Why you need to come to Vintage Motorcycle Days

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Vincent’s have been getting the green for some years now, so nobody seemed surprised by the $60,000 paid for a 1953 Black Shadow Series C with matching cases and upper and lower frame numbers. It also came with a letter of authenticity from the Vincent Club.

On the other end of the spectrum were the bikes most of us might buy, like a 1980 Yamaha SR500G that went for $4,600. That price might seem high until you realize the bike’s as-new condition, backed up by a mere eight miles on the clock. Seven Honda CBXs were on hand, including the claimed 10th built. Lightly modified and in need of some work to be perfect, it fetched $4,500.

There were other low-mileage bikes on hand, but we were more than a bit puzzled at bikes like a 1978 Benelli Sei, billed as “never started” but showing 10 miles on the clock and missing one spark plug. And the Benelli wasn’t alone, with similar claims made on a Harley-Davidson XLCR and others. Even so, the Benelli drew a winning bid of $10,500. Total sales for the auction were just short of $4,500,000, with 92 percent of all bikes sold. Love it or hate it, classic bike values continue to climb. And for classic bike owners who like to exercise their machines, rising values can present a challenging question: Is that old bike too valuable to ride? MC­

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