Oops…I should have posted this earlier but I somehow managed to forget it. Thankfully, reader David N. reminded me that Mecum is having a ~200 motorcycle auction this weekend in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Here are my 5 favorites:
1. 1952 Triumph Thunderbird Drag Racer – Ridden by Bobby Sirkegian when he was FOURTEEN years old, this bike won multiple national races in Dodge City, Kansas in 1954. Apparently one of the runs was a record setter at 10.5 seconds and 128 miles per hour. The bike was recently restored by Bobby himself and now runs on 90% nitromethane.
2. 1969 Rupp Black Widow – the performance minibike of the Rupp line, the Black Widow featured a 4 horsepower Tecumseh motor paried with a Dell’Orto carb and wire wheels. Hold on tight!
3. 1992 Harley-Davidson Sportster Street Tracker – I really like the tail bodywork of this bike, which also features a 1,500cc kit, USD forks, and some shiny metal bling.
4. 1956 BSA Gold Star Road Racer – this is claimed to be one of 50 built by BSA for US racing, and it’s being offered in “as-raced condition” by George Lanyon, who placed 17th on the original Daytona Beach course.
5. 1982 Honda CB1100R – This might actually be my favorite bike of the lot, just due to its rarity in the US (not sold in the states). Sold between ’81 and ’83 in most other major markets, this was Honda’s first homologation bike – approximately 1,000 a year were made for about $10,000. The race variant had a good amount of success in endurance racing, which adds a bit of legitimacy to this beautiful motorcycle. The seller had this for 15 years, during which he performed a recommissioning. After that he rode it for several thousand kilometers, enjoying the sound of a rare Nico Bakker exhaust.
BONUS BIKE: 2001 Moto Guzzi California 1100EV Police that I’ve featured before. When I first shared this bike, I wasn’t sure if it was the work of a dealership or of Guzzi’s corporate office. Turns out it was the latter, a one-off that was built for the North Carolina state police in a contract bid. Mecum says it’s more powerful than the stock road model.
For the full auction list, head on over to Mecum.