The Black Shadow might just be the most famous motorcycle ever built, with an iconic history thanks to moments like Rollie Free’s bathing suit speed run on the Bonneville Salt Flats. Black Shadows were handmade, and less than 1,700 were built in total. In the words of Hunter S. Thompson, “If you rode the Black Shadow at top speed for any length of time, you would almost certainly die.“
In a time when cars were putting around at 45 miles per hour, a Black Shadow could comfortably cruise at twice that or hit a top speed of over 120 miles per hour thanks to the 55 horsepower 998cc V-Twin engine. The name was a reference to the black enamel finish on the motor, which stood out when other bikes typically featured polished or chrome finishing.
This example (VIN: RC8521B) was recently restored, after which it won the Rode Drive Concours d’Elegance in 2016. It is said to be numbers-matching and in pristine condition. It was recently on eBay where it did not meet reserve at just over $140k. Considering that’s the current sale price, I do not know why the seller did not let the bike go in the last auction. Looks like they were trying to see what the market would bear (or a more cynical person might say that some inflated bidding was going on). Either way, find this Black Shadow for sale in Los Angeles, California with a BIN of $140,000