After realizing that the RM Monterey Auction was only featuring one bike this year (though I did think it was a cool one), I figured I owed you coverage of a more comprehensive auction. With that in mind, on July 27, 200 motorcycles are going up for auction at the Mecum Auction in Harrisburg, PA. In no particular order, here are a few of my favorites for your perusal.
A lot of these bikes are from the Mike Quinn Collection, an incredible set of Harley-Davidson’s that would leave any collector drooling. In the interest of variety, I’ll only share a few of those bikes below.
1952 Parilla Ramjet – a 98cc four stroke single-cylinder engined scooter with distinctive looks, there are very few of these still left in the states.
1972 IZH Planeta – also pronounced as “what the hell is that?”, this is a pristine example of a 42 year old bike, as it has just 24 test miles on it.
2011 BMW S1000RR Land Speed Record Holder – a custom piece based on BMW’s popular S1KRR, this bike set a record in the 1000cc modified/gas class for naked 1 liter sportbikes while being ridden by Jake Broomall – average speed was set at 182.262 mph. And I get annoyed with the wind on my naked bikes at around 100!
1967 BSA A50R – This is a recently restored example of a Don Vesco ex-factory 500cc road racer. One of a small batch (just 5!) of factory works bikes, this was sent by BSA to the US in ’67 specifically to race in Daytona and some events on the West Coast. This bike was also for sale at a Bonham’s auction in Vegas in January 2013 at an estimate of $70,000-90,000, though it seems that it did not sell.
1958 Gilera GP Replica – another bike with a dustbin fairing, though this does not have the same provenance as the bike above. Still, this 125cc 4-speed bike featured a dustbin fairing that was eventually banned from competition.
1970 Harley-Davidson XR750 – one of Harley’s most legendary race bikes. This one has a 750cc engine, right hand side shifter, and it absolutely looks the part.
1920 Harley-Davidson J-L20T – unrestored and with original paint. Look at those tires!
1942 Harley-Davidson WRTT – a legendary road racer, this is a restored example of one of just 4 believed to be built in TT trim.
1953 Harley-Davidson KRTT – another legendary racer, the KRTT won Daytona in ’55. This bike was restored to TT trim from a basketcase example.
1958 Harley-Davidson Servicar – I love these things, and this is a great example of the breed that was used for school patrol by the Milwaukee Police Department.
And I’ll wrap it all up with an (unfortunately, static) replica of a seriously cool machine:
1867 Roper Steam Velocipede – This is one of the three bikes that has a legitimate claim to being the first motorcycle. Though the technical considerations for that debate are too much for me to cover in this, it doesn’t even really matter is this is just a display piece. Still, it looks cool!
If you’ve been reading this site for a while, you’ll know I have a weird taste in bikes. And there are a lot of great bikes for sale that I didn’t have time to feature here – so if you’re looking to see what else is going on the block, head on over to this page for a list of all lots.