The Bonhams auction consists of several highly sought-after examples, particularly pre-war models.
Each motorcycle in the collection is in running condition and is being offered without reserve.
R57
BMW produced the R57 for only a few years after BMW’s first motorcycle, the R32 in 1923.
The R57 isn’t just rare, it is also “superbly engineered, beautifully styled and a capable rider”, says Mathieu Guyot-Sionnest, Bonhams Head of US Motorcycles.
It is estimated to fetch up to $US70,000 (almost A100,000).
“This will be our third year in partnership with the most prestigious motorcycle museum in the world and the largest vintage motorcycle celebration,”he says.
“With thousands of international motoring aficionados gathered together for the weekend event, there’s just no better venue.”
Other “no reserve” examples in the collection include a 1933 R4, a 1938 R35 and a 1940 R12 with sidecar.
BMW R12
There is also a a 1957 R26 with sidecar that was the German army’s famed war workhorse and was built with BMW’s first hydraulically damped telescopic forks.
Long Way Up, featuring Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor riding electric Harley-Davidson LiveWire motorcycles, will screen onApple TV+ from 18 September 2020, the same month the bike launches in Australia.
Apple TV+ has announced that the first three episodes will screen on the Friday with one episode every week after that.
However, they don’t say how long the series will be.
If you don’t have Apple TV+ you can wait until the whole series has been aired and then do as one-month free trial.
Otherwise, it costs $A7.99 per month.
Small screen adventure
In the third and probably final “Long Way” series, the Brits ride Harley-Davidson electric LiveWire motorcycles from the city of Ushuaia at the tip of South America to LA.
They cover 21,000km over 100 days through 16 border crossings and 13 countries: Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and up through Colombia, Central America and Mexico.
Also joining them are their longtime collaborators, directors David Alexanian and Russ Malkin, driving in electric Rivian utility vehicles.
That’s more than the feature-laden Ultra Limited tourer at $A41,495!
While the specially modified bikes did get the pair to their destination, Ewan admits he ran out of “juice” a couple of times and even had to hitch rides with cars by hanging on to the B pillar.
So, what did they do when they ran out of “juice”, Fallon asked?
“Hope for a hill,” McGregor replies.
“I got towed a couple of times. I was the only one that ran out.
“Charley never ran out of juice and he’ll tell you it’s ’cause he’s a better rider than me and it may well be the case.
“But I ran out a couple of times, so I’d just hold on to a car.”
Ewan and Charley pack their LiveWire electric bikes
He explains how this stunt was performed and we assume it was at slow speed and could have been using one of the back-up vehicles.
“If you open the back windows and the front of the car you could get your arm around a pillar and you just muscle along like that for a while,” he explains.
Ewan says the first time he saw this done was in New York when he was about 21 or 22 riding in a yellow cab.
“A Harley-Davidson guy — a Hells Angels guy — who’d run out of gas or his bike was broken down clattered into the side of the cab, grabbed hold of the pillar and he shouted the address of the Hells Angels clubhouse to the driver who just took him there and didn’t ask any questions; just drove there like that.
“I think the Hells Angels owe me $5.26.”
It’s been a long time between trips for Ewan and Charley.
From 14 April 2004 to 29 July 2004, they rode across Europe and the USA in Long Way Round and from 12 May to 4 August 2007 they rode from the top of Scotland to Cape Town in South Africa for Long Way Down.
With Ewan becoming increasingly busy with Hollywood movies, Charley squeezed in the 2006 Dakar rally for his series, Race to Dakar, and has produced several other travel shows.
Even though the pandemic has forced the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride to go solo this year, Triumph Motorcycle is back on board as the major sponsor.
DGR operations manager Ramsey Sayed says the event will still go ahead on 27 September 2020 around the globe, but as a “ride solo, together” event.
Riders who register online, fundraise at least US200 for Movember, dress-up, and ride as individuals and/or with a pillion will be in the running to win one of three Triumph motorcycles.
One random winner will get a Bonneville T120 and the three highest fundraisers globally will also win Triumph motorcycles.
T120
The top fundraiser gets a Triumph Thruxton RS, a Hedon DGR Kingpin helmet and $US2000 worth of Belstaff apparel.
Second and third fundraisers get a Triumph Scrambler 1200 and Speed Twin as well as the Hedon helmet and Belstaff gear.
There will also be Belstaff and Hedon prizes for the top 50 fundraisers, while those who raise $US200 or more get a 2020 DGR patch.
Solo DGR
“The focus for this year will be to connect riders from all around the world, despite their COVID-19 social distancing restrictions,” Ramsey says.
“We want riders to know that we may be socially distanced, but we can still be connected digitally. It definitely came at a difficult time.
“We not only need to take people’s local lockdown restrictions into consideration, but we also needed to consider how riders and hosts have been financially affected in losing jobs and security, and how this may have impacted their lives. It’s a three-degrees of separation thing, some hosts either had COVID-19, or knew someone who did, and even have family members who lost their lives because of it. We wanted to be sensitive to those who spend countless hours volunteering to run their ride, who may not be able to get involved.
“The main thing we’d want people to be aware of here is that we know that some areas of the world might be opened up by the time DGR hits in 2020, but DGR isn’t only a local event – it’s a global movement – and when we have so many folks who are integral in running their rides who have been heavily impacted by this, we need to look out for each other.”
Many DGR fans may not like the virtual DGR idea but it will be a real test of the commitment of participants and whether they are doing it for the benefit of others and in the spirit of the event, or just for pleasure.
A special motorcycle exhibition in Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) planned for November has been confirmed with the centre reopening after closing during the pandemic.
It will include more than 100 motorcycles from the 1860s to the present day, drawn from private and public collections across the globe.
Antipodean highlights will be a Brisbane-designed and built 1906 Spencer and the Kiwi-designed 1991 Britten V1000.
Britten Motorcycle Company Ltd, Christchurch, 1991 Britten V1000 purchased 1995 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds (Collection: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa)
GOMA Director Chris Saines says the centre will reopen from 7 August 2020 after the Queensland Art Gallery reopened on 23 June.
“Now, in line with the Queensland Government’s Roadmap to Recovery and our COVID-19 safety plan in place, we look forward to welcoming visitors back to our second site the Gallery of Modern Art as we prepare for our must-see summer exhibition, ‘The Motorcycle’,” he says.
“The exhibition will appeal not only to bike and motor sport enthusiasts but to anyone with an interest in social history, popular culture, design and technology.”
The GOMA exhibit has been curated by American physicist Professor Charles M. Falco and US filmmaker Ultan Guilfoyle in collaboration with GOMA.
They were co-curators of the landmark 1998 Guggenheim Museum exhibition in New York, ‘The Art of the Motorcycle’ that ran for three months.
It was subsequently seen in Chicago, Bilbao, Spain, and Las Vegas, with a total attendance of more than two million people.
GOMA director Chris Saines
Prof Falco described himself as a passionate motorcyclist who had his first motorcycle at 15, his first crash at 15.5 and last year rode a 90-year-old motorcycle across the USA.
“For a sustainable future, the world needs motorcycles for personal transportation,” he says.
His co-curator says motorcycles are an example of how “design drives everything”.
Chris says the exhibit will include the earliest 19th century steam-powered motorcycle, right through to electric motorcycles and future designs.
1930 Majestic 349cc (Photographer: Olivier de Vaulx)
“Over its 150-year history, the motorcycle has undergone extraordinary reinvention, from steam power, to petrol-fuelled internal combustion engines to battery, and from humble backyard creations to custom-made, high-tech chrome speed machines,” Chris says.
1869 Michaux-Perreaux steam-velocipede, collection du musee du domaine departmental. (Photograph: Olivier Ravoire)
“More than just a means of transport, the motorcycle is a design object, with forms and styles that reflect innumerable cultural and societal influences.”
The exhibit will include bikes, films and interactive displays to appeal to “anyone curious about social history, popular culture, design and technology”.
GOMA marketing head Bronwyn Klepp says they are looking at extending motorcycle parking opportunities around the centre at least for the duration of the exhibit.
Two Royal Enfield Himalayan adventurer motorcycles have starring roles in an upcoming Kiwi winter surf film called “Lost Track New Zealand”.
There, that’s a sentence you never thought you would hear!
This trailer indicates a film that is beautifully shot and seems to capture the adventure and freedom of both riding and surfing.
For anyone who has ever ridden a motorcycle around New Zealand they will know that it is filled with winding roads through spectacular middle earth scenery.
”Lost Track New Zealand” follows surfer Torren Martyn and film maker Ishka Folkwell as they embark on a four month motorbike adventure to explore the island nation’s roads and surf.
They customised the Royal Enfield Himalaya bikes to carry surfboards as well as their camping gear.
Torren and Ishka ride through storms and survive near-death experiences on their quest to escape into nature and surf perfect waves.
The coming feature film, produced by wetsuits manufacturer needessentials, includes an outstanding original soundtrack composed by Headland and Nick Bampton.
There is no date or screening venue yet for the film, but we will update when it is availablew.
A tribute motorcycle to Isle of Man TT racing legend Joey Dunlop who died in 2000 is the highlight of an online auction in his Northern Ireland homeland.
The limited-edition Honda SP-1 was commissioned by Honda dealer Tippetts Motors of Surbiton, Surrey, in the early 2000s to commemorate the Northern Irish racing legend’s record number of Isle of Man TT victories.
The bike which will be auctioned online by Mid Ulster Auctions from 27–31 July 2020.
It has only three miles (4.8km) on the clock, is number nine of only 26 produced.
Joey Dunlop’s TT wins
At the Isle of Man TT meeting in 2000, Joey won the Formula 1 TT, the Ultra Lightweight TT (125cc) and the Lightweight TT (250cc), securing his third career hat-trick and setting a record 26 wins – an achievement that remains undefeated over two decades later.
The Joey Dunlop bike is part of an extensive collection being auctioned on behalf of the family of the late George Miller, a renowned Ardstraw-based motorcycle expert and enthusiast.
Accumulated over the past 40 years, the collection of more than 300 lots comes to market directly from the popular biker’s former business, George Miller Motorcycles, which was established in the late 1970s in the Tyrone village.
Royal wedding Bonnie
Triumph Bonneville Royal Wedding edition
Another featured lot in the sale is a limited-edition 1981 Triumph Bonneville, one of only 125 UK models produced.
Dubbed the Royal Wedding edition, it was launched to commemorate the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles. Other Triumph motorcycles include two 500cc Daytona models and a Speed Twin.
The motorcycle which coined the term ‘superbike’, the Honda CB750F, will also go under the hammer.
1951 Matchless G80 500cc
Other models to be auctioned include a BSA A7 500cc twin, an Ariel NH350 Red Hunter, a 1951 Matchless G80 500cc, a Hercules W-2000, and Ehrlich 250 GP.
MUA Director Noel Lennon says, “We’re delighted to be working on behalf of the Miller family to manage the sale of this outstanding collection. George’s passion for all things motorcycles is renowned and that shows in the variety of bikes he acquired that carry with them important historical links, from the origins of the ‘superbike’ to rare and limited edition models.
“George Miller Motorcycles in Ardstraw attracted enthusiasts from the motorcycle community right across Northern Ireland and even further afield. We believe there will be great interest in the collection when it comes to auction.”
As well as motorcycles, a large selection of equipment, gear, parts, and other memorabilia will be auctioned.
A collection of motorcycles gathered over 40 years by motorcycle manufacturer and Grand Prix boss Giancarlo Morbidelli will finally go to auction after twice being postponed.
It will be the largest single private collection of motorcycles yet offered by Bonhams.
“He spent day and night in the museum,” says his son Guianni. “He had no other life.”
Giancarlo Morbidelli and a Morbidelli V8
Giancarlo’s collection includes international brands such as Harley-Davidson, Honda and Benelli ranging from immaculate restorations to prototypes and barn finds.
They represent the passion of the farmer’s son and former woodworking machinist who, while building up a successful engineering firm as his day job, spent his spare time on tuning, racing and later building his own motorcycles.
Morbidelli highlights
Two examples from the Morbidelli Grand Prix racing motorcycle collection, largely designed and built by Giancarlo, were fabricated by a small, dedicated team in a corner of the Morbidelli woodworking factory.
These proved to be ‘giant killers’ seeing off international corporations to claim the 125cc Grand Prix World Championship in three consecutive years: 1975, ‘76 and ‘77, as well as winning the 250cc world title in 1977.
“He was a genius with bikes,” says Gianni.
“He did everything by himself, working in a very small room.
“Forty years ago, he laid the foundation of this incredible museum, spending a lot of effort, time, energy and money.
“One part of the museum is dedicated to the period between the end of the 1960s to the 1980s when he built racing motorcycles. It’s our family heritage, a part of our life, but we thought it would be correct to include in the sale two Morbidelli motorcycles that my father built.”
The 1974 Morbidelli 125cc Grand Prix motorcycle is estimated to fetch up to £120,000 ($A214,500).
1974 Morbidelli 125
It was raced by the great Angel Nieto to second place in that year’s Spanish and German Grand Prix.
A 250cc machine designed for 15-time Grand Prix world champion Giacomo Agostini, who rode for the team during its golden period in 1976, and came second at Misano is estimated to fetch up £100,000 ($A179,000).
Agostini’s 1976 Moridelli 250
However, the Morbidelli family will retain ownership of the majority of the Morbidelli Grand Prix motorcycles, including the world championship winning 125cc and 250cc examples, raced respectively by Paoli Pileri, Pierpaolo Bianchi and Lego Mario.
Benelli features
1942 Benelli 250 GP supercharged
Not surprisingly, the Morbidelli Museum collection in the sale features a strong showing of Benelli motorcycles which were also a great passion of Giancarlo, coming from Pesaro, where this great historic brand was also founded.
One of the most interesting examples of the marque on offer is the 1942 250cc supercharged 4-cylinder example that could fetch more than £600,000 ($A1m).
This racing machine never actually raced. It was built just in time for motorcycle racing to be stopped due to the war, while supercharging was banned by the FIM in post-war years.
Giancarlo had a personal relationship and friendship with the Benelli family and so was able to procure the original parts which he rebuilt into a fully-functioning motorcycle.
Other Benellis to be offered include:
1950 Benelli 250cc Grand Prix racing motorcycle – the world championship motorcycle ridden to victory by Dario Ambrosini. Estimate £120,000 – 180,000.
1934 Benelli 175cc Bialbero – believed raced by Dorino Serafini, one of only three in the world. Estimate £40,000 – 60,000.
1964 Benelli 250 Grand Prix racing motorcycle, ridden and signed by two-time world champion Tarquino Provini. Estimate £80,000 – 120,000.
Ducati jewel
1964 Ducati 125cc
Another jewel of the Morbidelli Collection is the 1964 Ducati 125cc 4-cylinder Grand Prix racing motorcycle, (estimate £400,000 – 600,000), another GP racing machine which never raced. Created by Fabio Taglioni, Ducati’s chief engineer, this motorcycle disappeared for some years before its engine was found in Russia while its chassis reappeared in Yugoslavia, now Croatia. With the two essential components reunited, Giancarlo rebuilt the mythical motorcycle.
Alongside the pristine restorations, there are several unfinished projects in the sale, offering the opportunity to restore these machines as Giancarlo was hoping to.
The collection also comprises motorcycling memorabilia including Giancarlo’s own reference library, original drawings, trophies, signage and other artefacts, giving a complete picture of the museum and the motorcycling world.
The latest Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor adventure, the Long Way Up, will be shown onApple TV+ in the next few months.
In the third and probably final “Long Way” series, the Brits ride Harley-Davidson electric LiveWire motorcycles from Tierra Del Fuego at the bottom of South Africa to LA.
Apple TV+
There is no date for the series to start, but when it does, you can get a free seven-day trial and binge-watch the series.
If you enjoy Apple TV+ you can then subscribe in Australia for $A7.99 a month.
That’s more than the feature-laden Ultra Limited tourer at $A41,495!
While the specially modified bikes did get the pair to their destination, Ewan admits he ran out of “juice” a couple of times and even had to hitch rides with cars by hanging on to the B pillar.
So, what did they do when they ran out of “juice”, Fallon asked?
“Hope for a hill,” McGregor replies.
“I got towed a couple of times. I was the only one that ran out.
“Charley never ran out of juice and he’ll tell you it’s ’cause he’s a better rider than me and it may well be the case.”
(We suspect Charley did not do his usual frequent wheelies!)
“But I ran out a couple of times, so I’d just hold on to a car.”
Ewan and Charley pack their LiveWire electric bikes
He explains how this stunt was performed and we assume it was at slow speed and could have been using one of the back-up vehicles.
“If you open the back windows and the front of the car you could get your arm around a pillar and you just muscle along like that for a while,” he explains.
Ewan says the first time he saw this done was in New York when he was about 21 or 22 riding in a yellow cab.
“A Harley-Davidson guy — a Hells Angels guy — who’d run out of gas or his bike was broken down clattered into the side of the cab, grabbed hold of the pillar and he shouted the address of the Hells Angels clubhouse to the driver who just took him there and didn’t ask any questions; just drove there like that.
“I think the Hells Angels owe me $5.26.”
Not sure if we believe that, but it’s a great story.
And it sounds like Long Way Up on Apple TV+ will also be another great series.
It’s been a long time between trips for Ewan and Charley.
From 14 April 2004 to 29 July 2004, they rode across Europe and the USA in Long Way Round and from 12 May to 4 August 2007 they rode from the top of Scotland to Cape Town in South Africa for Long Way Down.
With Ewan becoming increasingly busy with Hollywood movies, Charley squeezed in the 2006 Dakar rally for his series, Race to Dakar, and has produced several other travel shows.
A fastidiously restored trio Norton Commando bikes is among a dozen restored classics on offer at the Shannons Winter Timed Online Auction from 19-26 August 2020.
The jewel of the trio, all restored to an exceptional standard by noted Sydney Norton specialist, Paul Hibbard, is a rare and desirable 1974 Commando ‘John Player’ 850 (pictured top of page).
This single year ‘tribute’ bike, with its 828cc air-cooled OHV parallel twin engine, is a rare sight in Australia, as the majority of the estimated 200 built was delivered to the USA. Because of the quality of its restoration and its rarity, this visual replica of the factory’s racing bike of the era is expected to fetch $24,000 – $28,000 on August 26.
Norton 750 Commando
Another stunning Norton Commando is a 1971 Commando 750cc that has had in excess of $20,000 worth of new or old stock parts sourced from the UK used for its restoration. The Norton has covered just 150 miles (240km) since it was completed and because of its significance as one of Norton’s hallowed Commando sports bikes and its peerless condition, it is expected to sell in the $20,000-$25,000 range.
Norton Fastback
Similarly desirable for Norton enthusiasts is a 1968 Norton Commando Fastback 750 restored to a similarly-high standard that has covered just 12 miles (19km) since its completion. It is expected to bring $15,000-$18,000.
Other highlights
Yamaha OWO1
Another factory racing replica is a 1989 Yamaha FZR750R-R ‘OW01’, one of only 500 built.
Although it was a street-legal machine, the OW01 had a spec sheet that was all about racing. It is expected to sell for $15,000 – $20,000.
Ducati 900
Two beautifully restored Ducatis from 1969 and 1985 will tease Italian motorcycle fans: a 1969 250 Mk3 ($18,000 – $22,000) and a 1985 Ducati 900 S2 ($15,000 – $18,000).
From the late 1920s and early 1930s come three standout British bikes with no reserve:
A rare 1935 Panther Model 100 ‘Redwing’ 600cc;
1930 Sunbeam Model 9 500cc (both $20,000 – $23,000); and
There is also an extremely rare 1912 Peerless 500cc built by A G Healing & Co. Pty Ltd of Melbourne, Australia’s largest motorcycle manufacturer at the time.
Peerless
It is understood to be one of only four or five left in existence. The bike is powered by a 3½hp Fafnir 500cc side-valve engine.
This bike has competed in various Veteran Motorcycle Rallies and is eligible for the forthcoming National Veteran Motorcycle Rally on 17-22 October, 2021 in Manjimup, WA. It is expected to sell for $15,000 – $20,000.
ASydney motorcycle enthusiast and V&HMCC member is also offering a 1958 Ariel VH Red Hunter 500cc ($14,000 – $18,000) and a rare Austrian 1954 Puch SGS 250cc ‘Super Sports’ offered with ‘no reserve’ and expected to fetch $7,000 – $10,000.
Showroom opening hours
The Sydney Auction showroom has re-opened under reduced hours of 10am-4pm, Monday – Friday.
The Melbourne Auction showroom is closed due to Stage 3 restrictions.
If you want to look on the bright side of the current coronavirus pandemic, some motorcycle events are now being held online including the now-free Black Hills Motorcycle Film Festival.
The film festival is being put together by the Rev Sisters, a newly created partnership of three women motorcyclists who plan and manage motorcycle events.
Earlier this year they announced a series of motorcycle film festivals to be held across the United States.
The first festival, Santa Cruz Moto Film Festival, was cancelled earlier this year due to a ban on public events.
Free film festival
The beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota
The second festival in the 2020 series, the Black Hills Motorcycle Film Festival, will be held online from 14-16 August and Rev Sisters Co-Founder Michelle Lamphere says it’s free!
“At a time when motorcyclists may need an escape and a channel to reconnect with their moto community, Rev Sisters is offering tickets to this online event at no charge,” she says.
Attendees can watch videos at their own pace from the comfort of their own homes.
The curated collection of more than nine hours of films includes a variety of riding styles from around the world — flat track racing, round-the-world adventure travel, bike building, moto culture and more.
Each film is inspired and creative and will leave viewers yearning to get back out on the road. Winners for each category – ultra short, short and feature – will be announced during the festival.
A third event, the South Jersey Moto Film Festival, is scheduled to air online later this year. Each of these festivals is intended to be a live annual event in future years.
Tickets for the Black Hills Motorcycle Film Festival are available by clicking here.
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