We’re approaching the end of January, which means that Vegas is about to host the world’s two biggest motorcycle auctions. Yesterday we looked at the offerings from Bonhams – now let’s look at the inventory of nearly 1,750 bikes that Mecum has in store. You can order tickets and get more information here. If you’re interested in bidding, note that there’s a $100 registration fee in advance or via phone/online ($200 on-site) and there’s a 10% buyer’s premium in person and a 12% premium on the phone or internet (either way there’s a $250 minimum).
The big one to me is ownership of the Excelsior-Henderson brand, as I’ve previously shared on Bike-urious. You can get more details from Mecum here, but I’m going to skip that because I’ve already covered it and just share my 10 favorites bikes from the listings. If you want to see all 1,750 lots, you can click here.
1. 1980 Vetter Mystery Ship – possibly my favorite bike across both auctions (I know, I’m weird). The drivetrain is based on a Kawasaki KZ1000, but the styling was unlike anything seen back then…or even now! The frame was slightly modified and it featured a different rear suspension and swingarm, plus a Yoshimura exhaust and Dymag magnesium wheels. The bodywork looks like it would bring the front wheel up at any sort of speed, and I don’t care. I love this bike. This (VIN: DMV75987CA) is number 5 of the 10 that were built, and it has just 48 miles on it. The sale includes lots of documentation, photos, and magazines with the bike in it, plus Craig himself has signed the tank.
2. Gerrit Wolsink’s Race Bike – 1967 Husqvarna 250. A 5x winner of the USGP of MX in the 500cc class, Wolsink got his education as a dentist before he made a better life choice and started competing in motorcycle racing. His privateer days in the late 60s and early 70s lead to an offer in ’74 to be Roger De Coster’s teammate on the Suzuki works team. This example (VIN: 66031) was acquired from Wolsink in 2002 and was then restored by Vintage Iron.
3. 1988 Buell RR1200 Battletwin – this was Buell’s first streetbike, and just 65 examples were hand built. The press ate it up as it was a Harley that could dice it up in corners with anything else, though it did give up a bit of power to European and Japanese rivals as the motor was based on Harley’s new XL1200 Evo powerplant. This Battletwin (VIN: 1B9RR11G5J2133008) has just 15 miles on the odometer.
4. 1977 Honda CB750 F2 Phil Read Replica – per Mecum, Honda Britain commissioned 400 examples of a Phil Read replica from Colin Seeley to celebrate Phil’s victory at the ’77 Isle of Man TT. Just 150 were built before Colin and Honda had a disagreement. Unique parts include the tank, seat, exhaust, fairing with Cibie lights, and some Seeley-specific parts. Unfortuantely for Honda, the year this bike was released, Phil Read was bested by Mike Hailwood on a Ducati in the Isle of Man TT. They’re rare in the UK, and much rarer in the US. I’ve seen some mentions that just 35 examples remain, and this one (VIN: CB750G1015069) has never been started before. For more information on the Phil Read Replicas (or the remaining 250 of the 400 bikes that were sold as “Honda Britain” models), check out the CB750F2 Honda Britain Owners Club.
5. 1957 BSA Twin Engine Racer – there isn’t much information provided on this insane BSA (VIN: CA1011097), but the listing states that it has thousands of hours of engineering in it. It’s unclear if it owns any records or has even successfully completed a land speed record attempt, but the “APG” on the sidecover tells you that this would be categorized in the Special Construction Push Rod Gasoline class.
6. 1967 Husqvarna 250 ISDT – this (VIN: 670580) is the bike that Malcolm Smith won his first (of eight) Gold Medals on, and it meant enough that he kept it in his personal collection. It was restored at some point in the past but the ISDT inspection markings have been preserved. The auction will include the mannequin and full display that were used when this bike was featured in both the AMA and Sturgis museums.
7. 1975 KTM 250 Kenny Roberts Flat Tracker – Kenny Roberts and John Penton came together to build a limited run of 50 factory flat track bikes under the KTM name. This is claimed to be fully restored and is ready to show or race – I love the “no right turn” sticker on the tail.
8. 1982 Honda XL250 Paris-Dakar Limited Edition – a rare find in the US, this was a one-year only model that was exclusively sold in Japan. The seller has offered several rare JDM bikes on Bike-urious in the past, like this Suzuki SW-1 or this Honda Transalp XL400V. He’s told me that he’s bringing a few other imported goodies to Mecum this year, including a Honda Hurricane CBR750 Super Aero and a mint Honda Dream 50.
If this has got you interested, you can check out the rest of the lots here or even view a digital version of the catalog here.