Weird rare one-off bikes

[Zerox]

Snarly Davidson!

I bought my first AFM racebike from a racer in Berkeley, over in the corner they had this weird-looking Harley with a cowling. I asked what it was, they said "oh that's just the ultra rare Harley Cafe Racer."

 

[Stormdragon]

Honda, continued:

Nope! I was right the first time. It IS a Bimota!

Some Japanese Unobtanium...

A nod to the venerated 400F

Rickman frames, FTW!

One year only. Still like this paint with the black motor. Wish I had one in the living room.

More unobtanium

Never produced, CX350. (You thought the 500 was slow? )

Finally! An Egli!

50cc's Total.

A concept bike that wasn't in my concept directory. Bad me.

Unobtanium, again.

 

[Stormdragon]

Honda continued, continued:

The infamous, MOTOCOMPO!

Unob... eh, why bother sayin' it?

This concludes the Honda directory. I left out the well-known oddities like the CXTurbo and the NR750. Everybody knows about those.

 

[Zerox]

This concludes the Honda directory. I left out the well-known oddities like the CXTurbo and the NR750. Everybody knows about those.

I once had an '87 VFR400. That would be the first streetbike in history to use the Pro-Arm (single sided swingarm, beat the RC30 by one year). Makes the NC30 seem almost mundane.

 

[R3DS!X]

Google Translate is a fuckin' joke.

you know what its better than? the alternative software that you developed and then let everyone use for free.

 

[iehawk]

BMW-Harrier + another bike.
http://www.motographite.com/2011/08/stellan-egeland-bmw-harrier-custom-bike.html

 

[Abyss]

What is that steering configuration called, the one on the BMW harrier where it doesn't use traditional forks? I want to learn more about it.

 

[iehawk]

Is it Hub-center steering? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hub-center_steering

 

[2strokeYardSale]

Honda EXP-2 desert racer

 

[skullsquid]

Why is the Motocompo, infamous? I thought it was a clever little thing, not to mention it was designed to fit inside a Honda City's trunk.
At the Petersen museum in LA they have pristine one right next to a City Turbo.

Anyway, here's one of Icon's post-apocalyptic creations.

1986 Honda VF1000R 'Magnificent Bastard'

 

[Abyss]

Is it Hub-center steering? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hub-center_steering

Awesome, thanks.

 

[Stormdragon]

Why is the Motocompo, infamous? I thought it was a clever little thing, not to mention it was designed to fit inside a Honda City's trunk.

Really, I just wanted to use the word 'infamous'. But to attempt to make my choice of words stick: You couldn't buy one unless you bought the car, and most of the car owners were said to remove them in order to get more trunk space. (As well as reduce weight I'll bet.)

 

[Crom]

Surprised no one has mentioned honda's 6 cylinder 250 gp bike and their 5 cylinder 125 that revs to 23,000 rpm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1pfDuYWtUE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMVNAYqnRT0

 

[Crom]

There's another bike I can't find much about but a Kiwi fellow by the name of Chris Gordon took two zxr250r top ends and made a 500cc V8 bike.

 

[bikeama]

I saw one of these when I was in Switzerland, price was too much for me.

 

[iehawk]

Ecomobile! Not to be mistaken for econo-mobile with a price tag $60K-$80K and above.

Started with a BMW brickhead flat 4, later on with the K1200S/K1300S engine. It gets better MPG because of better aerodynamics. I think they're now doing EV. Also appeared in the new Total Recall movie.

 

[Rimmy]

Here is one not made by honda, but made by Lazareth motorcycles in France. fantastic piece of machinery though. He really hit the mark for a riding machine based on a NON moving concept.

{image is huge}
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/LazarethHondaVTR1000-welte.JPG

 

[OldMadBrit]

i remember when britalia motors in santa cruz had one of these in their showroom. insane amounts of engineering and technology went into those bikes.

John Britten was a phenomenal engineer and fabricator.

Tragically he seemed to put little effort into using PPE when he laid up those carbon fiber masterpieces. Many suspect his cancer was related to exposure to the chemicals he worked with. The documentary on his achievements shows him laying up and sanding down CF components wearing nothing but shorts and a T-shirt.

 

[ST Guy]

John Britten was a phenomenal engineer and fabricator.

Tragically he seemed to put little effort into using PPE when he laid up those carbon fiber masterpieces. Many suspect his cancer was related to exposure to the chemicals he worked with. The documentary on his achievements shows him laying up and sanding down CF components wearing nothing but shorts and a T-shirt.

Yea, quite sad that he died so young. I'll never forget meeting him at Seca and watching his bike decimate the field. Apparently, he had trouble clearing customs and got the bike to Seca late. As I recall, he missed all the practice and had to use qualifying to sort the bike out. They never really got a good run in and qualified dead last (at #33, I believe). Fortunately, they got the bike sorted before the start of the race and when the field took off, Andrew blasted from 33rd place to 3rd place by the time the field hit turn two. Absolutely stunning. Andrew passed another rider before the 1st lap was complete and ended up in 2nd place. He then coasted to what he thought was a win, pulling wheelies everywhere and generally having fun. What he didn't realize was that there was still on bike in front of him and had he known that, he likely would have won instead of taking 2nd. The show he put on with the Britten was as legendary as the show put on by Roberts and Mamola a few years previous.

I still have the Britten t-shirt I bought from John and had him sign. It's never been worn.

 

[louemc]

John Britten was a phenomenal engineer and fabricator.

Tragically he seemed to put little effort into using PPE when he laid up those carbon fiber masterpieces. Many suspect his cancer was related to exposure to the chemicals he worked with. The documentary on his achievements shows him laying up and sanding down CF components wearing nothing but shorts and a T-shirt.

Hard to say...could of been some of both exposures causing his cancer.

Southern New Zealand is Rampant with Skin Cancer, being so near the hole in the Ozone layer.

His bike and how it came into being (including engine castings done in his wife's pottery kiln) is just beyond comprehension..

What a loss...The hurt is so deep on that one.