Auction Preview – Bonhams Grand Palais Paris

In Blog by AbhiLeave a Comment

So the giant auctions in Vegas have come and gone, but the circuit keeps going. In two weeks (February 5th), Bonhams is having an auction in Paris with some very cool motorcycles up for sale. As usual, here’s some of my favorites. This time I’m highlighting 7 – not necessarily what I think are the best buys, but rather bikes I find to be interesting for any quirky reason.

Click here and scroll down to see all of the available motorcycles direct from Bonhams.

Benelli 750 Sei - RIght Side
Benelli 750 Sei – one of 3 factory prototypes, this exact bike was featured in the famous Art of the Motorcycle exhibit. Estimated to sell for $37,000-$44,000.

Nor-Vel - Right Side
Nor-Vel – a beautiful combination of a Norton Featherbed frame and a Velocette Venom motor, this bike piques my attention because I’m not capable of saying no to dustbin fairings. Estimated to sell between $7,600-$10,000.

Bimota KB2 - Right Side
1983 Bimota KB2 – One of very few bikes that Bimota built with a Kawi engine (and one of just 177 KB2’s), this bike has been in heated storage since 1994 and has had the 550cc four-cylinder engine rebuilt. Estimated to sell between $18,000-$21,000.

1973 Ducati 750SS Corsa by NCR - Right Side
1973 Ducati 750SS Corsa by NCR – Claimed to be one of four identical pre-production bikes that NCR converted into a production racer, this was featured in Ian Falloon’s “The Book of the Ducati 750SS“. After the ’76 campaign, it was abandoned in a garage in Tuscany. It was then discovered in 2010, restored in Italy, and then exhibited at events. Estimated to sell between $82,000-$94,000.

Moto Guzzi 498cc Superalce Military Motorcycle - Right Side
1947 Moto Guzzi 498cc Superalce Military Motorcycle – Alce translates to “elk”, so this Super Elk was named because it got an engine upgrade. It most likely served police or military duty into the 50s. Estimated to sell between $5,900-$8,800.

1975 MV Agusta 125 Sport - Right Side
1975 MV Agusta 125 Sport – Is this the coolest 125cc production bike ever? Maybe. The 125 Sport has a four-stroke single that produced 14 horsepower – this bike could hit 75mph! Components include Scarab brakes, Ceriani forks, and in this case, the optional factory full fairing. Estimated to sell between $5,600-$6,400.

Bimota HB1 - Right Side
1974 Bimota HB1 – Last but not least, here’s my personal favorite of the available bikes. Bimota’s first bike, the HB1 was a racer that was built around a Honda 750cc four-cylinder engine. Just 10 were built – one was the original factory racer and the remaining nine were kits that included a steel frame, Ceriani front forks, and Marzocchi shocks because Bimota had no interest in selling complete bikes yet. This is kit #3, which was rebuilt in 1986 and hasn’t been used since. Estimated to sell between $68,000-$88,000.

That’s my list – what did you like? Again, click here to get the full list!