1968 Honda S90

Owners: Abhi Eswarappa, Founder/Director of Bike-urious, & VyVy Nguyen, Actress
Location: Culver City, CA

The Story: "I can't trust it 100%, but despite the fact that it doesn't make any practical sense, I love it," said Abhi Eswarappa from atop the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook in Culver City. Abhi, a motorcycle enthusiast by every sense of the word, always wanted to get his girlfriend VyVy into riding too. After she took a course and learned the ropes, he took her to check out a few bikes. They quickly discovered a problem. VyVy is a diminutive 5'1" tall and it seemed like every bike she tried was way too big for her. She knew she liked the way the older bikes looked so when they finally found this S90 on Craigslist a year and a half ago, they knew it was a perfect match. It's not an easy bike to ride, though, especially in city traffic. And it doesn't have an electric start so VyVy has to kick it over every time. In the longterm, Abhi says he'll find something a little more modern for her that still fits her size.

Abhi owns several bikes, but the S90 stands out from the rest. "It's the oldest bike I've ever had and I find that inherently charming, but there are little gifts of ownership that remind me that it's not brand new," he said. The fork boots have disintegrated and there was a period of time when it was blowing fuses left and right, forcing him to carry spares at all times. Getting the historical license plate was no walk in the park either. It took three trips to the DMV and an argument with a disgruntled government employee, but eventually he got it.

VyVy isn't the only one who likes the look of older bikes. This one drew a crowd during our photo shoot, and a few people even asked to have their picture taken with it.

Future Plans: While other bikes in Abhi's collection may come and go, this one is staying put. "I'll ride it until it dies on me and then bring it back to life. It's almost 50 years old so any life it gives me at this point is just a bonus."

Abhi runs Bike-urious, an online community designed to help users find rare, unique, and interesting motorcycles from all around the country at reasonable prices. If VyVy looks familiar, you may have seen her in featured roles on shows like ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" and NBC's "Parenthood."

1986 Honda V65 Magna

Owner: Sean Brogan, Writer/Producer
Location: Los Angeles, CA

The Story: Brogan found his Honda six years ago on a spontaneous trip to a family friend's garage to "check out a bike for sale." It had been sitting in heated storage for a decade, its first owner having hung up his helmet to raise a family. Unfamiliar with the model, Brogan and his father assumed it was similar to a Honda Shadow cruiser: big, heavy, sluggish, and safe. A good starter bike. It wasn't until after money was exchanged that a Google search revealed otherwise.

He'd actually purchased a terrifying 1100ccs of high performance engineering. In fact, the V65 Magna was the fastest production motorcycle in the world from 1983-1986, (the result of a power-cruiser Cold War against Yamaha's V-Max). It's extremely powerful, going a quarter mile in just under 11 seconds. Overzealous throttle twisting turns the front wheel into an ornamental accessory, and Brogan, being a sane person, is positive he'll never get close to experiencing the bike's near-180mph top speed. To say the engine is big is an understatement. It doesn't even fit in the frame.

Brogan had it shipped from Boston to LA, and even though it's technically an antique, it's only logged 20,000 miles. He loves it because at the end of the day, it's a really impressive machine. It's not sexy, it's not stylish, it's scary. And it's still above his skill level this many years in. However, despite its power, it's remarkably quiet. It may not wake up his neighbors in the morning, but it could still beat a Ferrari in a drag race.

Future Plans: He has no plans to sell it, and since it's never going to increase in value like a Harley or a Triumph, he can ride the hell out of it guilt-free. While it may not be the safest choice, it's the only bike he's ever had and he feels like any other bike would just be a downgrade.

You can see Brogan's bike featured in videos from Charney and Drop Trou. Check out this original ad for the Magna from 1983.