On April 21st, Bonhams will be auctioning off “Pioneer, Vintage, & Collectors’ Motorcycles and Related Spares” as part of their annual Spring Sale in Stafford, England. 438 lots will be put on the block – here are my 5 favorites:
Of the 438 lots, 107 are miscellaneous items like tanks, spare parts, helmets, and trophies. My favorite non-motorcycle lot is either this JPS helmet worn by Steve Cull or this 1939 Brough Superior brochure that details the entire model range at the time. It’s “The Rolls-Royce of Motor Cycles”!
Now, to the 5 motorcycles:
1. 1987 Ducati 851 Superbike Edizione 11/1987 – estimated to sell between $50,000 – $64,000. The start of Ducati’s legendary V-Twin superbike line, the 851 was initially available as the Strada or the higher-spec Superbike kit. Per Bonhams, the “first four frame numbers were assigned to the factory pre-production prototypes” and the next seven were handbuilt for privateers. Those seven are known as the “Superbike Edizione 11/1987”. This is the first of the publically available bikes and it was owned by famous journalist Alan Cathcart. It had a difficult story at first but was restored in 2014 and was last used in the middle of 2016.
2. 1970 Munch Mammoth TTS – estimated to sell between $110,000 – $140,000. Considered by some to be the world’s first superbike, the Munch Mammoth (Mammut) was revealed to the world four years before Honda opened some eyes with the CB750. It was aptly named, with a 996cc four-cylinder car engine from NSU that helped contribute to a weight of 480 pounds. Early models produced 55 horsepower but by ’68 Munch was able to get a 1177cc motor from NSU that put out 87 horsepower. This example was built for the US thanks to the involved of Floyd Clymer, and it has been restored.
3. 1954 BSA B31 – estimated to sell between $2,500 – $3,500. In an auction full of some of the world’s most exotic machinery, a beat up BSA may not get your attention at first. But this B31 shows 92,154 miles on the odometer because Stan Soames rode it around the world in 1974! It looks like it was put in storage once it came back, so expect it put in some TLC if you want it to run again. Or you can just put it on display, as the same includes a fantastic framed map which shows Stan’s route. If only bikes could talk…
4. 1990 Laverda OR 600 Atlas – estimated to sell between $2,800 – $4,200. This doesn’t have the pedigree of the other bikes I’ve featured, but the other bikes don’t have goofy names on their swingarms like “Soft Ramble”! The Atlas was similar to many 600 dual-sports of the time but it featured a six gallon fuel tank and a top speed of just over 100 miles per hour. It’s not pretty, but it is rare – estimates suggest just 450 were built.
5. 1957 FB Mondial 250 World Championship Winner – estimated to sell between $110,000 – $170,000. It’s an actual World Championship winner – Cecil Sandford won the Isle of Man and Ulster Grand Prix and finished on the podium 3 out of the other 4 races. Not bad.
6. A bonus one, for fun: 1970s Triumph Tiger TR7V 750 – estimated to sell between $7,700 – $11,000. The British Army had a motorcycle stunt team called the Royal Signals Motorcycle Display Team, also known as the White Helmets because of their protective gear. At the end of last year the team was disbanded because it looked too “old-fashioned.” A few of the bikes are up for sale here but #8 here is the only rider being offered. Per a senior officer in the British Army, “The image of chaps performing stunts on motorbikes is fun, but really doesn’t speak to modern-day youth who have grown up in a digital age.” I love this bike, but I’d probably look into rebuilding the suspension…these bikes sometimes carry quite a bit of weight:
Consolidating 400+ lots to 5 (or 6) wasn’t easy, and there were plenty of other bikes that are still worth checking out – a pristine MV Agusta 750S, a Vincent Black Knight paired with a Steib sidecar, a Dresda-Honda with a wacky paint scheme, a ’23 Nimbus Four, a Parrilla Sprint owned by Angelo Parrilla, a Vincent Rapide set up for touring, the list just goes on and on. Click here to see everything.
If you had to pick one, what would you take home? I’m still on the fence!