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Auction update – how's the market?
(Guy 'Guido' Allen, December 10,
2024)
While there's always an
element of reading tea leaves when it comes to talking
about the motorcycle market, and particularly
auctions, the latest
Donington event which concluded December 8
supports our theory that there's still life in there –
for the right motorcycle.
That sale included a
substantial number of bikes offered at no reserve –
arguably risky if it's not a premium model you know
everyone wants. We'll talk more on that theme in a
future story.
So what worked in this
case? For us the star of the auction was the
number one 1997 Drysdale V8. Creator Ian
Drysdale built this as a fore-runner to a very short
production of larger-engined examples and this remains
the most important.
It was at the cutting
edge of a brief global craze for bespoke V8
motorcycles, at least three of which came out of
Australia. I'd argue this was conceptually the best of
them.
Pre-auction estimates
suggested it was unlikely to go past Au$60,000
(US$38,400, GB£30,000), a view I agreed with. It went
for Au$73,850 (US$47,200, GB£37,000) plus 10 per cent
commission.
We've recently been in
touch with Ian and it looks like we'll soon be able to
bring you an in-depth feature on the machine.
Something which got our
attention was the much-modified
1954 Vincent Rapide Series C. It too defied the
pre-auction estimates (again Au$60k at the upper end)
with a sale price of $75,750 (US$48,400, GB£38,000).
Factory-spec motorcycles
is usually what works best in the current classic
market, so it was interesting to see this one sell for
such a high number. It seems that everyone loves a
project.
And here was the second
factor: in Australia, Vincents are selling for much
bigger numbers than in the USA and UK.
At completely the other
end of the price scale was a 1982 Suzuki
TS185ER restoration project. While it had good
history, was a low-miler and was in good mechanical
shape, it had a rotted fuel tank and came with a fresh
one (in the wrong colour) plus a new decal set.
Bidding was surprisingly competitive and it settled at
Au$3050 (US$1950, GB£15300).
Another notable success
was the 1980 Honda
CBX1000B at $20,000 (US$13,000, GB£10,000), with
a recent and comprehensive service/recommissioning
history.
Every auction has its
bargains, and we'd nominate the 1994 Triumph
Daytona 900 Super III, which sold for Au$9150
(US$14,000, GB£11,000) plus commission.
Sales history over the
last few years suggests it might have scored low
teens. With under 10,000km (6000 miles) on the odo, it
had a good service record. Plus, in the world of T300
Meriden Triumphs, it was the hero bike of which 805
were built.
You would think T300
Triumphs from the early Hinckley days would by now be
approaching classic status in the market. However the
results for this and a Speed
Triple from the same era in this auction that
sold for Au$6150 (US$3900, GB£3100) suggest otherwise.
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