Checkered Past Cycles

04/21/2026

Here's a rather rare Honda, a 1986 Honda TLR 200 Reflex. Its street legal twin-shock trials bike. While you can legally ride it on the road, where it really shines and is an absolute blast to ride is off road, especially on single track trails.

Our friend and fellow bike addict, Steve Lambert,is thinning his herd and offering this little gem up for sale. Its not showroom new condition,but is in very good overall condition. the odometer shows 11xx miles. I can vouch for the mileage and condition. Steve is the 2nd owner and I happen to be the 1st and original owner of the bike. It has been ridden, but not abused,and been well maintained and properly cared for.

Steve is asking $3400 for this little gem. You can either contact Steve or get ahold of us at the shop.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1422838222979439&set=pb.100057598241888.-2207520000

04/11/2026

Signs of spring.... flowers coming out to bloom, trees having buds ... and winter rebuilds finally coming out for test rides. Yeah, its a dirty part of the job and we have to draw straws. Who has to ride the Kawi triple and who is stuck riding the 850 Norton Commando.

02/03/2026

Well got a shocking surprise today. We were talking about the RC174 6cyl Honda replica that sold at Mecum for like$300,000!!!! This lead into a discussion of the RC173 replica I built years ago. Went to Google to look up RC173 info.In reading the AI info that always pops up there was a mention of Replicas.....such as built by the specialists at Checkered Past Cycles. Wow!! I guess we must be famous now. Either that or don't believe everything AI tells you.

01/20/2026

An example of how we keep busy pver the winter months. Two yamaha frames. Sandblasted primed and painted, ready to begin the fun part.....reassembly. Oh, that's an old, dull Montesa finder you see in the pic that we also restored.

01/16/2026

Surprisingly we are just as busy over the winter months, if not more, than the summer
Over the winter we do the major restorations and major repairs. So what do you do with a fender from a European bike that was only imported in relatively low numbers. If you can't find an NOS part or a repop, you salvage what you got. Here Ted is using a 100yr old what was then, a hand-held English wheel to take some dents out of a fender.

12/02/2025

11/23/2025

A facebook memory popped up on my page today from Nov. 23rd 2010. A couple of years before there was a Checkered Past, when working on bikes was done in my garage and basement. This was a barn find 1976 Honda CR125, purchased for a whooping $125! Stripped to every last nut and bolt and restored from the frame up. It now sits in a private collection of '70's 125 mx bikes.

09/17/2025

It was hard to get them to stop. Surprised they didn't just take off cross country with its two-wheeled drive!

09/17/2025

Well another Gilmore Vintage Bike week in the books. Swapmeet seemed very well attended. Bike show was about average attendance. Spectator numbers appeared down a bit. It was a long weekend for our crew, but fim was had by all. The Dneper was a big hit. Both amongst show attendees and amongst our crew. Larry, Daryl, and Daryl decided to end their three-day weekend with a few laps around the show grounds with an all aboard ride.

09/09/2025

SLAVA UKRAINE!!!
Our test pilot has moved on from the Vespa experience. Today was the first test of the Dnepr M16. It ran like a beast with its two wheel drive it was kicking up dirt from both rear tires. Ted said it was a blast, which inspired everyone at the shop to take their own test rides.