CLASSICS

One of THE finds of recent times goes under the hammer

1800-bike barnfind treasure trove, plus Britain’s first motor race celebrated.

AFURTHER INCENTIVE TO take in some Florida sunshine in March is provided by an auction of 1800 motorcycles. The bikes are the collection of former Honda dealer Earl Harrington. Many were taken in part exchange over a 40 year period, and were immediately parked, some indoors, some outside. They haven’t moved since. The most popular bikes from the US market from the fifties to the 1980s, from Kawasaki two-stroke triples to Triumph Bonnevilles are all included, in varying stages of decomposition. Some are tidy, most are projects. There are also some rarer machines such as one of only 500 Triumph Hurricanes. There are also tons of parts. The auction happens at Ocala, 75 miles west of Daytona Beach during Daytona race week.

‘Many were taken in part exchange and were parked, some indoors, some outside’

Not your typical Florida ‘barn’

Honda’s CB1100F never made it to the UK, and neither did the Elsinore two-stroke trail bike in the foregroundRare Triumph Hurricane is Trident based, but with triple pipes and Craig Vetter styling

There’s at least one Kawasaki Z1 R in there Oddball corner includes En eld and Puch Allstate Suzuki T500 looks like a straightforward project