Norton’s Big Four was the first motorcycle it produced with an engine that was developed and manufactured in-house. Production began in 1907 and would ultimately continue until 1954 when Norton would cease production on all of its side valve scoots. Various changes in displacement and hardware would occur over the years – continuous production would go on despite the Great …
1932 Raleigh MH32
Post Listing Update: This MH32 did not meet reserve with 1 bid up to $20,000 on eBay. According to the seller, this is the only Raleigh MH32 in the US. It was restored by Revival Cycles over 6 years at a claimed cost of over $36,000. Afterwards, the bike was shown at the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show and the Harvest Classic.
Not From The Long Shop – 1975 Norton Commando Production Racer Replica
First introduced at the Earls Court Show of 1967, the Norton Commando is arguably the British marque’s most iconic model of all time. The Commando was met by an incredibly warm public reception, selling a lot of units and taking home five consecutive “Machine of the Year” awards from MCN from ’68 to ’72. Though the model wasn’t without its …
1954 BSA A10 Road Rocket
Post Listing Update: This Road Rocket did not meet reserve despite 34 bids up to $7,500. When BSA debuted the A10 Road Rocket in 1954, they called it “undoubtedly the worlds greatest motorcycle.” A bold claim, but they backed it up with a sweep of the top 5 places in that year’s Daytona 200. The Road Rocket was an evolution …
OHV Bullet – 1943 Royal Enfield WD/CO 350
In 1851, George Townsend would launch a business in Redditch, England that produced sewing needles. Some three decades later, Townsend’s son – also named George – would begin producing bicycle parts. By the mid-1880’s the company was producing complete bicycles sold under the brand name “Townsend and Ecossais”. After the business suffered a financial collapse in 1891, Townsend’s bankers selected …
Trackmaster Frame – 1967 Triumph T120TT
Post Listing Update: Despite 9 bids on eBay up to $9,900, this Trackmaster-framed Triumph did not meet reserve. This interesting custom blends a Trackmaster frame with a ’67 Triumph T120TT motor. It’s a little over the top in certain aspects, but not in mileage – it’s only had 100 miles put on since it was built as it has spent …
Nourish Weslake Project – 1974 Norton Commando Custom
Post Listing Update: This Norton only saw one bid at the original ask of $8,000. It did not meet reserve. During the heyday of the Rickman brothers, they asked Harry Weslake to design a 8-valve head for the Triumph Bonneville. In conjunction with a small displacement increase, power was bumped up 20%. That sounds great but the idea was dropped. …
Ending Soon – 1975 CCM 500MX
Post Listing Update: Not surprisingly, this CCM did not get any interest at the asking price of $37,500. It’s been relisted but I’ll only feature this bike again if the seller offers a serious discount in the future. In 1971, Alan Clews founded CCM (Clews Competition Machines) by taking advantage of BSA’s decision to shut down their competition department. Clews …
1957 BSA Spitfire Scrambler
Post Sale Update: This Spitfire sold for the BIN of $12,900. Also known as the Rocket Gold Star Scrambler, the Spitfire Scrambler is one of the rarest variations of BSA’s A10 model line up. It was an export-only bike that was primarily sold in the US and it was designed as an scrambles/desert racer from the factory. It combined a …
1967 Royal Enfield Interceptor Mk. 1A
It’s an exciting time to be a fan of Royal Enfield, as they’ve just announced three new motorcycles for the US next year. I’m most interested in the 400cc Himalayan adventure bike, but for the first time in decades RE is production a twin cylinder motor. Said motor is an air/oil-cooled 650cc parallel twin and it will power a bigger …
Bonneville Record Breaker in the UK – 1957 Manx Norton JAP 1150cc Custom
When it was originally sold in July of 1957, this was a Norton Manx 30M. But the story gets much more interesting almost 5 decades later, when a racer named Eric Patterson swapped in a 1,150cc JAP Mk2 motor and took it to the Bonneville Salt Flats to set some speed records.
ISDT Tribute – 1965 BSA B40 Enduro Star
Post Listing Update: Despite 48 bids up to $3,049, this BSA did not meet reserve. In the 1965 ISDT, BSA’s factory efforts with 350s and 441s had ground to a halt by day four thanks to the Prince of Darkness, Joseph Lucas. That’s obviously a bit of a stretch, but every works bike was knocked out due to electrical problems. …
2015 Norton Commando 961 Cafe Racer
It’s been a few years since the new Norton Commando was made available in the US. Known as the 961, it was offered in 4 variants – the SF, Sport, Cafe Racer, and a limited production Special Edition. Here’s one of the first Cafe Racers that made it to the US with just 511 miles. The new bikes are sold …
Born Free Best British – 1961 Triumph Bonneville by Choppahead Kustoms
Post Listing Update: Despite 72(!) bids up to $19,700, this custom Bonnie did not meet reserve. Built by Choppahead Kustoms in East Freetown, Massachusetts, this custom Triumph is called “The Hail Mary” and it recently won Best British at Born Free. In addition, it was shown at the Brooklyn Invitation and it was the cover bike for the August 2017 …
In England – 1949 Egli Vincent
Built in 1997 with a 1949 Vincent Rapide Series C motor (F10AB/1/2168), this beautiful Egli-framed motorcycle has a frame number from a 1952 Vincent Comet (RC/1/11576 B). It looks great but I’d love to throw a cowl on the rear end of that seat.