Craigslist for $750.

Lastly, we’ve got a 1967 Bianchi Falco.
Another rarity, the Falco was never officially sold in the US. Unlike the other bikes for sale in this post, this one doesn’t run as it’s not generating a spark. The seller says it has good compression and comes with the optional speedometer. Like the others, this has a 49cc 2-stroke motor, though this features a whopping 3 speeds. It’s available here on Craigslist for $650.

Or snag ’em all for a package deal, I can’t imagine someone who wants one of these wouldn’t be interested in the other two, as well!

Just another rare bike from a once large manufacturer? No particular significance? Not exactly.

DKW (Germany) was once the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world, and the most dominant racing marquee of it’s day. Early development of a supercharger that worked on a motorcycle and incredible development of the Puch twingle concept made DKW very nearly unbeatable in the years between WWI and WWII.

War reparations between the Allies and the German Empire gave the DKW twingle design to Harley Davidson and BSA who put out the ‘Hummer’ and the ‘Bantam’ respectively. Even more amazing is their lineage. DKW and Audi merged with Horch and Wanderer into a company known as Auto Union. The four ring logo for Auto Union is familiar today as the logo for Audi. Each ring stood for one of the original founders.

Photo from http://www.classic-motorrad.de/galerie/displayimage.php?pid=11148

This particular DKW is an example of the only 100cc model the company is credited with making. From a company that is known for engine development and design, the RT100 is a pretty basic 100cc single.

This bike lives in Walnut, California and is for sale with bidding up to $2,650.00 and the reserve not met It has a ‘buy it now’ clause listed at $6,156.00 in the listing.

Wait. Don’t quit on me yet. It’s not a real bicycle, it has a motor and a belt drive. Makes it a motorcycle in my book!

Watch this video before you make any judgements:

The bike is said to have a range of 40 miles with partial pedaling. 15mph top assist speed. Solid no flat tires. And a certain coolness factor that can’t be denied.

The Fly bicycle is on Indiegogo right here. Delivery is scheduled in June, 2016 at an ‘early adopter’ price of $2290.00 plus shipping. They’ve already raised $570,424 and sold 24 out of 75 serialized examples.

Here’s Justin’s first feature, about a rare Redline-framed RD100!

Before coming across this bike I was unaware that Redline had created motorcycle frames and swingarms. In their early days of manufacturing Redline made frames for flattrack, speedway, TT and motocross then exploded into the BMX business creating a dominating brand that I still remember as a prestige brand. If you had Redline chromoly forks you ruled the dirt behind my elementary school.

From the Redline webpage:
“Nov 1, 1970
REDLINE WAS BORN

Redline was born when two guys with a common interest in welding and motorcycles began making frames and swingarms. With a 6-person staff, they named the company Redline and began producing lightweight, high quality motorcycle frames for flattrack, TT, speedway or motocross.

January 1, 1974
Redline Replacement Swingarms Introduced

from http://redlinebicycles.com/history/

Replacement swingarms were Redline’s hottest commodity in 1974, when this new sport called BMX began to gain attention. With the owner’s son gaining interest, they began thinking of ways to make stronger bike parts. A local bike shop called Pedalers West bet Redline that they can’t come up with a stronger yet lighter fork for BMX. They’re up for the challenge.”

If you are looking for a rare vintage Road Racer that has an interesting lineage this might be the bike for you. The ad is up in the Seattle area but I have seen it posted as far as the SF bay area so it may be purchased quickly. Claims to be 85% complete so in the right hands if could prove a smart buy at an asking price of $2500 here on Craigslist.

To Quote Dave Williams and his Gasoline Calvary guide book –

​Two strokes have always made me ride like a teenage villain. This bike seems well suited for vintage races. Good luck to the new owner.

Motoleggera translates to light motorcycle, and it was a term specifically given to bikes with engines of 100cc or less. You can probably guess what the nickname of Guzzino translates to. Designed to be cheap transport for Italians after WWII, the Guzzino was rather popular – approximately 72,000 were built between 1946 and 1954.

The drivetrain included a 65cc 2-stroke engine paired with a 3-speed transmission. It weighed less than 100 pounds dry and the 2 horsepower from the engine was good enough for a top speed of about 30 miles per hour.

This example was restored and is claimed to be virtually concours condition. Find this Motoleggera for sale here on Craigslist for $4,950 in Los Angeles, California.

Moto Beta was almost 50 years old when they expanded from bicycles into motorcycles. They’re probably best known for their trials bikes of the 90s – Dougie Lampkin won the World Championship in ’97, ’98, and ’99 with the marque. In the 70s, some Moto Betas were imported to the US under the Premier name, like the little off-roader you see here.

The Bebe 50 is a minibike with a 49cc engine. This example will need a little bit of work. The motor is free but you’ll need throttle/clutch cables and some TLC. Find this Moto Beta for sale here on Craigslist in Laura, Ohio.

This bike-uriousity brought to you by Bill K!

1-26-16 Update: 7 months later, this Gilera is back up for sale with a thousand dollar discount. Find it for sale with a BIN of $2,500 or best offer

Acquired 10 years ago in non-running condition, this Gilera 124 apparently had an electrical short which started a fire in the headlight bucket. In addition, the engine was seized with all of seven miles on the odometer. The seller has brought it back to life and it’s now Moto Giro eligible.

The seller believes that this is one of the last Gileras imported into the US under the Sears name as it did not have any Sears badging on it (stencil on the seat, metal tag on the frame, badges on the tank). Included in the sale is photo documentation of the rebuild, all receipts from the restoration, copies of the owners manual and shop manual, and a second engine that was bought for parts.

Find this Gilera for sale in Hudson, New York for $3,500 here on Craiglist.

This bike-uriousity brought to you by Jeff R!

Mr. Honda was never a fan of the two-stroke concept. Nor was he blind to effective marketing, and by the late seventies the emerging market for lightweight sporty motorbikes couldn’t be ignored. In many countries laws limiting engine size for young riders meant a big market for 50cc machines.

Introduced in Europe and Africa in 1979, the MB50 had the style of a motorcycle and, unlike a typical scooter or moped, came equipped as such, including a tachometer, larger wheels/tires and disc brakes. The success of the “street” MB spawned the off-road styled MT model. Both shared two-cycle 50cc and 80cc engines and five-speed gear boxes. In 1982 Honda introduced the MB to the U.S. as the MB5, downplaying it’s tiny displacement in the land of cubic inches. Marketed towards the young, presumably sexy, rider the MB5 proved to be a one-year experiment in America.

Todays bike sports a flashy set of later model MBX wheels in place of the original Comstars and shows only 3351 miles with very presentable cosmetics to match. Offered at only $1800 buy-it-now, find it Corona, CA

Post-Listing Update: This Janus did not meet reserve with 28 bids up to $2,376.

The last time I featured a Janus Halycon, the manufacturer was only making a 50cc version. They’re now taking deposits on a 250cc variant (and another model with different styling), but if you want an example of this interesting styling right now, you’ll have to snag this older 50cc model.

The Halycon 50cc is a 2-stroke 50cc that is obviously inspired by what bikes looked like in the 20s and 30s. Thanks to its 9.8 horsepower, you’ll be able to hit 55 miles per hour and get 60 miles per gallon. This example (VIN: 1P91AA100CD700013) has just 39 miles on it and it looks close to new.

Find this Halcyon 50 for sale in Indianapolis, Indiana with bidding up to $2,025 and the reserve not yet met

This bike-uriousity brought to you by Rob B!

The Chrysler Snorunner has an interesting history, though there isn’t 100% consensus on the origin story. Some people claim that Chrysler built them for the Army, which was looking for light weight snow transport that could carry a soldier for 30 miles. Unfortunately, the finished vehicle was borderline useless in powdered snow, so the Army evaluation failed. Chrysler then detuned it and offered it to the public instead.

On the other hand, Hemmings suggests that Chrysler built these odd rides independently and later tried to offer a more powerful version to the Army. Either way, if you want more information, check out the only site dedicated to these oddballs, Snorunner.com. The short story was that it featured a 134cc engine that produced just 7 horsepower “thanks” to a restrictive exhaust. Assuming you were in ideal conditions (flat and very groomed), it was capable of 25 miles per hour.

This example (VIN: SR 002048) has been sitting for two years and will need a minor recommissioning – the seller specifically calls out that it will need a new air cleaner and possibly a new rubber track. Find this Sno Runner for sale in Cincinnati, Ohio with bidding up to $610 and the reserve not yet met

In the US, Hercules is probably best known as the first company to sell a Wankel-engined bike to the public – the Wankel 2000. The firm started building bikes in 1904 and was sold to ZF Sachs in 1963, eventually becoming part of the Zweirad Union. As you could probably guess, before the ’63 sale, Hercules wasn’t doing particularly well in the market. Around this time, they were using Sachs two-stroke engines, which presumably had something to do with the sale itself. Here’s one of those small two-stroke bikes, the Hercules K100. Can you guess what the displacement is?

Impressively, this example (VIN: 1678639) is all original and the engine works as it should. The 2-stroke, 100cc engine is paired with a 3 speed twist-grip transmission and the seller will help you with shipping by crating and taking it to a local transportation depot for free.

Find this Hercules K-100 for sale in Longmont, Colorado for $2,000 here on Craigslist.

This bike-uriousity brought to you by Bob K and Tom S!

Considered by some as the ultimate Honda Z50, the “Christmas Special” was a limited edition – you can probably guess what time of year it was released. Honda gave two examples to each of their top dealers, though they typically called it the “Chrome Edition” seeing as nearly every part on the bike (even the frame!) was chromed. This example isn’t pristine but the ‘motor has been freshened up’ and it has new tires, brakes, and cables.

This is one of the lower priced examples of this limited edition that I’ve ever seen – I recently featured two examples new in the create that sold for $42,500!

Find this Christmas Special Z50 for sale here on Craigslist for $1,199 in Lexington, South Carolina.

This bike-uriousity brought to you by David N!

When I first opened this listing, I think I heard my wallet whimper. Not that any individual bike is insanely priced, it’s just that there’s so many cool bikes all up for sale at once.

At this point it’s frankly just easier for me to list the seller’s ‘preview’ as he/she wrote it up. Most have prices, and all of them are cool!

-1957 F.B. Mondial 175 Sport “Ocone” MotoGiro – Ridden by a friend in the MotoGiro in Italy, then imported to California and displayed in a famous museum collection for years. Gorgeous bike.

-1959 Moto Morini 175 Tresette Sprint – Ridden in 2 or 3 MotoGiros in Italy and purchased from the Jack Silverman collection. Won “Best Motorcycle” at Concorso Italiano. $12,500

-1955 Moto Morini 175 GT – Imported from Italy to prepare for the US MotoGiro, but simply went into my collection. $6500

-1977 Moto Morini 3 1/2 Sport – Genuine factory Sport model. I imported this bike from Italy 15+ years ago, and it has always been one of my favorites to ride. $7500

-1967 CZ 360 Sidepiper – one local owner with original owner’s manual and some factory tools. Original steel fenders, original upholstery, and even original paint. Never raced. $6500

-1965 Italjet 50cc Mustang & Deluxe -classic Italian cafe racers – imported as a pair to use for magazine articles, and motorcycle shows when new. Both have very few miles, and both have California titles. Amazing& exotic features incorporated on these little machines. Can easily be built into gorgeous cafe racers like the Italjet Vampiro. $7500 for the pair

-1967 Bultaco 250 Metralla – fantastic bike with rebuilt motor, and new paint. Black CA plate with title. Extremely fun to ride! Have decals and many spares including the factory oil tank and tool box.
$8500

-1948 Indian Bonneville Chief – All original “Barn Find” bike which was featured in the Tom Cotter book “Harley in the Barn” Was in contention for the FIVA Preservation Award at the 2013 Quail Motorcycle Gathering (my 1919 Harley J Model with sidecar won the FIVA award that year). This is a matching numbers “Bonneville” Chief which featured an optional factory high performance motor (quite different than a normal Chief). Original saddlebags and accessories. Original (and rare) Apple Green paint.

-Early 1960’s “Quarter Horse” Mini Bike with West bend 2 stroke motor. Front and rear suspension and many innovative features including a flip-up seat with the fuel tank in the frame down tube. Original tires and original paint. Factory built frame was possibly made from surplus shell casings!
Original paint. The “Holy Grail” for Mini Bike collectors. Sold with spare engine. $1850

-1970 Indian “Boy Racer” mini motocross bike. One of the best looking small motorcycles ever built! This is an incomplete project bike. Extremely rare. $500

-1968 Bultaco M4 Matador – Swan neck clip ons and early style “acorn” head. Great early bike to restore, and will run with very little effort. $1000 Also have a Bultaco Lobito project for $500.

-1950’s Coachbuilt Carousel ride from a French carnival – Looks like a miniature VW bus, and probably enjoyed by thousands of kids over the years. Extremely rare decorator item. $5000

And if all this isn’t enough, he’s also got a ’73 Laverda 750SF that he may sell, too.

Find this veritable bonanza of interesting motorcycles for sale here on Craigslist in Ventura, California.

Based out of Bielefeld, Germany, Göricke was founded as a bicycle manufacturer in 1874. They started producing motorcycles in 1903 and were acquired by Panther in 1964. Between those years they produced a variety of motorcycles, including this Gö 100 S, which is powered by a Sachs motor.

photo from http://www.sonnengelber.de/goe-100-4-s.html

The Sachs 97cc engine was good for about 7 horsepower at 5,750 rpm. It weighed around 160 horsepower and was capable of hitting 50 miles per hour. From what I can tell, Göricke offered an optional front fairing designed to protect the rider’s lower torso and legs from the elements.

The seller says this (VIN: 37309) might be the only example of the breed in the US. I find that unlikely but I can’t prove him/her wrong! Nevertheless, it’s claimed to be in excellent condition and it looks great with the amount of wear on it. Potential problem – there doesn’t seem to be a title.

If the lack of a title doesn’t bother you, find this Göricke for sale in Pompano Beach, Florida for $3,590 or best offer here on Craigslist.

This bike-uriousity brought to you by Rob B!

Honda sold the RS125 for decades, and from the beginning it was an excellent privateer race bike from the factory. Looking to learn how to race while dealing with a two-stroke powerband? Look no further.

Also known as the RS125R, Honda offered these bikes at $13,000 MSRP – but you’d end up doubling that with modifications if you were to compete at the highest levels. At those levels, you could see 44 horsepower from the 125cc engine! Think about it this way: if you had a literbike making similar power/displacement numbers, it would put down just over 350 horsepower. Wet weight is around 160 pounds. As is often the case with bikes like this, the numbers tell just a small part of the story. Here’s a recent tale from Emma Franklin, Production Editor at MCN, who shares why she loves her ’98 RS125 so much:
“All these factors combine to make a riding experience that’s just simply out of this world. Full throttle, sixth gear, tucked in, shut off slightly then barrel in; the RS’s lack of mass makes for corner entry and mid-corner velocities that are simply unthinkable on bigger bikes. After a race, my front slick looks more tattered than a superbike’s rear. Every lap is a rush of revs, razor-sharp steering, last minute braking and constant body position shifting as I try to maintain every shred of momentum. It doesn’t matter where I’m riding it or for what reason, whether it’s testing, racing or just a trackday, it leaves me trembling for hours afterwards. I’ve been lucky enough to ride a lot of bikes, but nothing, nothing, compares to this.”

This RS125 (VIN: JR01-0410524) seems to have a ’09 engine in a ’04 frame. It was acquired from Rising Sun Cycles and still has the original fairings and windscreen. It’s claimed to be in excellent condition though a scratched foot peg was the result of a lowside in Laguna Seca 5 years ago. Find this bike for sale in Angwin, California with bidding up to $500 and the reserve not yet met

For the finale of this season of Fast n Loud (which chronicles the story of Gas Monkey Garage, three employees at the shop were given a bike and $1,000 to fix it up for an internal bike build off for charity. The results of that auction will be aired in the episode, but it looks like this trike is already up for sale again?

From the episode:

This bike was built by Mike Coy, “Paint Specialist” at GMG. It’s done up in Kelly Green metallic, and it looks cool, but borderline pointless. Highlights of the work include a 150cc Piranha engine, 225 tires in the back, custom seat, high pipe, and the coil over suspension. What do you think about how it turned out?

Find this Honda mini trike for sale in Saint Louis, Missouri with bidding up to $2,948 and the reserve not yet met