7-21 Update: This Velocette Venom is back up for sale with bidding up to $8,650 and the reserve not yet met here on eBay. The first production motorcycle to hit an average speed of over 100 miles per hour over 24 hours, the Velocette Venom was the ‘big-brother’ to the Viper and was an evolution from the MSS. Powered by …
$100k Project? 1955 Vincent Black Prince
Unlike the Honda CB750 Sandcast Prototype I featured a while back, this Vincent Black Prince project did not make it to $100k. Instead, it did not meet reserve at $40,100 after 36 bids on eBay. How much can a project be worth? We’re about to find out with this Vincent Black Prince project which has a BIN price of over …
1962 Norton Manx
Post Listing Update: This Manx did not meet reserve despite 57 bids up to $30,100. The Norton Manx was a racing bike built for a whopping 15 years built in long stroke and short stroke variants. The Manx has a long, complicated history, but in recent times there has been a resurgence in its popularity for classic motorcycle racing, leading …
1955 AJS Model 18CS
The AJS Model 18CS was an evolution of the Model 18 – a bike that can trace its roots back to the G3L, an ex-military bike that was sold off in surplus once the war had ended. The C stood for Competition (as a scrambler bike), and the S stood for the fact that it had a suspension as opposed …
1952 Norton Manx 40M
Post Listing Update: This Manx was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown. Today’s trifecta of wonderful Nortons ends with one of the most iconic racing bikes ever built – the Norton Manx 40M. Built for a whopping 15 years built in long stroke and short stroke variants. The Manx has a long, complicated history – which means that …
1961 Triton
If you don’t know what gives the Triton name, here’s a little history lesson. The term Triton came about as many private builders (and even some dealerships in London) started to take the best features of Triumphs and Nortons – the engine from the former and the frame from the latter – to make a bike that had the best …
1973 Norton Commando VR880
Post-Listing Update: Despite 18 bids on eBay, this Norton Commando VR880 did not meet reserve at $15,100. Kenny Dreer, the man who almost brought Norton back from the grave several years ago, got his start restoring motorcycles from the British marque at his shop called Vintage Rebuilds (VR) near Portland, Oregon. As the 1990s came to an end, he started …
Ending Soon – 1975 Norton 850 Commando John Player
Post-Sale Update: After 14 bids on eBay, this Norton 850 Commando John Player sold for $6,801.09. I know I just featured one of these bikes, but this Norton 850 Commando John Player is one of the nicer examples I’ve seen with an auction full of details and photos – and that’s always a winner.
2011 Bennche Megelli 250R
Reader Zack B comes through with another bike I never heard of – the Bennche Megelli 250R. Based on the name, you’d be excused for thinking this comes from Italy, but it’s actually an American ATV and UTV company that dabbled importing a Chinese-made motorcycle. While Bennche is a firm based out of Dallas, Texas, Megelli is a UK company …
BEAR – 1964 Norton Atlas 750 Racer
Professionally built by Les Cook as a ‘rolling advertisement’ for his Norton shop, this Norton Atlas 750 Racer competed in the AHRMA BEARS series. What’s a BEAR, you ask? It stands for British European American Racing Series, and it’s for “certain two-cylinder machines built up through 1968 and competing under Formula 750 specifications.”
1975 Norton Commando 850 John Player
So it’s not the legendary John Player race rep, but this beautiful Commando features original paint in the John Player livery. This specific example has about 13,000 miles and is in excellent original condition. It’s being offered by the second owner, who has detailed service records since new. Both the electric starter and kick starter work, and you’ll get the …
1967 Norton P-11
Post-Listing Update: Despite 18 bids on eBay, this Norton P-11 did not meet reserve at $11,600. Back when AMC owned Norton and Matchless, the latter sold a bike called the G85CS, which was competitive in European motocross. The US west coast distributor sold several but thought they were a little slow for the ‘scramble’ racing that was happening in America, …
1970 Norton Commando S
In 1969, the second year of production, Norton introduced the S model of its instant-classic Commando. Designed primarily for the United States, the S came with scrambler pipes and is one of the more collectible models of the breed. Check out Silodrome for a wonderful buying guide/summary on the Commando. This specific Norton Commando S (VIN: 132902) has just 6,102 …
1946 BSA B31
BSA’s first new model after WWII, the B31 was a single-cylinder four-stroke designed to be used as basic transport. The 17 horsepower engine was sufficient to get the bike up about 70 miles per hour. Normally a 348cc engine, this engine on this specific BSA B31 (VIN: XB31 8688L) supposedly has a 500cc top end and cams from a Gold …
1971 Norton Commando Hi-Rider
Post-Sale Update: After 37 bids on eBay, this Norton Commando Hi-Rider sold for just $4,700. Normally, bikes get better through a production run over the years. Ask most British motorcycle enthusiasts and they’d disagree with that statement as it applies to the Commando, specifically thanks to models like the Norton Commando Hi-Rider 750. The exact reason for why this bike …