It’s March, 2023, and if you think that shops are out of crate-fresh examples of drool-worthy bikes from the 1990s, then we’re going to have to disappoint you right now. On March 25, 2023, a seller located in Bloomington, Minnesota, sold a crated 1993 Moto Guzzi Daytona 1000. The crate has been opened, so we do thankfully get to take a peek inside.
How did Guzzi get here? Back in the late 1980s, Dr. John Wittner was The Man, at least, as far as Moto Guzzi and endurance racing were concerned. In addition to being an actual doctor (a dentist, as it happened), it turned out that he was also pretty fantastic at Guzzi modification. As the story goes, Guzzi basically said “hey, want to come help us develop this new superbike?” and so, he did—and thus, the Daytona 1000 came to life.
It’s powered by a 992cc V-twin that made a claimed 95 horsepower at 8,000 rpm. Suspension consists of a Marzocchi fork up front, as well as a Koni shock in the back. Disc brakes and a stainless-steel exhaust system came standard, and you can see that the exhaust is still wrapped in bubble wrap in some of the photos. Top speed was a claimed 145 mph, and dry weight was listed as 451 pounds, presumably when fully assembled and not in pieces inside the crate.
Gallery: 1993 Moto Guzzi Daytona 1000 - Crated
This particular example was originally shipped from Mandello del Lario to Cycle Specialties of Athens, a shop located in Bogart, Georgia, all the way back in November, 1992. There are a total of 10 miles on the clock, and it comes with all the standard parts that a dealer would assemble to sell the completed machine on the showroom floor after uncrating it. It also comes with an original Moto Guzzi warranty card, a pre-delivery checklist intended for dealers to check off, a bill of sale, and a manufacturer’s certificate of origin.
The bike seen here was acquired by the seller in November, 2022, who then put it up for sale on Bring a Trailer in March, 2023. It sold on March 25, 2023, for a winning bid of $31,500. That’s not as bonkers as some motorcycle sales have been in recent time, but it’s clear that there was a bit of a bump since it’s been in a crate and unridden for the past 30 years. For example, a good-condition 1993 Daytona 1000 with just under 6,000 miles on it fetched just under $10,000 at auction in December, 2021.
The crated nature of this bike stirred up a bunch of big feelings in the BaT comments section, which is pretty unsurprising. On the one hand, some argue, it’s a time capsule. On the other, bikes are made to be ridden, and this one clearly wasn’t. What do you think?
Little Boxes:
Source: Bring a Trailer