Perusing bikes for sale on eBay is always an interesting experience. What we end up looking at clearly depends on our mood at the time. Some days, we find ourselves stuck on Ducatis, looking for an elusive Mike Hailwood Replica or maybe a cool little Ducati single we could turn into a neat little retro-rat bike. On others, we’re drawn to the Orient, thinking about how cool it’d be to have an early Yamaha 2-stroker. 

Today it was Triumph, and the bike that caught our attention was this very rare and somewhat odd 1982 Bonneville “Royal Wedding.” Only the British would market a limited edition bike like this, of which only 250 were made. Half of those came to the U.S., and who knows how many of those have survived in original condition as many of them were converted to standard trim.

And in fact, this bike isn’t in standard trim, having been heavily modified by its owner with a Manx-style gas tank, a custom seat and tail fairing and drilled front brake rotors. The engine’s likewise been lightly customized, but the owners has most of the original parts and hardware to take the bike back to stock.

A daily rider, it could make a nice cross-country machine for anyone interested in the very last of the Triumph to come out of the old plant in Meriden, England. To see the auction for the 1982 Triumph Bonneville Royal Wedding, go here. To learn more about the bike’s modifications, go here. 

This week an unusual Bonneville caught our eye. Showing just just 2,557 original miles on the odometer, this 1982 Triumph Bonneville 750 is ready to ride.

According to the auction, this bike is 100 percent original, runs well, and will be ready to ride upon purchase.

Interested? Check out the eBay link for this great Bonnie here. 

The Flying Fox Racing Team at Bonneville in 2007
(Photo courtesy Kevin Brooks)

BMW enthusiast and Brooks Motor Works owner Kevin Brooks just emailed to tell us about a segment on the Bonneville Salt Flats that's scheduled to run on the Discovery Channel Dec. 16 and 17. Kevin tells us a crew of friends calling themselves the Flying Fox Racing Team took three old BMWs out to try and get land speed records (in the 500cc and 250cc production vintage gasoline pushrod category), and they did it.  Well, two of them, anyway. While there, a member of their team was interviewed by Discovery, and they've been monitoring the Discovery Channel, waiting to see what, if anything, was going to come of those interviews. The Discovery Channel segment is titled Speed Capital of the World: Bonneville. Sounds like must-see TV for bikers all. - Richard Backus 

 
Rocky Robinson pilots the Ack Attack to 360.913mph

On September 26, 2008, after five days of pushing their streamliner motorcycle on the salt flats of Bonneville, the Top 1 Oil Ack Attack team achieved what it came to do – topple the absolute motorcycle land speed record. And top it they did, with a blistering 360.913 mph run.

At 8:58 Mountain Standard Time, team owner Mike Akatiff, driver Rocky Robinson and crew shattered the existing 350.884mph record set by Denis Manning and Chris Carr in 2006. The new record was witnessed by a Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (International Motorcycling Federation, or FIM) official onsite, but is still subject to FIM ratification.

This had to be an incredibly sweet victory for Akatiff and crew, who broke the record in 2006 after hitting 344mph, only to watch Dennis Manning’s BUB streamliner take it away from them two days later with a new record speed of 350.884mph. And it must be an incredible vindication for pilot Rocky Robinson, who moved over to ride for Akatiff following an apparently acrimonious split with former employer Manning. Robinson was part of the team that developed BUB’s record-winning Number 7 machine – the very machine that took the record from him in 2006. Robinson wrote a book on the experience, Flat Out: The Race for the Motorcycle World Land Speed Record, an excellent read for anyone interested in land speed racing. Click on the link to order a copy.

Rocky strapped into the 900hp Ack Attack

Unlike Manning’s bike, which uses a purpose-built, one-off 425hp, 3,000cc V-4 designed at BUB, the Ack Attack gets its power from a pair of 1,300cc Suzuki Hyabusa engines linked together and fed by a single, undoubtedly massive turbocharger to produce a claimed 900hp.

The historic record was set during the first annual TOP 1 Oil World Land Speed Shootout held September 22-26, 2008, at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Bonneville, Utah. The Shootout is the first invitation-only Land Speed Racing event bringing together the fastest wheel-driven streamliner cars and motorcycles on the planet. It is also the first to be sanctioned by the FIA and FIM, the same organization overseeing Formula 1 and Moto GP racing. – Richard Backus 

A Triumph Bonneville may be the most popular of classic bikes, but the addition of a nice cafe racer kit can make a great classic into a more unusual classic.

This 1970 T120R Bonneville has what appears to be a nice Paul Dunstall fairing, fiberglass tank and seat base, along with Norman Hyde rearsets. The bike also has less than 100 miles on a freshly rebuilt engine and gearbox with 750cc Morgo barrels. It also comes with the original (though rough) gas tank, seat, 650cc barrels and pistons and much more.

To visit the auction, go here.

2006 Motorcycle Classics Barber show winner Jack Wells and his 1912 Abingdon King Dick.

Just about anywhere you go these days, you’ll find classic bikes showing their best for a growing crowd of classic bike fans. Ahhh, but where do they shine brightest? Oregon and Utah or Alabama and North Carolina? We aim to find out, with the Motorcycle Classics East Meets West Classic Bike Shows, and the winner gets to see his or her bike featured in the pages of Motorcycle Classics.

The challenge is simple: East or West, who’s got the best bikes? To find out, we’re holding two shows with – you guessed it – one East and one West. We’ll hold the first show, the Motorcycle Classics Bike Show West, on Saturday, Sept. 6 at the 3^rd Annual Bonneville VintageGP at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. Presented by Motorcycle Classics, the Bonneville VintageGP hosts rounds 14-15 of the AHRMA Michigan Engineering Historic Cup Roadrace Series and rounds 18-19 of the AHRMA Speed & Sport National Vintage Trials series. There’ll also be opportunities to make a run at the famed Bonneville Salt Flats, plus a Sunday ride, a swap meet, sidecar racing, the list goes on.

The second show, the Motorcycle Classics Bike Show East, will be on Saturday, Oct. 18 at the 4^th Annual Barber Vintage Festival at Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum outside of Birmingham, Ala. Easily the most incredible classic bike museum in the world, the Barber Museum also hosts the annual Vintage Festival along with the last races of the AHRMA racing season.

We’ll pick the best in category from each show, and when it’s all over we’ll hold a People’s Choice vote for the best overall classic bike from the two shows. And the best is still yet to come, because the winner will see his or her bike featured in Motorcycle Classics. So get yourself over to the Motorcycle Classics East Meets West Classic Bike Shows sign up page and register now for one or both shows. Bonneville or Barber, we’ll see you there. – Richard Backus