As the brainchild of designer Pierre Terblanche, the Ducati MHE900 was born to commemorate Mike Hailwood’s remarkable comeback win at the Isle of Man TT in 1978. Essentially, the MHE900 is Ducati’s first attempt at E-Commerce, building 1,000 models of the bike and putting it up for sale on the Internet. As expected, the MHE900 was an immediate success, prompting Ducati to build another 1,000 numbered units.
In terms of design, the MHE900 comes with a retro styling that harkens back to the design of the 70’s. From the complicated tank and fairing to the dingle-sided steel swing-arm, the MHE900 is truly a bike that stands on its own two wheels. More than just its classic looks, the bike is also powered by an impressive powertrain in the form of a 904-cc, two-valve, air-cooled Desmo Super Sport engine.
The bike auctioned off at the RM Auctions in Monaco - Model No.3 of 2,000 - was about as new condition as any of the other models in existence. It’s been on a number of motor shows as a display bike and was even exhibited at the Ducati factory. Rest assured, this MHE900 is a bike that Ducati collectors would trip over their bids just to own.
Expected pricing for this bike was about €10,000 - €12,000, which is around $13,000 - $15,500 based on current exchange rates. Actual auction price was €12,870, or about $16,528 at the current rates.
More photos of the Ducati MHE900 Model No. 3 of 2,000 after the jump.
Ducati’s line of Cucciolo motor bicycles were so successful that by 1950, the Italian bike maker had already sold over 200,000 units of the model. With the demand for the bike hitting fever pitch, Ducati decided to branch out from the Cucciolo and build a model that was developed from it.
Thus, the Ducati 60 Sport was born in March 1950.
Looking the part of those earlier design motorcycles, the 60 Sport was by no means a push-over model. While it was built in the mold of the Cucciolo, the 60 Sport carried its own 65 cc four-stroke OHV engine that was capable of hitting a top speed of 40 mph with a fuel tank capacity of 200 mpg.
The particular 60 Sport model that was auctioned off at the 2012 RM Auctions in Monaco is one of the oldest real motorcycles that Ducati has ever built. With a company that has become one of the most famous motorcycle brands in the world, its easy to see how a model that comes with an
older restoration and a pleasing patina will fetch plenty of attention at the auction block.
The Ducati 60 Sport was expected to hit a bid price of around €1,500- €2,500, which is around $1,900 - $3,400 based on current exchange rates. It actually sold for €2,340, about $3,000 at the current exchange rates.
Back when cafe racers didn’t come with all the technology and design dynamics of today’s models, bikes like the Ducati 65 Cucciolo Sport were the kings of the road.
As the sporting version of the Ducati 65, the 65 Cucciolo Sport was as popular a cafe racer as they’d come. It featured a dual seat, clip-on handlebars, and the same steel body design that has made up the true classic Ducati.
In addition to its styling, the 65 Cucciolo Sport also carried an impressive powertrain in the form of a 65 cc OHV single cylinder engine that produces 2.5 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and is mated to a three-speed transmission. It wasn’t the most powerful Ducati of its time, let alone any time, but for sheer riding pleasure, the Ducati 65 Cucciolo Sport was in a true class of its own.
The model that will be auctioned off at the 2012 RM Auctions in Monaco on May 11, 2012 - CN: DM 56026 - is an older restoration model with a red and black paint, good chrome, and a black vinyl seat. Expected bid price for the bike is around €3,000 - €4,000, which is around $3,800 - $5,100 based on current exchange rates.
More photos of the Ducati 65 Cucciolo Sport CN: DM 56026 after the jump.
The new BMW Concept 6 has been described as an innovative, luxurious, and powerful BMW machine that has been adapted from the history and tradition of the BMW K-Series. The six-cylinder power unit on this motorcycle offers the kind of supreme and superior smoothness, refinement, and great power that has come to define BMW motorcycles.
Special for the Concept 6, the designers of the BMW Motorrad worked behind the designing and development of this motorcycle, while focusing their attention on the technical function and quality of the bike to give that emotional element of mixing man and machine.
The suspension of the BMW Concept 6 is built around a light-alloy bridge frame. It is accompanied by 17" HP forged wheels, which can be found on this motorcycle, and extra-large brake systems with six-piston fixed calipers. These wheels emphasize the bike’s sporty side, the appearance of the new machine, and the high level of technology put into it. This has all made the BMW Concept 6 a true two-wheeled masterpiece.
Find out more about the BMW Concept 6 after the jump.
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When you have a bike that’s being described as "splendorful," you know the people behind it are doing a great marketing job for the product. Not that the Hero Honda Splendor NXG needs publicity help because it’s already "splendorful" enough on its own.
Designed with new graphics and stickers that complement the bike’s basic body shape, the new Splendor NXG was given aesthetic and aerodynamic touches to improve it’s overall fuel efficiency, as well as its reliability and low cost maintenance. The facelift done on the Splendor NXG highlights the strengths of the bike’s redesign, complete with an attractive meter console and visor, black alloy wheels, and clear lens winkers. These features make it more appealing to a whole new market of motorcycle enthusiasts in India.
As far as performance is concerned, the Hero Honda Splendor NXG comes packed with a pretty impressive powertrain that features a 97.2cc air-cooled, four-stroke single cylinder OHC engine that produces 7.8 horsepower at 7,500 RPM and 8.04 Nm of torque at 4,500 RPM.
Find out more about the Hero Honda Splendor NXG after the jump.
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The Ducati 125 Formula 3 bikes were born from Fabio Taglioni’s iconic 100-cc Gran Sport, a model that set the pattern for Ducati singles for the next 20 years. With its 100 cc SOHC bevel-drive single generated engine that produced 9 horsepower at 9,000 rpm with a top speed of 80 mph, the Gran Sport became the barometer for all other Ducati single bikes built in the 50’s.
One of the bikes that was born from this lineage is the Formula 3, or F3 for short. Whereas the Gran Sport carried 100 cc at its disposal, the F3’s powertrain was increased to a 125 cc SOHC Desmo single engine, a move that also resulted in a bump in horsepower to 12 ponies at 9,800 rpm and an increased top speed of 93 mph. The Desmodromic valve gear, which mechanically opened and closed the valves, was developed from the Mercedes-Benz technology they used on their straight-eight W196 Grand Prix cars. While Mercedes never used it in on its production cars at that time, Taglioni saw the opportunity to develop it for racing purposes.
Eventually, the Ducati F3 became available in different powertrain trims, including the 125 cc, the 175 cc, and the 250 cc. All these later models gained enclosed valve springs, with the larger bikes also carrying an improved twin-leading shoe Amadoro brake. Steering head angles and rear suspensions were also altered to improve handling while larger megaphone exhausts were fitted into the bike’s overall set-up.
The Ducati Formula 3 is a model that was developed exclusively for racing purposes with Ducati preparing them for private racers. The model that will be auctioned off is one of these examples: an original, unrestored F3 with a factory number plate fly screen, alloy wheel rims, Dell’Orto SS1 250 carburettor, Veglia competition tachometer, and an Aprilia headlight. Characteristic of its authenticity can be seen on the present patina on the bike, an irreplaceable quality that not only shows its age, but also its condition.
Expected auction price for the 125 F3 is around €20,000 - €30,000, which is around $26,000 - $39,000 based on current exchange rates. Rm Auctions will be taking the highest bid on May 11, 2012 in Monaco, so get those check books ready!
If passion were manifested in a bike, that’s what the Passion Pro is all about, making it one of strongest and most popular bikes in the Indian two-wheeler market.
In terms of style, the Passion Pro comes with a design that speaks to its sleek shape and aggressive looks. It comes available in a whole blend of exciting colors, including Black & Sport Red, Vibrant Blue, Force Silver, Sports Red, Black & Frost Blue, and Palace Maroon. Plenty of new technologies have also been fitted into the Passion Pro, including a new digital-analog speedometer, a stylish visor with black-tinted windscreen & clear–lens indicator, a radical twin bulb tall light, and new custom graphics.
More than just its looks, the Passion Pro is complemented by a very powerful and efficient 97.2 cc air-cooled, 4-stroke, single cylinder OHC engine that produces an impressive 7.8 horsepower at 7,500 RPM and 8.04 Nm of peak torque at 4,500 RPM.
Find out more about the Hero Honda Passion Pro after the jump.
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Classic Ducati bikes usually fetch a hefty price in an auction setting. And when you’re talking about classic Ducati’s, the 98 Sport belongs front and center on that list.
Built in 1953 to join the ranks of the Ducati 98 N and the Ducati 98 T OHV, the 98 Sport became an immediate success in the market, despite its modest performance capabilities. At the heart of the Ducati 98 Sport is a 98 cc OHV single cylinder engine that’s been mated to a four-speed transmission. The powertrain was capable of producing 6.8 horsepower with a top speed of 56 mph. Those numbers may not mean much compared to the bikes Ducati has in its line-up today, but back then, that was enough to make the 98 Sport one of the most popular bikes the company’s range.
One of the 98 Sport bikes will be up for auction by RM Auctions on May 11, 2012 with a price range of €3,500-€4,500, which is around $4,500-$5,800 based on current exchange rates. The auction model comes fully restored with a silver and black two-tone paint finish to go with chrome and alloy rims.
Hero Honda feels so strongly about this bike that they apparently had no problems calling it the Super Splendor. Then again, the motorcycle company is always looking at improving its product line, which explains why they have taken to great lengths to improve the Super Splendor model past its rather optimistic name.
Designed and developed to be better than ever before, the 2012 Super Splendor carries plenty of improvements, highlighted by a new 125cc "Quantum Core" engine that delivers the best fuel efficiency in the Hero MotoCorp family. This powertrain is capable of hitting 9 horsepower at 7,000 RPM and 10.35 Nm at 4,000 RPM with an impressive top speed of 56 miles per hour.
On top of its engine credentials, the Super Splendor also boasts of a Trip-Meter that measures distance during travel, a peephole to check the engine oil level, a large utility box, a broad muffler with its own heat shield, a multi-reflector headlight and tail-light, a translucent visor, and a pass switch & push cancel indicator switch.
The combination of new engine and new technology has allowed the Super Splendor to live up to its name. Not that it should make a whole lot of difference because the bike is already stellar in its own regard.
Find out more about the Hero Honda Super Splendor after the jump.
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The Ducati Cucciolo 48 has a history that not a lot of bicycles in the world can stake claim to. Launched just after World War II, the Cucciolo 48 became an overnight success with Ducati selling over 200,000 models before 1950.
Back then, the Cucciolo 48 became the definition of the a high-end, powered-bicycle that no other in its class could compete with. Not only did it come with a classic design that included a dark red paint, chrome finish, and a sprung front fork, the Cucciolo was also powered by a 48 cc OHV single cylinder engine that came with a two-speed transmission and could handle 20 mph while traveling 180 miles on a full tank of fuel.
You won’t see a whole lot of these bikes on the road these days, but one in particular is set to go on auction in Monaco on May 11, 2012 at an expected bid price of around €2,500-€3,500, which is around $3,250-$4,500 based on current exchange rates.
As classic masterpieces go, the Ducati Cucciolo 48 belongs in that rarefied air.
