On Sunday, October 18th, Bonhams is auctioning off “Important Pioneer, Vintage, Classic, & Collectors’ Motorcycles”. In other words, let’s take a look at yet more motorcycles I want and can’t afford!
Bonham’s was very excited to announce that Tiberio Lonati, CEO of the Santoni Group, would be auctioning off a collection of 60 rare, mostly American bikes including a Henderson Model F, Flying Merkel racer, Thor Model U, and a whole lot more.
There are so many cool bikes up for auction that you should really take a few minutes and go through the whole list. But if you’re short on time, read on for the usual listing of my personal favorites:
1971 Munch Mammoth TTS – estimate ~$50,000. This is example number 147 of the legendary Mammoth. The bike has moved from Germany to Japan to the US and then to the United Kingdom. The bike was given a bigger battery (the side panels were extended to accommodate this) and the front brake drum has a crack that will need to be addressed, but this bike is in beautiful shape as evidenced by the fact that it’s been featured in three magazines in the last decade.
1973 Suzuki TR500 XR05 – estimate ~$43,000. Suzuki quit Grand Prix racing in ’67 but they joined privateers in taking road bikes and modifying them for racing. Starting with the Titan (TR500), Suzuki created the very rare XR05 racer. MK II of the XR05 was introduced in ’73 and it was water cooled, capable of putting out 73 horsepower and hitting 157 miles per hour. This example was ridden by Guido Mandracci during the ’73 Grand Prix season while competing for Suzuki Europa. In 2012 it was restored (except for the wheels) and it looks damn cool.
1977 Triumph Legend – estimate ~$15,000. After Triumph bit the dust in 1976, their race manager (named Les Williams) started a business specializing in spare parts for Rocket 3s and Tridents. The business was called LP Williams, and they not only supplied OEM spares, but they created go-faster parts, Slippery Sam replicas, and a ‘new’ version of the Trident that was supposed to be the ultimate street weapon. This bike was called the Legend. In the 80s, Williams built himself a Legend prototype, and word of mouth spread. Though he apparently had hundreds of orders, he was only able to create 60 of them – this is #33. For more information on the Legend, check out this owner’s report from The Vintage Motor Cycle Club.
1938 DKW 250SS Supercharged Racer – estimate ~$70,000. One of approximately 110 made, this is one of the coolest vintage racers ever made thanks to the supercharged split single engine (these are also some of the loudest bikes you’ll ever have the pleasure of hearing). Unfortunately, this bike isn’t a runner. It has spent the last 40 years in a museum and now it’s going to a new owner.
1973/77 Triumph Trident ‘Rob North’ Racer – estimate ~$15,000. Built, raced, and sold by John Parker, this bike won several races between ’79 and ’81 though it is not a genuine Rob North or Triumph factory bike. It was started recently but it will need some work – it still has the tires from ’81, there’s some cosmetic issues, etc. But hopefully it’ll get its day on the track again!
1959 Ariel 645cc Grass-Track racer – estimate ~$6,000. Built in 1959, Don Wright took an Ariel 500cc single and bored it out to 650cc. Then he threw that in a Red Hunter frame with a Burman gearbox and started winning races! After years of sitting, the bike was recently given a once-over and a new rear tire, then it was bump-started on a methanol/nitro-methane mix.
In a rare turn of events, one of the bikes I want to try the most is a modern one: 2011 EVA Track T800 CDI – estimate ~$11,500. Yes, it’s diesel powered. Not just that, it’s probably the world’s most advanced diesel-engined bike. It’s an adventure bike with 45 horsepower, 78 pound feet of torque, and a claimed 140mpg (though it seems that reviewers have been getting closer to 80-90). EVA produced only about 50 of these bikes before they went out of business – this example was bought directly from the manufacturer. Bonus points if you remember the Hormel Black Label Bacon Motorcycle, a EVA Track converted into a cafe racer that ran from Wisconsin to San Diego on diesel fuel created from bacon grease.
1991 Harley-Davidson 1,480cc Cal Raybourn Replica – estimate ~$9,500. Starting with a 883cc Sportster (and then boring it out to nearly double!), the creator of this bike has built a replica to Cal Raybourn’s mount in the 1972 Trans-Atlantic Match Race Series.
Last but not least, a 1917 Smith Motor Wheel – estimate ~$5,100. Built as an add-on to be bolted on to a bicycle, the Smith Motor Wheel was an interesting solution to the problem of affordable transportation for the masses. This example is an older restoration that’s been mounted to a Henderson bicycle, and it deserves two photos:
If you’re curious what a Smith Motor Wheel looks/sounds like when running, here’s a video from a different example of the breed:
Like I said before – there are a lot of cool bikes that are being offered and I had to exclude some great ones just to get this post done in a reasonable amount of time. If you want the complete list of available bikes, click here!