For further enjoyment of Bonhams’ Autumn Sale and its fantastic motorcycles
You needed willpower made from Sheffield steel to resist the temptations of October’s Classic Bike Show. Clearly few managed as the hammer went down on a total of £2 million…
3X BIMOTA
1994 SB7 (front) based on Suzuki GSX-R750 SP engine, but with high end parts and a hefty period price tag of around £20,000. Just 200 SB7S were built and this bike is an immaculate example. However, Italian sports bikes were not a hot ticket at this year’s sale. Even with a pre-sale estimate of £5000-7000 it didn’t sell.
21 BIKES BOUGHT
32-year-old Ben Levy, who runs a motorcycle shop in the West Midlands, secures a BSA Goldstar replica. ‘I’ve bought 21 bikes so far and there’s probably another I’ll get, hopefully. Been a lucky weekend.’
SIDE EFFECT
Looking like something Jules Verne could have ridden, this combination matches a nicely patinated 1925 490cc side valve Norton bike with an airship styled Swallow sidecar. Swallow were the forerunner to Jaguar, making this lot appeal to both bike and car enthusiasts. It sold for £16,675.
BONNEVILLE RECORD BREAKER This Norton Jap Bonneville record breaker created much excitement, as did rider Eric Patterson: ‘I went to Bonneville in 2008 with it, the standing record was 100.22mph. My first run was 113mph, and I got the record at 119mph both ways. I went out again for a third time and got 121.79mph.’ Someone paid £41,400.
IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT BIKES
As well as bikes the auction also offers parts, posters, memorabilia and even engines like this dinky display-mounted 1933 BSA 250cc motor. It sold for £229.
THE ‘YELLOW PERIL’
1960 sprint bike built by Bill Bragg, a cabinet maker by trade, ex-sidecar racer and British national shark fishing champion. 650cc Triumph engine, P51 Mustang drop tank fairing, fuel and oil in the frame. ¼-mile in 13.39 seconds. Sold for £20,700.
‘I’ve bought 21 bikes so far and there’s probably another I’ll get, hopefully. Been a lucky weekend’
1956 HONDA DREAM MF350
‘That tyre valve cap is never right for a 1956 model.’ One of five remaining Honda MF350S. This has undergone a rigorous restoration using as many original parts as possible, including exhaust, headlamp and chain. Maybe even valve caps. It attracted much interest, selling for £23,000.
AUCTION OR POP UP MUSEUM
Bonham’s eclectic mix of bikes means you can get as much out of it as a bystander as you do a bidder. From belt driven preworld War 1 machinery to ’60s Triumph police bikes and 21st century choppers.
1970 YAMAHA 350CC TR2
Last raced at the IOM TT in 1972, when it came 22nd in the Senior, ridden by Raymond Ashcroft. Stored ever since it sold for £7475. It came with a box of unused spares in its original shipping container, which sold the previous day.
ANOTHER BONNEVILLE HERO 1960
Viscount, believed to be one of only six built with Norton featherbed frame and Vincent Black Shadow engine. Owned by Eric Patterson and timed at Bonneville at 131.68mph, it sold for £63,250.
THEY’RE ONLY ORIGINAL ONCE
Barn find condition 1924 Scott 498cc super Squirrel sold for £4370. Brits have a soft spot for this kind of thing while American collectors are much more easily swayed by a full nut-and-bolt restoration.
THE HOLY HARLEY
Hidden among the creaky flat tankers and barnfind racers was this 2016 Harley Chopper. It was built by the Jesus Bikers in conjunction with H-D, and signed by the Pope. Proceeds to help build an orphanage in Uganda. Sold for £48,300.
THE NEXT BIG THING
The collector light is on and burning brightly for ’80s Japanese superbikes. Nostalgia is at the root of it all with bikes such as this 1986 slab-side Suzuki GSX-R750 (£7590) hitting the spot with a new generation of collectors. Own the bike you dreamed of as a kid.
1926 250CC MATCHLESS
Serial bidder Ben Levy (p54) snapped up a couple of flat tankers including ON 2567, a 1926 250cc Matchless. Lightweights such as this one are rarely seen, and all this one needs is recommissioning and detailing. He paid £2990, but will sell it as a runner.
RISK AND REWARD
Of course one of the problems with auctions is stuff doesn’t sell. Previous lot 386 – 1975 Difazio Ducati – went for £12,650 whereas lot 387 – a restored Ducati 450 R/T Desmo – didn’t manage to exert enough temptation to find itself a comfortable new home.
‘That’s the thing with auctions, prices can rocket in seconds, or become becalmed junsdt as quickly’