Early ‘50s Triumph Speed Twin has wrong Amal Concentric carburetor but looks complete. Photo courtesy J. Wood & Company
An unbelievable 1,800 vintage motorcycles — all belonging to one man — will be auctioned off by J. Wood & Company in a giant three-day event, March 13-15, 2018, in Ocala, Florida. “This is the largest single consignor motorcycle collection that’s ever been offered at a no-reserve auction that I know of,” says auctioneer Jerry Wood. “The largest amount are late 1960s and early 1970s Japanese machines, but there are lots of early Superbikes including a lot of single cam K0 and K1 Honda CB750s.” The collection includes a great many British bikes as well, including a 1973 Triumph Hurricane showing an indicated — and believed original — 510 miles.
According to Wood, the owner’s father was in the motorcycle business decades ago selling BSA, Triumph and Norton. When Honda came along, he started selling them, as well. In 1978 the family moved to Ocala and opened Earl’s Cycle Center. “Earl Jr. loved the motorcycles, but Earl Sr. was there to tell him ‘you can’t keep them all.’ After Earl Sr. passed away in 1998, Earl Jr. started taking motorcycles that he took in trade home with him. He also attended auctions and bought everything he could afford,” Wood says.
Wood says the bikes range in condition from very good to project/salvage, and the collection also includes a huge inventory of NOS parts and “literally tons” of used parts. Wood says that many of the bikes are jammed into sheds, trailers and storage containers on the owner’s property, with many ultimately left outside.
It’s hard to predict results without having seen the bikes firsthand (potential bidders will be able to examine the collection March 11 and 12), but odds are this auction will generate every bit as much interest as J. Wood’s wild 2015 auction in Cuba, Missouri, one of the biggest horde of old bikes ever auctioned prior to the upcoming Ocala auction.
