Auctioneer H&H has released results of its sale of classic motorcycles and scooters at the National Motorcycle Museum on 29 March 2023. A total of 188 lots went under the hammer, with just 30 remaining unsold at the end.
A quick perusal of the prices revealed that, as we’ve seen elsewhere, values of British singles and twins have edged back a little from the high prices of a couple of years ago, possibly as a result of so many good restorations coming on the market and previously undiscovered motorcycles coming in from the USA.
A lovely, immaculate 1956 Triumph T100 sold for £5,922 which seems a bargain. The Triumph T100 has been restored by the current owner, after he purchased it in 2005 as a project, and completed a few years later. Not used since it was completed, however, it has been run. It had been restored to a high standard using many original parts where possible. An all correct numbers machine and it was offered accompanied by a V5C and a Triumph dating certificate.
It’s clear that values of some Japanese motorcycles are more bullish, however that’s limited to the more iconic models. A 1979 Kawaski Z1000 Z1R went for £12,190 despite not having been ridden since its 2016 rebuild.
The Z1R had very different styling from other Kawasaki 900 and 1000 cc bikes, and wasn’t to everyone’s taste (the Germans particularly liked it, apparently, voting it as their Motorcycle of the Year in 1977). I remember riding one for Motor Cycle News when it was launched and being completely unimpressed with the odd handling.
One of the stars of the auction was a rare 1936 Indian 4 and that fetched a very decent price, £65,000 – well above the projected £50-60,000. “The Indian 4 was the Cadillac of motorcycles,” according to TV star and collector Jay Leno.
The auction blurb said: “This Indian four, with its rare in-line four cylinder 1265cc drivetrain, was purchased by the vendor as a project. A previous older 1980s restoration, it is a sympathetically restored machine, retaining the 1980s paint. A rare Indian survivor today, in the UK, particularly with its in-line four engine, we are advised that it is ‘running well’. The numbers correspond to the Indian production records for 1936.”
A really historic motorcycle, a (circa) 1912 Rex JAP project sold for £10,350. I can’t say whether that was a good price but the buyer has much work to complete to bring it back to life. The Rex JAP V-twin was only made for a couple of years in the early 1910s so it’s very rare, now 110 years old and still wearing its original Norfolk registration number.
Unfortunately, not much is known of its history, according to the auctioneer. However, the registration number was issued in Norfolk and the Rex appears to have spent all of its life in the region. It is offered for auction along with a duplicate/continuation buff log book issued in 1960 that states its date of first registration being the 1st of January 1921 – possibly a default date for bikes sold before then.
There were plenty of reasonably priced solid classic motorcycles sold for fair money.
An absolutely stunning 1938 OK Supreme 250 Flying Cloud went for £8,280, pictured top, restored beautifully in 1997 to a show-winning standard by its late engineer owner.
More of a daily rider is a 1955 BSA B31, a swinging arm model, that went for a mere £2,442 which, in my book, is a real steal. The bike had been restored at some point in its life and the engine turns on the kickstarter but it needs recommissioning before use. However, it’s a perfectly usable bike for vintage runs and rallies.
But my favourite of the whole auction was a 1938 350cc AJS Silver Streak 26 that went for £12,880. Just look at it – just gorgeous with so many parts chrome plated as standard. This particular bike was restored by Tony Trumen 13 years ago and when first shown at Stafford won the ‘Best Bike’ in the show. IMHO, Best Bike also at this auction.