A couple of days ago we got a preview of what Bonhams will be showing in Vegas. Today let’s take a look at the other big Vegas auction next month – Mecum’s offerings between January 7-9, 2016.
For a list of all lots, head on over to the Mecum page. You’ll be scrolling for a while though, because there’s around 600 bikes that will be up on the block. If you just saw “600 bikes” and thought “Ain’t nobody got time for that“, then just scroll down to see 10 of my favorites:
1917 Autoped. Considered by some to be the first production scooter, the Autoped was designed for the rider to stand on and was powered by a ~2 horsepower, 155cc 4-stroke single. Equipped with lights, a horn, and a toolbox, it was apparently quite efficient but it did not sell well. This is claimed to be one of 10 known to exist (another is at the Smithsonian) and it’s been stored for 95 years. For more information, check out the US Scooter Museum.
1928 Excelsior ‘Big Bertha’ Hillclimber. After board tracking fell out of favor, hillclimbs took over as the focus of factory race programs. The Excelsior Super X started to have success but Joe Petrali (whom Excelsior poached from Harley) wanted something more specialized. Big Bertha was born, but only a small number were produced before Excelsior went out of business. This example features original paint and it has the 4th special engine Excelsior produced for this application.
2003 Feuling W-3. Jim Feuling was an engineer who ran a skunk works facility that created fantastic technology. Check out this page for a list of his many impressive accomplishments. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2002, but one of the things he left behind was the W3 motorcycle engine (think of it as a V-Twin with an extra cylinder added in line. Feuling’s W3 engine was produced in varying displacements, STARTING with a 2,500cc lump of metal that put out 150 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. The bike was released to the public in 2001 with a MSRP of about $30,000. For more on the Feuling, check out this article from Motorcycle Cruiser, where it’s noted that Jim had already tested a 3,032 engine and was considering building a 4,015cc drag racing kit. This example is claimed to be one of 18 built by Feuling’s company, and it features upgraded heads/oiling system and three Keihin carbs, good for over 200 horsepower.
1970 Indian Velocette Venom. In 1967, Floyd Clymer brought back the Indian name after 14 years of slumber. After a few initial stumbles, he partnered with Velocette – some sources say Clymer sourced 77 Venom engines and 45 Thruxton engines. Here’s one of the former. For more on the Indian/Velocette story, check out this profile on the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. This example is from the Larry Pederson collection and has run many vintage events, including a 1,000 mile Velocette Club run.
2013 Honda CB1100. Built by Cafe Racer Magazine, this is one of the few custom modern CBs I’ve seen (though the tail could really use some clean up. Goodies include a full Yoshimura exhaust, Race Tech G3-S fully adjustable shocks, and a flashed ECU which removes the top speed limiter. This bike now puts down 82 horsepower and has a top speed of 148 miles per hour.
1958 Triumph Twin Engine. I’ve seen a couple of twin-engined classic Triumphs, but they were top speed/drag bikes and the engines were in series. Heck, Mecum’s even offering a twin engine Triumph dragster in this same auction. I’m lost with this build because the photo angles aren’t good enough to really see what’s happening with the engines. All Mecum says about it is that it was built by Herb Jebb and that it has metal flake paint. What’s killing me is that I can’t find any other information on this bike (or even photos that show different angles of the engines). Have any of you heard of this bike before, or know anything more about it?
1909 Excelsior Single. This restored Excelsior board track racer is the most beautiful bike in the entire auction, in my eyes.
2004 MTT Y2K Turbine. Also known as the Jet Bike, this is powered by a Rolls-Royce turboshaft engine that held Guinness World Records for most powerful production motorcycle and most expensive production motorcycle when it was released. 320 horsepower, 425 pound feet of torque, 227 mile per hour top speed, and one of the greatest startup sounds ever:
1912 Henderson Four. One of the first Fours ever built, this running example looks beautiful and it was last registered in South America in 1937. Mecum suggests that this is one of about six known to exist. This one is well-photographed, so just click the link to drool at the pretty pictures.
1970 Norton Ala’Verda 850. A beautiful custom built by Daniel Delfour, a French violin-maker, this uses a Laverda trellis frame and a Commando 850 motor. It appeared in the Legend of the Motorcycle Concours in Half Moon Bay back in 2008. For more on Delfour and his build, check out this article on Motorcycle Classics.
Other personal highlights include a Greeves Silverstone racer, a John Steen Hodaka racer that competed at Daytona in 1969, an Egli-framed Vincent set up for sport-touring (with hard bags and top box), a Flying Merkel board track racer, and a beautiful Triumph TR6 bobber.
There were also several bikes that I skipped simply because I’ve featured them in previous Auction Previews, like the Vincent 1X Prototype (offered at Bonhams last year in Vegas), Royal Flush, an Enfield C5 custom that was built for Cafe Racer TV but never got above $3,400 in multiple eBay listings when I previously featured it, a BSA A7 road racer built by Ray Hensley (offered earlier this year by Mecum in Indy), Captain America Yamaha TT500 (featured at this exact same auction last year), 1971 BSA Weslake Special (did not sell for $9,500 on Craigslist when I featured it) and more.
Again, for a list of all lots, head on over to the Mecum page. What was your favorite?