2009 Daytona Motorcycle Auction
(Page 2 of 3)
May/June 2009
By John Landstrom
Lot 44 — 1977 H-D XLCR, $8,250: 9,300 miles, good condition. These XLCRs show up frequently at auctions. They were a styling milestone for Harley Davidson but not very good sellers when new. If you ever rode one you would know why — a café racer that is slow, heavy and ill handling. On the other hand, they do have limited collector appeal and have been slowly rising in price at about the rate of inflation.
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Lot 46A — 1949 Triumph Speed Twin, $14,500: Some age on a less than perfect restoration, aging chrome and numerous paint chips. Seller stated “concours condition” — buyer beware!
Lot 58A — 1973 Norton 850 Commando, $5,000: 14,000 miles, Boyer ignition, good chrome, decent paint except for tape pinstripes. A little under the money if the bike runs as good as it looks.
Lot 59 — 1940 Indian 4 with sidecar, $39,500: Sidecar appeared to be mostly fiberglass, and yellow was not a good color choice. The polished engine cases detracted but $39,500 is at least $10,000 under the money for any decent Indian 4; the sidecar could be considered free at this price. Very well bought.
Lot 61A — 1974 BMW R90S, $4,500: 28,000 miles. Lester wheels, nice repaint a shade off from original, BMW tool kit under seat. This is the one I bought. Problems with clutch on first ride but still a bargain.
Lot 66 — 1949 Vincent Rapide with Hollandia sidecar, $45,000: Proper Amal 276 carbs, rare left side kicker to accommodate sidecar, nice paint and chrome. Appeared to be a very honest early C series that might need a little finesse to bring it back from storage. A good deal and top sale of the day.
Lot 67 — 1951 Egli Vincent Comet, $13,500: Recent restoration or newly built Egli replica, I’m not sure, but either way a bargain.
Auction insights
Nothing gets the blood flowing like bidding on a motorcycle you might end up owning. Selling at an auction can be equally exciting and a little bit scary. No one knows for sure what any bike will bring on any day, so you must be a bit of a gambler and a bit of an optimist. I was both buyer and seller at the 2009 Daytona auction, and I feel satisfied with the results on both ends. This may not always be the case; no matter how reputable the auction company, as with any transaction, it’s buyer beware.