The J.Wood & Company Mike Harper auction includes rarities like this mid-1950s Moto Guzzi scooter.All photos courtesy J.Wood & Company
J. Wood & Company will hold what’s looking to be the auction of the year when it auctions off the personal collection of vintage motorcycles belonging to Mike Harper, founder of legendary Harper’s Moto Guzzi in Greenwood, Missouri, 25 miles southeast of Kansas City. This is not an estate auction: Mike Harper is alive and kicking and doing fine, but he and his wife, Alice, decided it was time to retire, so his incredible collection of 325-plus motorcycles, parts and memorabilia will be sold in a no-reserve auction at Harper’s Sept. 8-9, 2016.
Intriguing bikes in the collection include this fantastic 500cc Moto Guzzi Ercole three-wheeled dump truck.
This 1947 Gilera Saturno Sport is sure to garner attention.
This is not your average collection, containing as it does an amazing variety of machines. While you’d expect the collection to be heavy on Italian bikes – it is – it also had more than a few surprises, including motor-wheels from both BSA and Honda. We had no idea Honda ever made a motor wheel, but Mike has one. The collection also includes many collectible British bikes, ranging from a 1941 Matchless 350 to a 1975 Triumph T160 triple. Japanese classics are well represented, including collectibles like a 1965 Marusho 500 twin and a sizable lot of Honda 305s and many others. On the Italian side, interesting standouts include a number of Moto Guzzi three-wheeled trucks – one with a dump bed – and a 1947 Gilera Saturno Sport. The collection is huge and the selection of bikes simply astounding: Click here to see the full list posted on the J.Wood & Company website. Having visited with Mike Harper in the past and viewed his collection, we tell you from experience that this will be an amazing experience and an auction that’s sure to have something for just about anyone. Can’t make it? Look for auction results here at the auction’s conclusion.
A 1975 Triumph T160 in the Mike Harper collection.
A Honda motor wheel in the Mike Harper collection.
