Tag: vintage motorcycles

First Facebook Running When Parked

jimmymac

I posted a few items on Facebook’s Marketplace after they sat on Craigslist for a month with nothing but “Is it still for sale?” “What is the least you’ll take?” and “I am being deployed and will pay you twice what you are asking if you will ship it to…” responses. The items sold in a couple of days on the Facebook Marketplace! Craigslist has been my go-to tool for uncovering Running When Parked motorcycles but after this recent win on Facebook, it was time to do some digging there.…

Florida Country Estate With Road Course Yours For Only $17.5 Million

jimmymac

Looking for a nice little place to retire that has plenty of space for all your toys and includes a karting track that could easily be pressed into service as a motorcycle road race course? Man, have I found the place for you. That is, as long as you’ve got $17.5 million lying around. The Oaks is a stylish country estate on Lake Thonotosassa, a little Northeast of Tampa, Florida. I’m not crazy about the living room, dining room, closets and whatever all those other rooms are, but the garage…

Holy Batman, This Yamaha Batcycle Could Be Yours

jimmymac

This is not a Running When Parked, but how could I let it slip by without giving it a little attention? Under the Batcycle exterior is a clean-looking 1972 Yamaha 250. The owner has fashioned his custom build to look just like the Batcycle used in the 1966 TV series (this is a replica, not the real deal). The owner is asking $24,500. If you are a Batman aficionado and super fan (with a lot of cash on hand), this may be your dream come true. It is on eBay…

BSA Lighting Rocket Leaves The Family

jimmymac

This Running “like a beast” When Parked is sad. The bike was purchased new by the seller’s father and then handed down. So this bike is more of a family member than a used vehicle. It is sad that there is not another family member to keep the BSA flame alive and in the family. Since there isn’t, you get a shot. The $11,500 is a reasonable price (maybe a steal) when compared to the $16,110 that Kelley Blue Book claims the bike is worth. The Rocket appears complete and…

Under The Big Top For The 2020 One Moto Show

jimmymac

My jeans still smell like 2-stroke exhaust. I slipped on icy stairs at the hotel and gashed my shin, arm and shoulder. I flew home white knuckled because of severe air turbulence with the lady behind me yelling obscenities and the flight attendants hugging a poor kid who couldn’t stop crying. All this and I’m already planning next year’s trip to The One Moto Show! Yep, that’s how much fun The One Moto Show is. Stinky clothes, bloody and bruised and losing lunch won’t deter me. You want to know…

1952 Vincent Smashes RWP’ed Asking Price Record By 35 Thousand Dollars (Updated)

jimmymac

Update January 27, 2020: It is not often that a Running When Parked bike needs an update. It takes important new information or a dramatic turn of events. This ’52 Vincent meets both criteria because it just sold for $55,000 at Mecum’s 29th Annual Vintage & Antique Motorcycle Auction. While that is short of the $69,950 asking price back in June, it is not too far off. I’m stoked for Bator International (who sold the bike) but I’m not sure Running When Parked bikes selling for $55,000 is great for…

Hitting The Jackpot Or Going Bust At Mecum’s 2020 Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction

jimmymac

I learned how little I know about buying collectable vintage motorcycles at Mecum’s 29th Annual Vintage & Antique Motorcycle Auction in Las Vegas. I know what caught my eye. Anybody can do that. What few people can do is look beyond the polished chrome, Armor-All’ed tires and waxed paint to assess a motorcycle’s true value. Eavesdropping on the Pros inspecting the lots (that’s auction speak for the motorcycles) was more fun and way more educational than watching the bidding action going down. Did the winning bidder hit the jackpot or…

Must-Attend Motorcycle Events Coming Soon

jimmymac

The Monster Energy AMA Supercross Series gets the lion’s share of media attention every January and rightfully so. The 17-event series packs stadiums from Anaheim, California, to Detroit, Michigan, and is easily America’s most-watched motorcycle race series. That doesn’t mean you should miss out on two other annual motorcycle events that will take place between now and the first week in February. THE MECUM MOTORCYCLE AUCTION IN VEGAS I call it America’s largest motorcycle dealership showroom that is only open 5 days a year. The auction runs January 21 through…

Suzuki TS 250 Last RWP’ed Of 2019

jimmymac

What’s going on with “Running When Parked?” I usually find ten or twenty RWP’ed for sale locally but in the closing weeks of 2019, Running-When-Parked bikes became a rare find. Could my diligent reporting have influenced sellers to use different terminology? Ran ten years go? Ran the last time somebody rode it? Will run with a carb cleaning? A new battery? A new transmission? Well, sellers may be getting sneaky, but I did find this little beauty. The seat looks pretty good so if that is worth $1100 to you,…

Motorcycho’s Norman Turns 60 Years Young

jimmymac

When I was Editor of Motocross Journal I got an envelope packed with stickers, a zine titled Motorcycho and a cassette tape of a radio show that only played motorcycle songs. The sender’s name was Norman (a pseudonym for Kenneth Anderson) who turned out to be Motorcycho’s Editor, the radio show’s DJ and the stickers’ creator. I wrote back to tell the guy how much I enjoyed the care package. Little did I know that this was the beginning of a 20-plus-year friendship. Norman and I have met at motorcycle…