The world's most valuable motorcycle heads for auction

Lineslinger

Lineslinger

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Some here may even remember the movie...


newatlas.com

The world's most valuable motorcycle heads for auction

The world’s best known and most recognisable motorcycle will cross the auction block in Texas on 5 June 2021, creating as much interest and controversy as it did when the famous American road film Easy Rider was released 52 years prior on 14 July 1969. That’s because there are now two bikes…
newatlas.com newatlas.com
 
'Value' must be subjective. - My friend was driving down a country road many years ago. He saw the emergency crews carrying a guy out of the trees at the side of the road. A chopper had carried him off on a bend.
 
acotrel said:
'Value' must be subjective. - My friend was driving down a country road many years ago. He saw the emergency crews carrying a guy out of the trees at the side of the road. A chopper had carried him off on a bend.
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Any Idea what the cause of the accident was Al?
 
Must have been something like that. How many ways could you make a worse front end for a motorcycle ? It is just bloody stupid. When you build something, function is more important than form. If that is the most valuable motorcycle in the world, it is time to give up.
I think one of Agostini's MVs might be more valuable than any Harley on the planet. Easy rider was simply bullshit. I like Boss Hoss better.

 
acotrel said:
Must have been something like that. How many ways could you make a worse front end for a motorcycle ? It is just bloody stupid. When you build something, function is more important than form. If that is the most valuable motorcycle in the world, it is time to give up.
I think one of Agostini's MVs might be more valuable than any Harley on the planet. Easy rider was simply bullshit. I like Boss Hoss better.

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So do you know why it crashed or are you assuming because it was a chopper he crashed?
 
baz said:
So do you know why it crashed or are you assuming because it was a chopper he crashed?
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Wellington Road where he crashed off the bend , is a big wide road with a smooth surface. Have you ever had the handle bars disappear into a blur at high speed ? Think my assumption is incorrect ? - I have been caught too many times. I don't often ride bikes which have been built by other people. There have been times when I was offered sponsored rides on race bikes - I always refused.
 
acotrel said:
Wellington Road where he crashed off the bend , is a big wide road with a smooth surface. Have you ever had the handle bars disappear into a blur at high speed ? Think my assumption is incorrect ? - I have been caught too many times. I don't often ride bikes which have been built by other people. There have been times when I was offered sponsored rides on race bikes - I always refused.
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Yes I've had a few tank slappers over the years
But the question was
"Do you know why the bloke on the chopper crashed" ? I'm not being antagonist I would genuinely like to know ?
 
baz said:
Yes I've had a few tank slappers over the years
But the question was
"Do you know why the bloke on the chopper crashed" ? I'm not being antagonist I would genuinely like to know ?
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How would anyone ever know ? Under the conditions, only an assumption can be made. I think he was probably alone when he crashed. In Australia we have standardised design rules for vehicles which are to be used on public roads. To register a chopper, you need an engineer's certificate which makes the engineers professionally liable. So it is not cheap. We have very few hot rod cars on our roads these days, where in the old days we had plenty. Back in the 1970s in Melbourne, there was a guy who was into hot rods in a big way. He got a lot of publicity, then a short time later he crashed his hot rod into a plantation in Dandenong Road, Caulfield at about 100 MPH. His car flew to pieces and both the and his mate were killed. That is when the new regulations came into play. You cannot do anything in Victoria for less than $2000. And it is the same in other states.
For myself, when I rode motorcycles on public roads, I used to have cafe racers. You cannot do that cheap any more. One of my friends has a 1971 750SS Ducati he wants to register. The bike never had indicators when it was new. But now he has to somehow fit them, 18 inches apart, front and back.
 
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I have not seen a chopper on Australian roads since about 1970. One of my friends has a very nice Model A Ford coupe hot rod, but he is a fanatic. You can do it, but it costs. A competition car or motorcycle is a much better way to go. There is one loophole - club registration, but the way you can use the vehicle is limited.
 
Al I got to disagree with you about not many Hot Rods or Choppers on the road, most hotrodders are in car club and most also have chopper bikes as well and rego their cars and bikes on classic rego which is cheaper and the road insurance is a lot cheaper but there are restrictions in when they can take them out (club runs or short distants for testing or taking them out for work to be done on them) I also know a few hotrodders who have full rego and use their hotrod as normal family cars, I have a few mates who have chopped Harley's as well chopped Triumph that have full rego as long as they past the safety inspection all is good.
As for your mate and his Ducati, if the bike didn't come out from the factory with indicators then no need to put them on as they don't have the wiring to install them, my Norton has full rego and has no indicators at all, there are different rules for older bikes and cars, any bike after 1985 must have lights on and 2 mirrors as well indicators, so my Norton runs no indicators has only one mirror on the right side and don't have to run with the head light on, I have never and I mean never had any problem with the Police while out and about on my old Norton, yes been pulled over many times for licence check or speeding fines.
These laws are AUS wide for older cars and bikes and road rules have changed for older cars and bike as they know some older bikes just don't have the charging system that will allow then to run lights all the time or to power the indicators and a lot of changes have been made for these road users.
I know a lot of mates who have hot rods and chopper bikes and a lot of bike mates running without indicators, with all these hot rods and classic car as well bikes that are being imported from the States, if the cars are over 20 years old then they don't need to be converted to right hand drive and one of the reasons we are seeing more old classic cars driving around with left hand drive on our roads with full rego.

Ashley
 
If I came across a crashed bike whether it was a chopper or stock bike on a wide smooth road with a bend and nothing else involved
My first thought would be how fast was the rider going
Second thought was booze involved !
I've been heavily involved in chop building since 1981 and I've never known one to throw a rider off on a bend or otherwise
I'm not saying that a chop can't do that anything is possible
But it wouldn't be my first assumption
In the UK you can build practically what you like
As long as the bike has the original headstock and front frame loop
If it's a custom frame then you take the bike to an msva for inspection
Out of all the bikes I have ridden be it a chopper or standard bike the worst handling bike I have ridden was a stock BSA plunger A10 and second was a Harley rubber mount
That Harley didn't even handle in a straight line !!
 
Lineslinger said:
Some here may even remember the movie...


newatlas.com

The world's most valuable motorcycle heads for auction

The world’s best known and most recognisable motorcycle will cross the auction block in Texas on 5 June 2021, creating as much interest and controversy as it did when the famous American road film Easy Rider was released 52 years prior on 14 July 1969. That’s because there are now two bikes…
newatlas.com newatlas.com
Click to expand...
Value will depend on how much money there still is in the tank ..
 
"In the immediate aftermath of the film’s production, all of the intact bikes (both bikes used in the film by Dennis Hopper as Billy and the remaining intact Captain America bike ridden by Peter Fonda as Wyatt) were stolen just as shooting finished and have never been seen again."
 
Am I the only one who saw the headline and thought: 'Cylinder heads??????'

Gotta admit, wouldn't want it in the garage at ANY price.
 
Time Warp said:
"In the immediate aftermath of the film’s production, all of the intact bikes (both bikes used in the film by Dennis Hopper as Billy and the remaining intact Captain America bike ridden by Peter Fonda as Wyatt) were stolen just as shooting finished and have never been seen again."
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In that case, the seller is in possession of a stolen vehicle, and it should immediately be impounded.

Maybe THAT would get them to stop claiming it's the original, you think?
 
I believe the bike being auctioned is what was salvageable from the burnt bike.

There is quite a bit on the internet including Peter Fonda revoking his endorsement on one of the bikes (found to be a replica perhaps) with a bit of dirty work at the crossroads in the past.
If the internet is anything to go by, the bikes ridden mostly in the movie are long gone. (disappeared at movie end, in Peter's garage maybe ?)

It is a bit like the rare Ferrari built up from an original hubcap.
 
Time Warp said:
I believe the bike being auctioned is what was salvageable from the burnt bike.

There is quite a bit on the internet including Peter Fonda revoking his endorsement on one of the bikes (found to be a replica perhaps) with a bit of dirty work at the crossroads in the past.
If the internet is anything to go by, the bikes ridden mostly in the movie are long gone. (disappeared at movie end, in Peter's garage maybe ?)

It is a bit like the rare Ferrari built up from an original hubcap.
Click to expand...

a friend of mine was handed a rivet off a 1940s Spitfire as a joke by another friend. Painstakingly over a period of 6 years or so he had amassed enough spare parts and old airframes to be able to have built a complete, period correct, Spitfire. That one was first flown again a dozen years ago. The cost then was around £600,000. He’s now looking to find the bits to build a 2 seater so that he will be able to actually fly in it - he can’t fly a plane, let alone a spitfire.

here’s the news report, exaggerated price tag too!

www.dailymail.co.uk

It all started with a rivet: How businessman spent £1million restoring Spitfire to flying condition after friend gave him just one tiny part and a HUGE challenge

The iconic Second World War fighter plane was meticulously pieced together after its fuselage was rescued by 51-year-old Martin Phillips a decade ago.
www.dailymail.co.uk www.dailymail.co.uk
 
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