With the recent sale in Las Vegas of the first confirmed Million Dollar Motorcycle (at auction), let’s have a look at our list of other bikes that have sold for seven figures.  Only one is confirmed, as auctions are generally the only verifiable sale, although of course trickery is always possible, and auction houses have been known to tout sales that didn’t actually happen – as with the ‘Captain America’ chopper a few years back, and a Winchester motorcycle, each of which laid claim to the ‘highest price ever paid at auction’ in their PR, but both of which proved false on examination [see our ‘Money Talks: the Rest Send Press Releases‘].   Private parties have claimed big sales, and newspapers have reported them too, so I’ve kept my list to motorcycle sales that seem legit, and some on this list I’ve verified personally with the buyers.

There are very likely other private sales of over $1Million, but I have yet to find details to support their inclusion; one of those rumors concerns a Honda RC166 six-cylinder GP racer, possibly sold to the Honda Museum for seven figures.  There are others, with less credibility, but for the following I’ve been at least able to follow a trail, and ask a few questions.

Does a Million Dollar Baby mean anything to the motorcycle market, or the culture of motorcycling?  No.  But it’s fun to watch from the sidelines, as let’s face it, you and I were never going to own a 1915 Cyclone or an original-paint 1912 Henderson Four, so let the collectors have at it; a duel of credit cards at 20 paces!  En garde! 

1. 1915 Cyclone: $1.32 Million (Mecum Auctions January 2025, Las Vegas)

[Mecum Auctions]
In the auction business there has been talk of the first Million Dollar Motorcycle for years; since the 2009 sale of a 1915 Cyclone racer at MidAmerica Auctions in Monterey, in fact.  I happened to provide ‘color’ for that auction, my very first auction gig, and when the Cyclone came up I instructed the whole audience to raise their hands at $100,000, so they could all claim to have made a bid on the bike!  16 years later, it finally happened; from the amazing Urban Hirsch collection, a Cyclone with a ‘clean’ string of ownership, restored by Stephen Wright, and now apparently headed to the Legends Motorcycle Museum in Springville, Utah.  Worth a visit, I’d say.

The auction action was thrilling: I was working Mecum’s TV coverage of the sale, and we had anticipated a big price, but when bidding topped $1Million, I knew we were in for some entertainment.  You can watch the sale on my Instagram channel, as I filmed my monitor screen during the action, with live TV commentary.  You don’t get to do that but once in a lifetime.

2. The ‘Captain America’ Chopper: ~$1.3Million (private sale, 2014)

[Profiles in History]
 Without a doubt, the ‘Captain America’ chopper from ‘Easy Rider’ is the most famous and recognizable motorcycle in history.  Unfortunately, three of the choppers used in the film were stolen before the film was finished, including the two ‘hero’ bikes, and a ‘Billy’ stunt double.  The machine pictured was the subject of intense media scrutiny in 2014, when it appeared at a Profiles in History auction, complete with an affidavit from ‘Grizzly Adams’ (Dan Hagerty) that it was built from the remains of the last original movie bike, from wreckage he possessed after the stunt bike was blown up in the film’s climactic scene.  The original stunt bike was built by Larry Marcus under the direction of Cliff ‘Soney’ Vaughs, with (Marcus claimed) a silver spray-painted chassis, and none of the fine details required of the ‘hero’ bike ridden by Peter Fonda.  Dan Hagerty kept the remains of that chopper for decades, until finally building a replica of the ‘hero’ chopper from the parts.  But there was a problem; Hagerty had previously sold another ‘Captain America’ chopper, and given the very same affidavit of authenticity!  That machine was displayed in the Guggenheim Museum’s ‘Art of the Motorcycle’ exhibit during its Chicago iteration.  The owner of the Guggenheim machine called foul, Peter Fonda refused to certify the Profiles in History bike, a story was done in NPR about the whole mess, and although the bike was reported in the LA Times as ‘sold’ at auction for $1.65M, the bidder backed out, unsatisfied this was the real ‘Captain America’.  But, in a secret deal months later, the chopper was sold to a Billionaire memorabilia collector and philanthropist in the Seattle area, for an awful lot of money.  The bike has recently been exhibited – catch it if you can!

3. 1970 ‘Triple Crown Special’ gold-plated Speedway Champion winner – $1,260,700

[Orange County Motorcycle Club]
Ivan Mauger is the widely considered the greatest Speedway racer in history, having won the Speedway Individual World Championship 6 times (and 2nd place 4 times), taken the Long Track World Champion 4 times (and twice runner-up), and the Pairs Championship once (with 5 runner-ups).  On the verge of winning his 3rd World Championship title in in a row in 1970 – nicknamed the ‘Triple Crown’ – two American arch-fans (George Wenn and Ray Bokelman) promised that if Ivan won his third World Final at Wrocław (Poland), they would have his winning bike gold-plated. Mauger won the race, and the bike was taken to the USA to be gold-plated, and was dubbed ‘Triple Crown Special’.  Mauger recently sold all his motorcycles and memorabilia, and in a private sale, the Canterbury Museum in New Zealand purchased the gold-plated Speedway racer (plus assorted memorabilia) on Aug. 4, 2017 for  NZ$1.8M – about $1,260,700 on the day, making it the third most expensive motorcycle sale known to date.

4.  The 1947 ‘Bathing Suit’ Vincent: ~$1.1Million (private sale, 2011)

[Photo by Kevin Hulsey]
Old racing bikes are usually like ‘Caesar’s Axe’; authentic certainly, but they’ve had their heads replaced twice, and their handles four times.  The ex-John Edgar Vincent, developed by Rollie Free in 1947 in cooperation with the Vincent factory, is probably the second most famous motorcycle in the world, as the image of Free at the Bonneville salt flats, ‘flat out’ in his bathing suit at 150mph, is one of the most popular postcards ever reproduced!  The actual machine was retained in a slightly de-tuned, road-going form by Edgar, until he had a minor crash and stopped riding it. The bike kept most of its original parts in the following 60 years, and was restored by Herb Harris back to its Bonneville configuration.  It was eventually sold to a Hong Kong-based banker, who reportedly keeps the machine at his manse in Carmel Valley, CA.  To his great credit, he has allowed the bike to be filmed for History Channel shows with Alan deCadanet aboard at Bonneville, and is shown at motorcycle events on occasion.

5 (tied). 1936 Crocker Big Twin Serial #1: ~$1Million (Private sale)

Al Crocker’s V-twin was the fastest production motorcycle in the world in 1936, not that there was much production: it’s estimated less than 75 were built between 1936-43.  The Crocker predated the Harley-Davidson Knucklehead as the first OHV V-twin built for the street in the USA, and it was probably 20mph faster than a standard Knuck, especially if the customer ordered the full 100ci engine capacity available (they were usually 61ci – 1000cc).  Al Crocker offered a money-back guarantee to any Crocker owner who was beaten by an Indian or Harley-Davidson, and there was never a need to make such a refund.  Crockers have only grown in demand, with prices topping $600k in 2019.  But Serial #1, the very first Crocker Big Twin, apparently sold to a California collector for a cool $1Million a few years back.  I’ve heard the rumor from Those Who Know, and the purported owner could certainly afford that – he has quite a few Crockers in his warehouse! (Sorry – no photo available)

5 (tied): 1912 Henderson Four $ 1Million (Private sale)

[Mecum Auctions]
The only known original paint 1912 Henderson Four, this machine set a record for any Henderson back in 2017 at the Mecum Las Vegas auction, where it fetched $539,000.  There is no denying the authenticity of this machine, and while slightly oxidized, the paint and nickel plating are still present, and the pinstriping and logo clearly visible.  A superb motorcycle!   Henderson Fours were rightly known as the ‘Duesenberg of Motorcycles’ for the quality of their engineering, construction, and finish, and their smooth elegance.  A machine just like this one became the first motorcycle ridden around the world, when Charles Stearns Clancy commenced a journey eastward in 1912, finishing in 1913.  Clancy did write about his journey, but events overtook his story, ie World War 1.  His tale remained unpublished for generations, only appearing in 2010 in the book ‘Motorcycle Adventurer.’  I recommend the book, as it is the ONLY pre-WW1 round-the-world travelogue (on a motorcycle – there are earlier books with travel by boat and train), and it was clearly a different world before everything went to hell.  We included a different 1912 Henderson to honor Clancy’s achievement in my exhibit ‘ADV:Overland’ at the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles: check out that story here.

 

Paul d’Orléans is the founder of TheVintagent.com. He is an author, photographer, filmmaker, museum curator, event organizer, and public speaker. Check out his Author Page, Instagram, and Facebook.

 

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