Post Listing Update: This Endeavour did not get any action at the BIN of $45,000. The Endeavour was a groundbreaking bike for Douglas, and their marketing materials reflected that notion with descriptions like “the motorcycle of the age, a masterpiece on who wheels…silent, safe, light, luxurious. The last word in engineering practice and design.“. Despite all that, very few were …
Dunstall Equipped – 1974 Norton Commando 850
Paul Dunstall’s motorcycle business was humming by the time the 70s rolled around, and he was so successful that he had started shipping completed motorcycles over to contracted delaers in the United States. By the mid 70s, he was almost exactly splitting his production between Norton and Hondas, though he was definitely more famous for his work with the British …
1970 Triumph Trophy Cafe Racer
Post Sale Update: This Triumph sold for $5,775 after 54 bids on eBay. Built over the last 6 months, this cafe racer is based on a Triumph Trophy 650 that’s been on non-op since 1997.
12.3 Miles – 1970 Velocette Thruxton
Over 50 years ago, Velocette set a 24 hour record for 500cc bikes with their Venom. Impressively, the record still stands today – and if you want more information on this, you should head on over to the the Vintagent. This example hasn’t had a chance to set any speed records, however, as it has done just 12.3 miles. The …
Barnfind Racer – 1951 BSA 500
According to the seller, this BSA (along with an Indian) was found in a barn in Cottage Grove, Oregon. The seller originally bought the Indian and his friend bought the BSA – his friend then got the BSA running with a valve adjustment, and a rebuild of the magneto and carb. The seller then bought the bike from his friend, …
Ending Soon – 1951 Vincent Black Shadow
Post Listing Update: 24 bids got the price up to $81,700 – but this wasn’t enough to meet reserve. For the first time in 35 years, this Black Shadow is up for sale. It’s been in storage since 1981 but the seller says it’s unrestored and runs “quite well.” The seller also says it’s a “wonderful candidate for restoration or …
1948 Scott Flying Squirrel
The Scott Motorcycle Company started producing the Flying Squirrel in 1925 and continued right through to the last one produced in 1949. It was originally offered with a 498 cc or a 596 cc water cooled 2 stroke twin.
In England – 1978 Yamaha SR500 Custom
The English Electric Lightning was a Cold War era jet fighter known for having an incredible rate of climb – pilots said flying it was like “being saddled to a skyrocket.” That plane was the inspiration for this Yamaha custom built by Old Empire Motorcycles – a SR500 dubbed “Lightning.”
1967 Matchless Hybrid
1967 was very nearly the end of the line for Matchless and Norton Villers (the parent company) Leftover 1968 models were sold as 1969s but 1967 was really the last year for regular production. In the early and mid 60s Matchless had seen some serious engine problems to the point where the parent company combined the factories and started putting …
New in Crate – 2009 Triumph Bonneville 50th Anniversary
Post Sale Update: This special Bonnie sold for $11,253.53 after 25 bids on eBay. The Bonneville has been around since 1959, and since that time there have been a few limited edition runs like the Silver Jubilee I’ve previously featured. In 2009, Triumph released 650 examples of a 50th Anniversary bike, and this one stands out as it’s still in …
1951 Ambassador Supreme
With model names like Popular, Courier, Embassy, and Supreme, you could probably guess that Ambassador Motorcycles was based out of England. The firm was founded in 1946 by Irish motorcycle racer Kaye Don, and they used Villiers engines until the company went under in 1964. The brand had some success with exports to Australia and New Zealand, but they’re hard …
1999 Royal Enfield/Buell Custom
Post Sale Update: This crazy custom sold for $3,050 after 15 bids. Yes, it’s another Robert “Doc” Harms build – I will never not feature one of these! This time around we’ve got a turbocharged Buell single in a Royal Enfield frame, and it’s probably my favorite of the offered builds so far.
1962 BSA Spitfire Scrambler
Post Sale Update: After being relisted, this Spitfire Scrambler sold for $8,500 after 27 bids on eBay. 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 …
Beautiful Survivor – 1972 BSA B50MX
Post Sale Update – After 12 bids on eBay, this BSA sold for $7,101 on eBay. BSA made 3 different versions of the B50 – you can probably guess what the B50MX was for. It was offered starting in 1971 for off-road competition, but within a couple of years BSA was dead and some remaining stock was sold off as …
Rectangle Eight – Dual Engined 1956 Ariel Square Four Custom
Here’s something you don’t see every day – two Ariel Square Four engines in a custom frame all wrapped in Suzuki bodywork. The photos aren’t great and there isn’t much information…but did I mention that it’s got two Square Four engines?