We’ve all heard the stories of the guy who had an Indian board track racer in the 1950s and sold it for $10 because it was taking up space in his garage and he needed room to put his new Triumph Bonneville T120 which was, at the time, the biggest thing in motorcycling. Old bikes were just that: old bikes that leaked oil and took inordinate amounts of time to keep running.
Nothing is as out of date as yesterday’s racing machinery. At the time, they are just that - yesterday’s racing machinery - and, if nowadays we have more appreciation of the value of such machinery, in the old days, they weren’t old or classic or valuable, just out-of-date and worth more as scrap.
The same is true for classic road-going motorcycles. How many times have you heard the story of the Vincent in the barn, being sold by the farmer for $5 because it was just an old bike and ‘worth nothing’? It’s enough to make you weep! Today, things have swung completely the other way, with some bikes - race or road - selling at auction for prices that also bring forth water from your eyes, although for completely different reasons.
Here’s our list of the ten most expensive motorcycles sold at auction. Don’t expect this list to be accurate for long!
1911 Flying Merkel Board Track Racer - $423,500
Not only does it have the coolest name ever to grace the gas tank of a motorcycle, but it is also painted the coolest shade of orange.
Joe Merkel started building motorcycles in 1902, and by 1915, it was all over and the name disappeared, but not before the Flying Merkel had made its impact on motorcycling, both on the road and on the board tracks that were springing up around the country.
As was common in those early days of motorcycling, Joe Merkel introduced several innovations, such as the ‘truss fork’, a predecessor of the modern telescopic fork, and automatic oil drip feed, which was later adopted by Indian and Harley Davidson.
The Flying Merkel in this list was owned by a family with the name of Suttle and raced frequently before the first world war. At the outbreak of war, the bike was put away as it stood and forgotten about. It was unearthed 70 years later, and amazingly, it still ran perfectly.
It was auctioned in 2015 by Mecum Auctions at their Las Vegas sale and fetched $423,500!
1951 Vincent White Shadow - $434,000
Some of you reading this might think that the name of this bike is a mis-spelling: surely it should be ‘Black Shadow’? In part, you’re right, but, even if the name ‘White Shadow’ was never an official factory-applied name, they do exist.
Philip Vincent bought the ailing motorcycle company H.R.D. in 1928. The first models were called Vincent-H.R.D. After the second world war, the H.R.D. was dropped to avoid confusion with the ‘HD’ of Harley Davidson. It mattered little as, by 1955, Vincent was no more, although the legend would live on.
In 1948, Vincent introduced the Black Shadow model, and it was, at the time, the world’s fastest production motorcycle, with a top speed of 125 mph. To differentiate it from the sister Rapide model, the engine cases and covers were stove-enameled black.
However, 15 Black Shadows were built with unpainted, polished aluminum engine cases. Of these, only one example had its frame and gas tank painted Chinese Red, which was a color normally only seen on the Rapide models.
Whether that justifies a huge price premium is up to you, but this unique Vincent White Shadow sold at Bonhams auction for $434,000!
1926 Brough Superior SS100 Alpine Grand Sports - $453,000
Here’s an interesting piece of trivia: Rolls-Royce motorcars was notoriously protective over its name and reputation. Because of its position in the motoring world as the makers of the ‘best car in the world’, many other manufacturers wanted to advertise their products as ‘The Rolls-Royce Of… (insert product here)’.
Of course, Rolls Royce never gave their sanction to any of these uses of their name… apart from one time.
In a road test, H.D. Teague of The Motor Cycle magazine, called the Brough Superior the “Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles,” because of its quality. George Brough subsequently used the description in his advertising. Rolls-Royce examined one of the machines and recognized the quality of engineering and gave their blessing for Brough to compare his bikes to their cars.
George Brough’s father had been building Brough motorcycles since 1908. George Brough was convinced he could improve on his father’s designs, hence the Brough Superior name.
The SS100 was so-called because every example was sold with a guarantee that it could reach 100 mph. The Alpine Grand Sport was the pinnacle of Brough Superior production and this particular example was discovered in pristine condition, complete with its build sheet from the factory and has matching engine and chassis numbers. It sold for $453,000.
1939 BMW Type 255 Kompressor - $480,000
After World War 1, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW), a manufacturer of aero engines, was forbidden under the terms of the Armistice to continue production. To save the company and its workforce, the company manufactured motorcycle engines, farm equipment, household items and railway brakes. The company produced its first complete motorcycle, the R32, in 1923.
Turning to racing to promote its products, BMW was the first manufacturer to employ supercharging to increase performance. Rider Georg Meier achieved the first victory by a non-British rider at the 1939 500cc Senior TT race at the Isle of Man riding an RS255.
The bike featured here is actually a recreation, built by former BMW rider Walter Zeller, who put an original 1939 RS255 engine in a 1951 Rennsport plunger-type frame. Even though it is not an original factory race bike, it still fetched an incredible $480,000 at auction.
1930 Brough Superior SS100 - $542,500
Back to Brough Superior. This particular example was used to win the 1930 International Six Days Trial (ISDT) that year run in Switzerland.
The bike was auctioned in 2019 and fetched $542,500 despite being completely dismantled. The boxes contained the correct engine, frame, and gearbox, and were rebuilt to as-new condition by the new owner.
1939 Crocker Big Tank - $704,000
The first American motorcycle on the list is also one of the most revered names in American motorcycling. Al Crocker started building motorcycles in 1932. Always exclusive and expensive, around 100 Crockers were produced, of which 70 are said to survive today.
Crockers were powerful motorcycles, with the first 1000cc (61cu.in) models boasting up to 60bhp, while equivalent Harleys and Indians produced around 38-40bhp. Later models had a 1,491cc (91cu.in) engine, which was the largest capacity production motorcycle of the time.
The Second World War caused a shortage of essential materials to build motorcycles, so Al Crocker turned to manufacturing aircraft parts for Douglas Aircraft. This was far more lucrative than building motorcycles, and that side of the company was wound down in 1942.
Another piece of trivia for you: many components for the Crocker were designed by Paul Bigsby, who went on to fame as a guitar designer and particularly the Bigsby tremolo bridge that is still much sought after by guitarists.
This particular ‘Big Tank’ Crocker was sold at auction for $704,000.
1907 Harley Davidson ‘Strap Tank’ - $715,000
William S. Harley and Arthur and Walter Davidson completed their first motorcycle in 1903. By early 1905, the fledgeling company was advertising engines for sale to the D.I.Y. trade. By April of that same year, they were marketing complete motorcycles, and by 1906, the first H-D factory was built in Juneau Avenue in Milwaukee and the first 45° V-twin engine appeared in 1907, although few V-twin-powered models were sold before 1910, the majority being 500cc singles.
This particular model was built in 1907, the year in which the company built a total of 37 motorcycles, and is the 94th Harley-Davidson ever manufactured. Completely original, it is in remarkably good condition and has the patina that is so valued by collectors. When it sold for $715,000, the price fell short of the expected $1,000,000 mark but it was still the most expensive Harley Davidson ever sold.
1936 Crocker Small Tank - $825,000
It might lack the visual balance of the ‘Big Tank’ models but the ‘Small Tank’ is much rarer than the Big Tank, which explains this eye-watering auction price of $825,000.
With a top speed of 110mph, the Crocker knocked the Brough Superior SS100 off its perch as the fastest production motorcycle before World War 2.
1915 Cyclone Board Track Racer - $852,500
True American motorcycling royalty, the Cyclone was manufactured by the Joerns Manufacturing Company, based in Minnesota between 1912 and 1917.
With a 999cc (61cu.in) V-twin engine producing around 45 horses, the Cyclone in board track racing configuration could top 100mph, a huge speed for the time and it was relatively successful.
The engine was advanced for its day, with overhead camshafts driven by shaft and bevel gears from the crankshaft, which itself ran on roller bearings when most other engines used plain bearings. Lubrication technology was crude in those days so the engine was unreliable over distances of more than 100 miles, while camshafts lubricated by drip feed from a cup mounted above didn’t help matters.
Selling for $350, the Cyclone was a victim of cheaper competition. The production ended in 1917, and the name and engine design was sold to Ignaz Schwinn of the Excelsior Motor Co. When that company found that its own F-Head (inlet over exhaust valved) design was faster and more powerful, the SOHC design was dropped.
Another early American motorcycle with a distinctive color - Canary Yellow - this particular example of the Cyclone Flat Track racer was once owned by Steve McQueen, which explains the 2015 auction price of $852,500.
1951 Vincent Black Lightning - $929,000
The Black Lightning was a built-to-order racing version of the Shadow, supplied in racing trim with magnesium alloy components, racing tires on alloy rims, rear-set foot controls, a solo seat, and aluminum mudguards. This reduced the Black Lightning's weight to 380 pounds.
The engine was based on standard parts but upgraded with higher-performance racing equipment: higher-strength con rods, larger inlet ports, polished rocker gear, steel idler gears, racing carburetors, and was available with compression ratios between 6.8:1 and 12.5:1. This resulted in 70 horsepower and a top speed of 150 mph. Only 31 Black Lightnings were ever built.
This particular example is one of only 19 Black Lightnings still in existence and was ridden by racer Jack Ehret to a top speed of 141 mph in 1953, a production bike record at the time.
Selling for $929,00 in 2018, this is currently the most expensive motorcycle ever sold at auction. But, don’t expect that record to stand for very long.
Footnote: in 2014, 'Captain America', allegedly the chopper from the movie Easy Rider was auctioned for $1.35 million but the sale was declared void after it was discovered that all wasn't quite as it seemed with the bike.
FAQ
Q: What is the most expensive motorcycle sold?
The 1951 Vincent Black Lightning is the most expensive bike sold at an auction. It fetched $929,00 in 2018.
Q: Which is the most expensive bike in the world with price?
The Neiman Marcus Limited Edition Fighter is the most expensive bike it in the world. It is priced at a whopping $11 million!
Q: Which is the most sold bike in the world?
The Honda Super Cub is the most popular bike in the world. Honda has been producing it for five decades now and it's still going strong. So far, the automaker has sold over 100 million Super Cubs!