I experimented with it late last night. I think one of the commenters Mark M. in the earlier post is right. While my eyes get a little weary with the black background the all white is way too in your face. And every time I change Themes all my Widgets have to be reloaded which is a pain so I’m not going to do too much of that till I have more time. I’ll sit tight for a while and experiment with the CSS code later. Thanks Everyone.
Month: January 2011
The radial-engined Megola “…probably the most unorthodox motorcycle ever made on a commercial basis…” I agree. Update with video.
More info on the vintage world and a great high resolution photograph of one of the most unusual bikes ever built. I can’t even begin to imagine how all that mass would effect the handling on a motorcycle like this.
And yes I fully admit that I’m schilling a little but they keep sending me these really great photo’s so fair’s fair. And a special Thank you to Katherine Boyle at Bonhams for the photo and info.
And for fun here’s a video of one running and being ridden.
BONHAMS TO SELL RARE, RADIAL-ENGINED MEGOLA MOTORCYCLE IN PARIS AUCTION
“…probably the most unorthodox motorcycle ever made on a commercial basis…”
Headlining the motorcycles consigned to Bonhams first sale at the Grand Palais, Paris is a rare, radial-engined Megola. Powered by a 640cc five-cylinder engine built into the front wheel, the Megola was described by motorcycling historian Erwin Tragatsch as “probably the most unorthodox motorcycle ever made on a commercial basis”. Only some 2,000-or-so were produced in Germany between 1921 and 1925, and today the few survivors are highly prized by collectors. The example on offer was restored circa 1990, has been tested by La Vie de la Moto magazine and shown at the Salon Moto Légende. It is estimated to sell for €145,000-200,000.
Demand for the legendary Vincent marque continues unabated and this sale contains three fine examples from the same UK-based private collection: a 1949 Rapide Series B (€26,000 – 30,000), 1950 Comet Series C (€7,500 – 9,000) and 1954 Black Knight Series D with fully enclosed bodywork (€33,000 – 37,000).
Another iconic British make, Brough Superior is presented by the recently rebuilt 1936 SS80 on offer. First introduced in 1922, the SS80 – so-called because of its guaranteed 80mph (129km/h) top speed in road trim – achieved instant fame when a stripped-for-racing version ridden by George Brough became the first sidevalve machine to lap Brooklands at over 100mph (161km/h). Estimate €38,000 – 45,000.
Early BMWs are among the most collectible of pre-war European motorcycles and the two in this sale – a circa 1928 R62 sidecar outfit ‘barn find’ (€32,000 – 35,000) and a fully restored 1928 R42 solo (€20,000 – 30,000) – represent opposite ends of the condition spectrum.
Rendered increasingly rare by the passage of time, ‘barn finds’ have become more and more sought after in recent years and the circa 1923 Wanderer v-twin in the sale is a particularly charming example. Estimate €17,000 – 20,000.
Ben Walker, Head of Motorcycles at Bonhams comments, “It is wonderful to be offering such a fine selection of motorcycles at Paris’ premier venue. It will be particularly interesting to see what price the rare Megola fetches.”
http://www.bonhams.com/motorcycles
For sale enquiries please contact Ben Walker on 08700 273616 or ben.walker@bonhams.com
For further press information please contact Katherine Boyle on 0207 468 8363 or Katherine.boyle@bonhams.com / press@bonhams.com
Notes for Editors
Bonhams
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further five throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Boston in the USA; Toronto, Canada; and France, Monaco, Hong Kong, Australia and Dubai. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas. By the end of 2009, Bonhams had become UK market leaders in ten key specialist collecting areas.For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, go to http://www.bonhams.com (May 2010).
BONHAMS TO SELL RARE, RADIAL-ENGINED MEGOLA MOTORCYCLE IN PARIS AUCTION
“…probably the most unorthodox motorcycle ever made on a commercial basis…”
Headlining the motorcycles consigned to Bonhams first sale at the Grand Palais, Paris is a rare, radial-engined Megola. Powered by a 640cc five-cylinder engine built into the front wheel, the Megola was described by motorcycling historian Erwin Tragatsch as “probably the most unorthodox motorcycle ever made on a commercial basis”. Only some 2,000-or-so were produced in Germany between 1921 and 1925, and today the few survivors are highly prized by collectors. The example on offer was restored circa 1990, has been tested by La Vie de la Moto magazine and shown at the Salon Moto Légende. It is estimated to sell for £120,000-166,000.
Demand for the legendary Vincent marque continues unabated and this sale contains three fine examples from the same UK-based private collection: a 1949 Rapide Series B (£22,000 – 25,000), 1950 Comet Series C (£6,000 – 7,500) and 1954 Black Knight Series D with fully enclosed bodywork (£27,000 – 31,000).
Another iconic British make, Brough Superior is presented by the recently rebuilt 1936 SS80 on offer. First introduced in 1922, the SS80 – so-called because of its guaranteed 80mph (129km/h) top speed in road trim – achieved instant fame when a stripped-for-racing version ridden by George Brough became the first sidevalve machine to lap Brooklands at over 100mph (161km/h). Estimate £32,000 – 37,000.
Early BMWs are among the most collectible of pre-war European motorcycles and the two in this sale – a circa 1928 R62 sidecar outfit ‘barn find’ (£27,000 – 29,000) and a fully restored 1928 R42 solo (£17,000 – 25,000) – represent opposite ends of the condition spectrum.
Rendered increasingly rare by the passage of time, ‘barn finds’ have become more and more sought after in recent years and the circa 1923 Wanderer v-twin in the sale is a particularly charming example. Estimate £14,000 – 17,000.
Ben Walker, Head of Motorcycles at Bonhams comments, “It is wonderful to be offering such a fine selection of motorcycles at Paris’ premier venue. It will be particularly interesting to see what price the rare Megola fetches.”
http://www.bonhams.com/motorcycles
For sale enquiries please contact Ben Walker on 08700 273616 or ben.walker@bonhams.com
Anyone mind if I change colors?
My eyes can’t really take the white text on black background anymore. It seemed to work a little better over on blogger. I experimented with different fonts and sizes but I’m not really thrilled with it. So I was thinking of reversing it with a slightly different theme. I know a lot of you have expressed that they’d like a change but are there any objections either way?
Hildebrand & Wolfmuller. One of the worlds earliest production motorcycles.
Cortousey of the veryfine folks at Bonhams Auction house. I confess that I’m just a bit of a mouthpiece here but they are sending me some excellent photo’s and for those of you who may be interested, some great information about how the high end vintage motorcycle market is doing. In two words: Not Bad. Thanks Much to Bonhams for the inside scoop and the excellent quality photo of this interesting motorcycle!
Now if you’re really interested in this then I suspect that you’re already reading “The Vintegent” on a regular basis. Paul D’orleans has a series of great posts on the Las Vegas event. I read them over today and learned a lot. There are some really interesting dynamics going on up there in the ether of rare and expensive umobtanium…. including questions of fakery. Some blatant and some very subtle. Do yourself a favor and pay him a visit. He’s the go-to blog for all things Pre-1920 (and beyond) vintage.
BONHAMS SET A NEW RECORD FOR A HILDEBRAND & WOLFMULLER – ONE OF THE FIRST PRODUCTION MOTORCYCLES EVER MADE
INAUGURAL LAS VEGAS MOTORCYCLE AUCTION RAISES $2.5MILLION
Bonhams first ever motorcycle sale in Las Vegas on Thursday, January 6th, in the heart of the Strip, proved to be a resounding success for the world’s leading automotive auctioneer. With a packed auction room of international buyers from around the US and overseas, approximately 200 motorcycles of diverse makes and models from every era of history sold briskly – even making world records – for a total sum exceeding $2.5 million. Six bikes made in excess of $100,000 on the hammer.
A highlight of the sale was the “holy grail of motorcycles,” the extremely rare and historic Hildebrand & Wolfmüller from circa 1894 Germany – the world’s first production motorcycle and the machine to which the word “motorcycle” was first applied. After much interest from around the globe it sold to an American collector for a world record price of $161,000. It is interesting to note that the Bonhams international motorcycle department have now unearthed two of these extremely rare finds, both from the US, and strategically placed them in their international group auctions on both sides of the Atlantic. In April 2010 an example in less good condition for £86,200 at Bonhams annual Stafford sale.
The ex-Otis Chandler first-year production 1901 Indian “Camel Back” Single, sold for $131,500 after spirited bidding to a collector in the southern hemisphere versus American aficionados.
Other top lots included:
The very rare, factory prepared competition 1939 BMW R51RS – one of only two known BMW factory racers in private hands and the only unrestored pre-War Rennsport in existence – made $130,200 after competitive bidding from US collectors.
The tremendous “time capsule” factory prepared 1929 Harley-Davidson “Peashooter” found in an Australian mine in complete original, unrestored condition brought a very worthy price $125,800 for a private collector.
Two owners from new, documented by factory records as 1 of 12 built with original black frame with Chinese Red tinwork, a 1952 Vincent Series C Touring Rapide sold to a young American lady for $99,450.
From the John Shola Collection, which was 100% sold, the 1952 Vincent Series C Black Shadow sold for $87,400, the highest price realized for a Shadow at auction in the US in the last two years.
The ex-Tony Guest, Daytona BOTT Amateur Modified-winning, 1974 Ducati 750SS Racer doubled its estimate and sold for $53,820 after sparring by international telephone bidders.
Believed to be the sole surviving example of this Australian model, the 1919 GCS 750cc Twin was purchased by a prominent American collector for $52,650.
Furthermore, the Kenneth Klem collection of 50 Hondas was 100% sold, offering cult Japanese machinery to collectors of all budgets.
Says Malcolm Barber, CEO of Bonhams Group and the sales auctioneer, “We are very pleased with our inaugural motorcycle sale here in Las Vegas and we are already focusing on similar consignments for next year. We witnessed the continuing strength of the international collector’s motorcycle market with an increasing trend of new collectors entering this field.”
Mark Osborne, Head of the US Motoring Department, said “We were delighted with the attendance at this first sale and thrilled by the international interest it attained. The atmosphere in the room was energetic from the first lot to the fall of the hammer on the final lot. We were pleased to have already consigned during this auction some star lots for our next motorcycle sale at Quail Lodge in May. Bikes consigned to this upcoming auction include the ex-Steve McQueen Husqvarna 400 that was sold at this very location at the Imperial Palace by the McQueen Estate back in 1984.”
The Bonhams international motorcycle team from both sides of the Atlantic and the East and West Coasts of America were in attendance. Ben Walker, director of the European team, orchestrated bidding from collectors in the UK and Europe live over the telephone into the auction room at the Imperial Palace. Ben now heads towards the Bonhams auction at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, in February where highlights include a circa 1922 Megola and a 1955 Vincent Black Knight.
For a full list of sales results of the “Las Vegas Motorcycle Sale,” please go to www.bonhams.com/vegas
For further press inquiries, please contact press@dravcarn.com
Reader Ride. One of the cleanest (and most radical) XS650 hybrids I’ve ever seen.
Jeff Snell sent me pictures of this bike with very little explanation. I had some of it figured out but most of it left me scratching my head so I had to press him for some info on this really excellent build. He writes in:
Hi Steve, well it’s a Yamaha XS 650 engine in the cradle of an XS frame. I cut the front and rear off and made a new frame section to accomadate a Honda F4i swingarm and monoshock. Up front I made a new steering tube and used F4i forks. I wanted to keep with a retro theme and used a Kawi ZRX tank and seat. The tail is also ZRX but was chopped and condenced to work with the new proportions of the bike. Both are supported by a detachable aluminum subframe. The drive side case cover is divided to allow for an offset sprocket. This enabled the engne to be mounted in the center of the frame. The end result is light weight and balanced, and sounds great with a Scorpion exhaust can. I like that naked bike look.Of course there are a few more tweaks I’d like to do but I’m pretty stoked otherwise! Everything was done by yours truely except the electrical and dyno tuning. Hope your readers like it! ( I have a ton of pics for anyone interested)
Thanks for your interest,
Jeff Snell, Alameda CA
I’ve put a few unusual bikes together in my day (and I’m in the middle of another one) but it’s never approached this. That’s a really at a great build. Oh and I wasn’t even close on my guesses except on the bodywork. Thanks Much!
Reader Ride. More snow Biking…
You guys are getting int this “snow biking” thing. This one looks nuts!
Can I play too. Lets see, an ‘Adventure’ shot from White face and a ‘snow’ shot from Tennessee.
How about a ‘snow’ shot from Whiteface?
This was taken on September 12/1987.It was taken on the way up to the toll road. It was closed for the season, but we follow the smaller roads down the backside (turn right just before the toll area).
Things got worse 5 minutes from here when we stopped for more photos. Our buddy Barry went sliding backwards with the clutch out & wheel spinning! We had to get onto the shoulder where the ice hadn’t yet formed under the snow. A half hour later, we were in warm sunshine and dry roads.That’s me on my old GSXR750.
This looks freaking miserable… Glad it worked out. I love the old GSZr’s and Seca’s. Great Stuff.
Ducati Diavel…. different strokes and all that…
…but definitely not built for my tastes. tomato… tomaaaato…
I sense a disturbance in the force.
We’ve come a loooong way folks. For all the detail go check out the excellent post at Asphalt and Rubber. An all electric motorcycle has finished second against a field of internal combustion engined racebikes. (literbike v-twin – in the WERA Heavyweight Twins Superbike & Superstock race classes). The video is interesting. You can see the great torque characteristics of the bike. But I find the electric whine tho be like fingernails on a chalkboard. Earplugs would be mandatory.
A reminder to those of us in the warmer climates…
Dragonnester has a message for all those “fair weather” riders LOL
He writes:
It’s a pic of my DR-Z400S at the shore of Tellico Lake in East TN. I was trying to get some of the armchair adventurers to ride instead of watching TV or playing “Call of Duty” on X-box. Too many fair weather riders these days…especially the juveniles. I would have been the same way, probably, if I could have gotten the thrills without the effort when I was a kid.
Great Shot! But I guess that I’m on the soft side then because even though I’ve been to Tellico Lake many times I don’t think you’d get me there in that weather.
MV Agusta Lust..
Damm… that may just be perfect…
Motorcycle Photo Of The Day 